PHOENIX - Kyle Bradish said it was the most nervous he's been in a major league game. It was the first time he pitched as a big leaguer in his home state of Arizona, first time he faced his boyhood team, the Diamondbacks, and the first time he had 70 family and friends in person hanging on his every pitch.

But the local (Arizona) kid made good. He got another win and so did the Orioles as Bradish allowed two runs over six innings in the Orioles' 7-3 win over Arizona.

“I didn’t think he had his best command tonight, honestly, or his best breaking ball," manager Brandon Hyde said of Bradish, who is 8-4 with a 2.28 ERA over his last 14 starts. "He’s just really tough to hit. Because it’s firm and it goes in different directions. To get through six innings, throw a bunch of pitches there, really happy about that. He competes."

Bradish was born in Peoria, just a few miles from Phoenix, and went to Millennium High School in Goodyear, about 20 miles west of Phoenix.

“I’ll be honest, that was probably the most nervous I’ve been," he said after picking up his 10th win. "Even more so than my debut, knowing I would have that many people out there. You want to go out and have a good game.

PHOENIX - If you watched the first three innings of the Orioles game at Arizona tonight, you would not have had a clue about what was going to happen in the top of the fourth.

Through three the Orioles had two hits and no runs against Arizona rookie right-hander Slade Cecconi, their No. 14 prospect via MLBPipeline.com. His slider was working nicely and the O’s had scored just two runs in the first 12 innings of this series.

On top of that a messy last of the third saw Arizona take a 2-0 lead against right-hander Kyle Bradish.

Things could have been better. And they soon would be.

Suddenly the Orioles were producing loud contact and suddenly they had a six-run fourth inning which featured seven straight hits and led 6-2.

PHOENIX – After scoring 23 runs on 34 hits in their three-game series at home with the White Sox, the Orioles offense got off to a slow start on their nine-game road trip that began Friday night.

They were held to one run over six innings by former O’s draft pick Zach Davies and to two runs on the night in a 4-2 loss to Arizona.

The Orioles (83-51), who have 28 games remaining in the regular season, begin play today leading the Rays by 1 1/2 games atop the American League East.

Baltimore is trying to avoid a three-game losing streak tonight, which would be their longest since dropping four in a row June 27-July 1.

Right-hander Kyle Bradish (9-6, 3.03 ERA), a native of Peoria, Ariz., about 13 miles from Phoenix, will get the start today in his home state, making his 25^th start.

PHOENIX – The Orioles are hoping to recapture the magic with right-handed reliever Jorge López. Added by the Orioles today on waivers from Miami, López has not yet reported to the team, but he is going to and the O’s hope he can help them win the American League East.

Being acquired after the cutoff date for postseason eligibility, López will not be able to pitch in the playoffs with Baltimore.

Between the Twins and Marlins this year, López is 6-2 with a 6.13 ERA and 1.574 WHIP over 47 innings. He has a 3.8 walk rate and 6.7 strikeout rate. But when last an Oriole, he was a bullpen weapon who made the 2022 AL All-Star team.

“You know, Lopy is someone a lot of us in that clubhouse are really close with,” manager Brandon Hyde said today in the visitor’s dugout. “Had some really good moments. First half last year was the best closer in baseball. What he did making the All-Star team. It was great to see him a couple of months ago in Minnesota. You know we are hoping he can help us down the stretch.”

They helped López once go from struggling starter to top reliever and the Orioles hope to get him going again when he joins the team.

Ryan Mountcastle is out of the Orioles lineup again tonight in Arizona. He was scratched last night due to an illness.

Gunnar Henderson, who went 2-for-4 last night with two runs scored, stays at shortstop. Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter.

Ryan O’Hearn is the first baseman and Ramón Urías is playing third base. Adam Frazier is the second baseman.

Henderson is batting .330 or better when he’s ahead or even in the count, but .172 when behind.

Anthony Santander is slugging .809 against fastballs since the start of August after slugging .276 against them in July.

