Winners of back-to-back series, collectively going 4-2 versus the Rockies and White Sox, the Orioles' homestand continues tonight as they host the Rays to start a three-game series.

After beating the White Sox 13-3 and 9-0 in the first two games of the series, the O’s were held to seven hits in Wednesday’s 8-1 loss as they failed to complete their sixth sweep of the season.

The Orioles (81-60) had a three-game win streak snapped but have won four of six and seven of 12 games. They are 3-1 in September, 23-22 since the All-Star break and 28-29 since July 1.

With the New York Yankees' 3-0 win today over the Cubs, the clubs have identical records atop the division. The O's need to win to stay a 1/2-game ahead.

Gunnar Henderson homered Wednesday night and set an O’s record with his 35^th homer – the most ever by a Baltimore shortstop. He had shared the record with Cal Ripken Jr. (1991) and Miguel Tejada (2004).

Ramón Urías ditched his crutches and is offering positive news on his sprained right ankle, including his readiness to begin baseball activities in a couple of days.

Urías said earlier today that the ankle is feeling “pretty good” and “progressing fast.”

“I’m walking now, it feels pretty normal,” he said while standing at his locker. “Hopefully can start doing some baseball activities soon.”

Urías rolled the ankle while covering third base in the seventh inning of Saturday’s game in Colorado, the same night that he also was hit on the nose by a pitch and Dean Kremer exited in the fourth after taking a line drive off his right forearm.

Kremer is starting tonight. Urías won’t be ready for reinstatement when eligible on Wednesday but is aiming for a return later this month.

Dean Kremer is set to take his scheduled turn tonight for the series opener against the Rays at Camden Yards, avoiding the injured list after Jordan Beck’s line drive Saturday night slammed off his right forearm.

Kremer registered three quality starts in a row before leaving the Rockies game after 3 1/3 innings with a huge welt above his wrist.

The Rays are seeing Kremer for the first time this season. He’s made six career starts against them and posted a 2.79 ERA in 29 innings.

Brandon Lowe is 4-for-9 with a home run against Kremer. Yandy Díaz is 1-for-13.

Nick Maton is starting at third base and batting ninth, a spot ahead of Jackson Holliday. Coby Mayo is on the bench again.

Only in the heat of a pennant race with the regular season down to the last 21 games could winning two of three from the Rockies and White Sox seem unsatisfactory.

They’re both painfully bad. The Orioles should have swept both series based on their talent and motivation. But the Rockies are better at home and the thin air messes with all logic. And the White Sox … well, there’s no excuse except that it’s the major leagues and no team is gonna go 0-162. It's bound to catch a popup.

Going 4-2 in the last six games is nothing to sneeze at, but please cover your mouth if you do.

I covered the 2002 Orioles who finished 4-32 under manager Mike Hargrove and they were more competitive than Chicago. Requests for comparisons have been brought to me. Also with the rebuild Orioles. Again, not this terrible.

Hargrove’s club was .500 on Aug. 23. I can think of 500 reasons why the White Sox didn’t get close. But I respect the effort Wednesday night, when they could have folded after Gunnar Henderson’s game-tying leadoff home run in the bottom of the first.

Dean Kremer did more than dodge the injured list, which alone was an impressive accomplishment.

He’s starting Friday night in the series opener against the Rays at Camden Yards.

The 103.1 mph line drive from Colorado’s Jordan Beck that slammed off Kremer’s right forearm in the fourth inning Saturday night at Coors Field raised a huge welt above his wrist and major concerns about the Orioles’ rotation. As if it could afford another loss.

Kremer played catch in the outfield in recent days, had a bullpen session yesterday at Camden Yards and convinced the Orioles that he could take his next turn.

Asked about Kremer after Sunday’s game, manager Brandon Hyde said, "I would be really surprised if he’s pitching in four or five days.” The Orioles are off tonight. Kremer is on the mound Friday.

More positive injury news came out of Camden Yards this afternoon. Momentum for the Orioles isn’t restricted to winning the next series.

Grayson Rodriguez completed his first bullpen session this afternoon and remains confident in his return later this month from a lat/teres injury.

Rodriguez threw about 20 pitches, mixing off-speed stuff with his fastball.

“Arm’s feeling good and I think right now that’s the most important thing is just being able to get back on the mound, let it eat a couple times,” he said.

“Everything felt good. The ball was spinning well.”

The Orioles are pushing to regain a significant chunk of their health before October.

Let’s start with reliever Danny Coulombe, who faced hitters today for the first time since undergoing surgery in June to remove bone chips from his left elbow.

Coulombe has thrown off a mound, but today represented a significant step in his progression toward a rehab assignment and reinstatement from the injured list.

“Definitely encouraged,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “We’ll see how he feels tomorrow. He’s in the weight room kind of getting his post-throw lift in. He felt pretty good, so hopefully it feels good tomorrow, too.”

Reliever Jacob Webb tossed a scoreless inning with Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday and he’s pitching again for the Tides on Wednesday. The Orioles will decide after the outing whether he’s ready to get back into their bullpen.

DENVER - The reaction is about what you’d expect. Players watch a teammate sustain an injury and struggle to comprehend the reasoning or keep count.

Zach Eflin is reinstated from the injured list and starts yesterday’s series finale in Colorado, less than 24 hours after a 103.1 mile line drive slams into Dean Kremer’s right arm, creating a Rocky Mountain high welt above his wrist. The Orioles were dumped again into their gain-one, lose-one way of life.

Kremer has avoided the injured list and perhaps the off-day Thursday works in his favor. But he lasted only 3 1/3 innings and manager Brandon Hyde used six relievers in a 7-5 loss. Hyde said yesterday that he’d be surprised if Kremer started in the next four or five days.

Ramón Urías is hit on the nose by a 93.8 mph sinker, stays in the game and rolls his ankle covering third base. He’s on crutches and the 10-day IL, putting the Orioles’ hottest hitter on ice for an indefinite period.

If it wasn’t for bad luck …

DENVER – The Orioles lost one game and two more players tonight.

Infielder Ramón Urías has a sprained right ankle. He was on crutches in the clubhouse following the Rockies’ 7-5 win at Coors Field.

Urías and Dean Kremer, who was hit by a line drive on the lower right forearm, will be re-evaluated Sunday.

Kremer has a contusion after X-rays came back negative for a fracture, but the length of his potential absence is unknown tonight.

Urías took a beating. Ryan Feltner hit him on the nose with a 93.8 mph sinker in the fifth inning, but Urías turned away in time to avoid flush contact and stayed in the game.

DENVER – The Orioles anticipate having Zach Eflin return from the injured list Sunday to make his fifth start. A breath of fresh air for a team that's gasping.

The rotation's gain might be nullified by losing Dean Kremer, which would be another massive blow.

Jordan Beck’s 103.1 mph line drive tonight nailed Kremer on the lower right forearm in the fourth inning, forcing him out of the game. A huge welt developed almost instantly above the wrist.

Kremer paced behind the mound in obvious pain as head athletic trainer Brian Ebel and manager Brandon Hyde raced out of the dugout. Keegan Akin replaced Kremer with the Orioles down 3-2.

The ball ricocheted to shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who threw to Jackson Holiday for the force.

A team has only so many dramatic comebacks in the bank. Expecting three in a row seems a bit unreasonable, a tall order that can’t always be scaled. Maybe spread them out a little.

Make a baseball life a little easier while fighting to get back into first place.

Dean Kremer ran into two-out trouble in the fourth inning tonight, surrendering three runs and receiving no offensive support except for a walk. No hits or rallies. Nothing unusual for this team.

Ramón Urías tied the game in the fifth inning with a three-run homer, the uprising a tad earlier than usual, but Alex Bregman and Yanier Diaz went back-to-back on consecutive Burch Smith pitches in the seventh in the Astros’ 6-3 victory over the Orioles before an announced crowd of 21,654 at Camden Yards that split the series.

The heroics ran out for the Orioles, who were held to a season-low two hits and are 76-56.

Triple-A Norfolk outfielder Daniel Johnson is on the Orioles’ 24-hour taxi squad while center fielder Cedric Mullins is reevaluated for left quadriceps tightness.

Mullins exited Friday's game due to discomfort and so far he's avoided the injured list. Johnson was removed from Norfolk’s game after two at-bats that night, and he’s got a locker at Camden Yards in case Mullins’ quad doesn’t improve enough to let him play.

Johnson, also a left-handed bat, is hitting .267/.333/.479 with 17 doubles, a triple, 20 home runs and 70 RBIs in 98 games with Norfolk. He hasn’t played in the majors since 2021 with Cleveland.

The Orioles would need to make a corresponding 40-man roster move to accommodate him.

“A lot of at-bats,” Johnson said when asked to explain his success with the Tides. “Get a lot of at-bats, you can do a lot every single day. So just the ABs. It’s an opportunity.”

The Orioles designated left-hander Nick Vespi for assignment this afternoon after optioning him for a fifth time, and they claimed right-hander Brooks Kriske on waivers from the Reds.

Kriske was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk to leave the active roster untouched. The 40-man remains full.

Vespi couldn’t be optioned again without passing through waivers. He tossed a scoreless inning Thursday against the Astros.

Kriske provides more flexibility, and he’s back in the organization after appearing in four games with the Orioles in 2021 and allowing five runs in 3 2/3 innings. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2023 with the Royals, spending the next two years in Japan.

The Reds signed Kriske as a free agent in December. He had a 3.10 ERA in 42 games with Triple-A Louisville and struck out 72 batters in 49 1/3 innings.