On the day the Orioles found out they've lost their closer for an indefinite period, you had to figure this game – played in front of a huge crowd – would be close in the late innings.

Maybe with the Orioles leading by a run late and needing to protect that lead.

Yep.

With Félix Bautista now on the injured list while we await word on just how long he will be out, Yennier Cano got the first save chance in his absence. 

The news about Bautista hit the team hard Friday night and certainly lingered into last night's game.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde worked through the various scenarios in his head. How he’d protect a late lead. Building a bridge to his designated closer for the night.

He just needed the game to reach that point.

Trying for their 81^st win and 26^th series conquest, the Orioles rallied from a two-run deficit in the sixth inning by scoring four times and holding on to defeat the Rockies 5-4 before an announced sellout crowd of 42,535.

Tommy Doyle inherited two runners from starter Chris Flexen with no outs in the sixth and Ryan Mountcastle greeted him with a go-ahead, two-run double down the left field line. Austin Hays had an RBI grounder to expand the lead, Kyle Bradish gave Hyde six-plus innings and Yennier Cano recorded his fifth save after switching gloves.

"He wants the ball," Hyde said of Cano. "He's not afraid of the moment. He's not afraid to face middle-of-the-order bats. I love how aggressive he is, I love how Yenny pitches with no fear. He's had an All-Star type year."

After their latest win and latest victory in a close game Friday night, the Orioles can win another series with a victory tonight at home against Colorado.

Baltimore (80-48) begins play tonight leading Tampa Bay by three games atop the American League East. The Orioles have won six of seven, 17 of 24 and 31 of their last 44 games.

Their 5-4 Friday win over the Rockies improved the Orioles' record to 23-11 in one-run games, and they have now gone 81 straight series without being swept.

The O's have scored 48 runs the last seven games and hit 12 homers their past six games.

Right-hander Kyle Bradish (8-6, 3.03 ERA) will make his 24^th start tonight for the Orioles, who are 15-8 in his games this year, winning his last four starts.

The Orioles are shutting down closer Félix Bautista and placing him on the 15-day injured list with “some degree of injury” to his ulnar collateral ligament, according to executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias. DL Hall is recalled from Triple-A Norfolk.

Elias didn’t know whether Bautista would pitch again this season. Too soon to give a definitive prognosis. But it’s a significant blow.

I’ll have more from Elias later.

Hall joined the Orioles on April 29 to pitch in relief in Game 1 of a doubleheader in Detroit. He allowed two runs and struck out seven batters in three innings.

The Orioles put Hall on a de-load program with Triple-A Norfolk, and then a strengthening program in Sarasota to regain arm strength and velocity. His work in spring training was limited by back soreness.

Kyle Bradish is named the starter for tonight’s game against the Rockies, the line moving again while the Orioles wait on Jack Flaherty.

No one who is new to the rotation is anticipated at this point. The same crew, one of the distinct differences from the past.

The Orioles have used only eight starting pitchers this season, the third-lowest total in the majors. And that includes Keegan Akin, who worked one inning as an opener on May 31 against the Guardians. He’s on the 60-day injured list.

The other starters are more memorable: Bradish, Flaherty, Kyle Gibson, Tyler Wells, Dean Kremer, Grayson Rodriguez and Cole Irvin.

The Blue Jays and Nationals were tied for fewest with seven heading into the weekend. The Twins, Brewers, White Sox, Cubs and Angels were ahead of the Orioles with nine.

On Sept. 24, 2014, the Orioles defeated the Yankees 9-5 in the Bronx to move 32 games above .500. They lost their next three, won 1-0 in Toronto and finished the regular season 96-66.

The 2023 edition is 77-47 heading into tonight’s series opener against the Blue Jays at Camden Yards, with a chance to soar 31 games beyond the .500 mark for the first time in nine years.

Can’t clip those wings, though strains happen. And be careful with that back.

I remind myself of this daily as I hoist my mailbag. Lift with the legs, the only exercise they get.

I’m lightening the load by answering a few more questions this morning, the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original, while my body adjusts to East Coast time.

The Orioles will certainly take some momentum into their AL East series at home tomorrow night against third-place Toronto. 

They blasted Oakland 12-1 on Sunday to produce their seventh three-game sweep of the year. For those that love run differential, the Orioles outscored the Athletics 28-7 over the weekend.

Gunnar Henderson had four extra-base hits to tie a team record and he became the 11th Oriole in club history to have four in one game. His day included a double in the third, triple in the fourth, solo homer in the seventh and another double in the eighth. He drove in a run with that two-bagger when a single would have given him the cycle.

The other Orioles to have four extra base hits in a game were Charle Lau in 1962, Don Baylor in 1973, Dave Duncan in 1975, Cal Ripken Jr. in 1983, Brady Anderson in 1994 and 1998, Will Clark in 1999, Albert Belle twice in 1999, Chris Richard in 2000, Miguel Tejada in 2004 and 2005 and the last to do it was Melvin Mora on Aug. 17, 2008 against the Tigers with two doubles and two homers.

The Orioles went 6-1 in the season series and scored 57 runs versus Oakland pitching.

OAKLAND – Jorge Mateo paused before sprinting out of the batter’s box, knowing he hit JP Sears’ changeup a long way, thinking maybe it would clear the fence in left-center field. He slowed as he got halfway to second base, realized that Lawrence Butler wouldn’t make the catch or contain the ball, and slipped into another gear.

The Jorge Mateo gear that few players can find.

Mateo dived across home plate, with the Athletics botching the relay and unable to challenge him. His first home run since April 30, in a month where he hit six of them.

Austin Hays drove in two runs on a ball that deflected off Sears and bounced into shallow left field to pad the lead.

The Orioles wouldn’t just sweep the Athletics. They decided to get creative with it.

The Orioles' West Coast road trip began with an impressive series win at Seattle against a red-hot Mariners team, and they won the last two games of the series in 10 innings. They lost two of three at San Diego, but a win today would give them a three-game sweep at Oakland to end the trip.

A winning road trip is already secured and so is a series win at Oakland. But they will end the trip at 6-3 with a victory this afternoon.

The Orioles (76-47) have a chance to go 30 games over the .500 mark today and take a 2 1/2 game lead over the Tampa Ray Rays atop the American League East. Toronto is 8 1/2 games back with Boston 11 behind and New York 16 games out.

The Orioles scored eight runs in three games in Seattle, scored nine runs in three at San Diego and have scored 16 runs in the first two games at Oakland. They have 25 hits in this series with five doubles, a triple and three homers.

They have gone 8-for-22 (.364) with runners in scoring position this series after going 8-for-34 (.235) with RISP the first six games on the trip.

SEATTLE – He entered the game in the last of the sixth today. The Orioles were thrilled Cedric Mullins was there - especially in the ninth and 10th this afternoon at Seattle.

Mullins made a remarkable catch to rob a homer in the ninth and then hit the go-ahead two-run homer in the 10th as the Orioles beat Seattle 5-3 in 10 innings front of 44,818 at T-Mobile Park.

The O's (73-45) won a series from a club that had an eight-game win streak after Friday's series-opening win. They found a way against the top ERA club in the American League and they expanded their American League East lead to three games over Tampa Bay.

Adley Rutschman’s grounder to the first base side of the side of the mound scored speedy pinch-runner Jorge Mateo from third base as the O’s broke a 2-2 tie in the ninth and led 3-2.

Immediately after Mullins made what at the time appeared to be a game-saving robbery of a Ty France drive to deep center in the ninth inning for the second out, Dominic Canzone homered to right off Mike Baumann to tie the contest 3-3.

SEATTLE - After their thrilling 1-0 win in 10 innings at T-Mobile Park on Saturday night, the Orioles return today with a chance to win this series against a red-hot Mariners club.