Orioles' manager Brandon Hyde wasn’t ready to commit to a six-man rotation when asked about it earlier this week. Too many balls in the air to grab hold of an exact plan.

Actions could be pointing the team in that direction.

By keeping Cole Irvin and also needing a starter for Sunday night against the Astros, the Orioles could commit to the six-man alignment at least for the moment. And it provides extra rest for the entire crew.

There’s no other reason to keep Irvin unless he’s starting or the Orioles don’t want to run him through waivers again and risk a claim, which didn’t happen the first time.

Irvin isn’t any use to the bullpen this weekend after throwing 83 pitches Wednesday at Citi Field. The Orioles added two fresh relievers yesterday in Nick Vespi and Matt Bowman and sent down Colin Selby, who tossed three scoreless innings in two appearances.

NEW YORK – Only in 2024 can a day like this one seem eerily routine to the Orioles.

They lose a reliever to the paternity list, which is a simple swap by calling up another arm for temporary service. They lose a starter to the injured list, which is much harder to overcome and keeps happening to them. This team could field an impressive rotation out of shelved pitchers.

The level of adversity threatens to rise above their heads, but they suit up again, jog onto the field and take care of their business.

A night after enduring Francisco Alvarez’s walk-off home run and animated celebration, the Orioles jumped out to an early lead against the Mets and evened the series with a 9-5 victory before an announced crowd of 34,225 at Citi Field.

Knock down this team and it pops back up.

After they suffered a walk-off 4-3 loss to the Mets last night, the Orioles take the field tonight needing to win two straight to take this series at Citi Field before they return home.

The Orioles (73-53) take the field tonight a half-game behind the first-place Yankees (73-52) who begin a home series tonight with the American League Central-leading Guardians (72-52).

Last night's defeat, the Orioles' fourth walk-off loss of 2024, was their third loss in four games and fifth in their last eight. The Orioles are 15-15 since the All-Star break. 

The Birds fell to 23-18 in series openers and to 11-9 when that series opener was a road game.

The Orioles are 12-13 in July and 8-9 in August. They are 58-33 versus AL teams, but just 15-20 against the National League.

NEW YORK – Another injury is forcing the Orioles to change their rotation and curse their luck.

Zach Eflin, with four quality starts and wins in his four appearances with the Orioles, went on the 15-day injured list this afternoon with right shoulder inflammation. Left-hander Cade Povich was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk.

Eflin felt some soreness after his last outing and it didn’t improve to the point where he could stay on the roster. The starter for Wednesday is TBD, with manager Brandon Hyde saying Corbin Burnes wouldn’t get the assignment on normal rest.

Povich started Saturday, allowed two runs in a career-high 6 1/3 innings and was optioned. He’s eligible to return because he’s replacing an injured player.

The Orioles also placed left-hander Keegan Akin on the paternity list today and he’s left the team to be with his wife for the birth of their second baby.

Gunnar Henderson raised the bat above his head and looked toward right field as if calling his shot after making contact. This was his reaction to a blast that used to be more common in the first half. A power pose that he’d like to bring back more frequently.

Henderson demolished a first-pitch four-seamer from DJ Herz in the opening inning, his 30^th home run landing on Eutaw Street and staking the Orioles to an early lead.

Coby Mayo lined a single into left field leading off the fifth and ditched his bat as quickly as possible. No time to admire his first major league hit. Bolt out of the box, reach first base and soak in the standing ovation.

Dean Kremer had his own moments tonight with six innings of one-run ball, and the Orioles gained a split of the series with a 4-1 win over the Nationals before an announced crowd of 26,479 at Camden Yards.

Yennier Cano, Cionel Pérez and Seranthony Domínguez combined for three scoreless and hitless innings, and the Orioles improved to 71-50. They remain a half-game behind the Yankees.

The Orioles and Nationals will meet for the fourth and final time this year tonight at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. After losing to the Nats 9-3 last night, the O's are 0-1 in this two-game series and 1-2 in the four-game season series.

A win tonight will split this series and the four-game season set. The Orioles have not lost a season series to the Nationals since 2018.

These teams have been playing since 2006 and the Orioles are 56-41 all-time versus the Nats and 10-2-6 in season series.

The Orioles lost the 2018 season series, going 1-5. Then they went 2-2 in 2019, 4-2 in 2020, 3-3 in 2021, 3-1 in 2022 and 4-0 last season leading up to this year.

Even with last night's loss, the Orioles have won eight of their last 10 versus the Nats and manager Brandon Hyde is 17-10 against them.

Austin Slater is leading off and playing left field tonight and Coby Mayo is at third base against a left-handed opposing starter.

Eloy Jiménez is the designated hitter. Colton Cowser is in center field.

Jackson Holliday stays at second base and is batting ninth.

Dean Kremer has made two career starts against the Nationals and is 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA in 11 2/3 innings.

Kremer has held opponents to a .523 OPS his first time through the order, compared to .817 for the rest of the game.