A club that had an eight-game win streak snapped last night. Despite the loss, the Mariners (63-53) have still won 10 of 12 and 16 of the last 21 games. Seattle is 25-11 since July 1.

The Orioles (72-45) needed to win to end last night with a two-game lead atop the American League East and they did. They are now 7-5 in extra-inning games while Seattle is 5-10.

The Orioles are 18-10 in the second half and 36-22 on the road.

They have won six of nine, nine of 13, 13 of 20 and 23 of their past 33 games.

The Orioles will host the 2022 World Series champion Houston Astros tonight to start a three-game series as their homestand continues. Houston is the only American League club the Orioles have yet to play.

The O’s swept the New York Mets over the weekend and lead Tampa Bay by three games atop the AL East. The Orioles (70-42) have outscored their opponents 25-7 during a four-game win streak. They have won seven of eight games and 11 of 15, and are 21-7 in the last 28 games.

O’s pitching has an ERA of 2.15 while allowing 19 runs the last eight games. Their ERA in the past 28 games is 3.23.

In the series versus the Mets, the O’s staff gave up just six runs (five earned) over 27 innings, allowing 15 hits with 11 walks and 26 strikeouts. The Orioles pitched their sixth shutout of the year Sunday with a 2-0 win over the Mets as Kyle Bradish, Cionel Pérez, Cole Irvin, Shintaro Fujinami and Félix Bautista teamed up for a four-hitter.

The Orioles bullpen combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings Sunday and threw 10 innings in the series without allowing an earned run. Over the past eight games, the O’s ‘pen has allowed one earned run in 25 1/3 innings. Their bullpen ERA for the year is down to 3.53, which ranks third-best in the AL.

The Orioles have scored 17 runs in winning the first two games of their series with the New York Mets. They go for a three-game sweep this afternoon which would lift them to a season-high 28 games over the .500 mark if they get that done.

The Orioles beat the Mets 10-3 Friday night and 7-3 last night to open a three-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays atop the American League East. They lead Toronto by 7.5 games and are 11 up on New York and 11.5 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox.

The Orioles have won three in a row, six of seven, 10 of 14 and are 20-7 in the last 27 games, playing .741 ball in that span.

The Orioles have now scored five runs or more 15 times in the last 27 games and they are 15-0 in those games. The Birds have scored 37 runs in the last five games and 50 in their past seven.

In going 6-1 in the last seven games, the Orioles have a run differential of +31, winning those games by six, two, 10, five, seven and four runs.

The Orioles will go for the sweep this afternoon with Jorge Mateo making his first start in center field in two years.

Austin Hays is on the bench again today. He must be one of the “bumps and bruises” guys from the trip to Toronto.

Mateo was a defensive substitution in center field last night. He hasn’t started since June 13, 2021 with the Padres.

Manager Brandon Hyde said yesterday that Mateo has worked out in center to improve the club’s depth with Cedric Mullins and Aaron Hicks on the injured list.

“Of course, I feel comfortable playing out there,” Mateo said via interpreter Brandon Quinones.

TORONTO – On the night the Orioles acquired another starter for the stretch drive – getting right-hander Jack Flaherty from St. Louis – current starter Kyle Bradish could not hold an early 3-0 lead.

But for the 2023 Orioles, that was not a problem. Not at all.

Gunnar Henderson hit a go-ahead homer in the sixth, hot-hitting Ryan Mountcastle drove in two more runs and Anthony Santander hit his second career grand slam as the Orioles whipped Toronto 13-3 to improve to 66-41 on the year. They are now 5-0 this season at Rogers Centre and are a season-high 25 games over the .500 mark.

The Orioles have now gone 10 straight American League East series without losing one, their longest streak since 11 in a row from Aug. 1-Sept. 30, 2012. The Orioles are 21-9 (.700) in their past 30 division games in this run of winning.

The 3-3 tie was erased when they scored one in the sixth, three in the seventh and four runs in the eighth. They added two in the ninth for 10 unanswered runs after the 3-3 tie.