The Orioles have not had a long losing streak all year, matching their season-high of four in a row with last night's 7-1 loss to Tampa Bay. Now with two games remaining in this series, they need to find a way. Find a way to score more against the Rays and get at least one game in this series to hold the playoff tiebreaker.

The Orioles offense recently went through a stretch of scoring 10 or more runs in four of five games, scoring 48 runs in the five contests. They scored 155 runs in a 22-game span, an average of 7.05 per game.

They would sure take that now after losses in this series by one and six runs. Baltimore batters are 6-for-59 (.102) this series with three homers, but no doubles or triples. They are 1-for-6 in the two games with runners in scoring position, showing they've had very few chances to do much on offense.

In the last four games, the Orioles have scored six runs on just 18 hits, going 2-for-24 with RISP.

Now they have to find a way.

Jordan Westburg usually wouldn’t feel a smile creasing his face after his manager removed him for a pinch-hitter. His competitive side makes it hard to accept sitting, and definitely not with a grin, whether at the beginning or in the later innings. He wants the bat in his hands. He wants a challenge, and the chance to impact a game.

There are exceptions, though, like Thursday night at Camden Yards.

Westburg was supposed to lead off the bottom of the eighth against Rays reliever Robert Stephenson, but Brandon Hyde sent up Heston Kjerstad for his major league debut. The crowd roared when he stepped out of the dugout.

There was a more reserved but approving reaction inside of it.

Westburg knew the struggles that Kjerstad endured to reach this moment. The diagnosis of myocarditis, and later a strained hamstring. More than one setback. Questions about his professional future. Worries about his long-term health.

The same organization that preaches the importance of never looking too far ahead happily spun its attention to the past before tonight’s game against the Rays.

The division race came with a pause button.

To honor Adam Jones on his official retirement after signing a one-day contract, the Orioles brought back former teammates who have experienced postseason baseball. Fan favorites from previous years.

An emotional distraction before the 2023 Orioles were stung by reality again.

The division lead is down to two percentage points. The losing streak has reached four games to match a season high. The reunion was special, but they need a reset.

The pressure is building on the Orioles to hold onto their division lead, which is down to one game after last night’s 4-3 loss to the Rays.

Both teams have 91 wins. Tampa Bay has lost two more games.

The Orioles have lost three in a row, their longest streak since dropping four straight June 27-July 1.

Heston Kjerstad is making his first major league start, serving as designated hitter.

Ryan Mountcastle remains out of the lineup.

Orioles' right-hander Kyle Bradish was asked last night for his opinion on how he pitched.

“Indifferent,” was his immediate response.

Couldn’t feel that way about everything that happened prior to the game.

The anticipation over Ryan Mountcastle’s MRI results. The predicted roster move that turned into multiple moves and caught many of us by surprise. The observations and lessons learned.

Don’t always trust body language and somber tones.

The Orioles, who lead the American League East by two games and are 10-0-2 in their past 12 series in the division, host the Rays tonight to start a crucial four-game series at Oriole Park. 

The Orioles are 91-54 for the best record in the AL and second-best to Atlanta in MLB. They have won eight of 11, 14 of 20, 17 of 24 and 20 of the last 29 games. They are 43-27 at home and 37-19 in the second half.

Tampa Bay is 90-57 and looking to make the postseason for the fifth year in a row. The Rays have won five of six, 12 of 17, 16 of 22, 18 of 25 and 21 of their past 30 games.

Tampa Bay is 40-32 on the road, 32-22 in the second half and 71-22 when they score first. They are 19-35 when their opponent scores first.

The Orioles are 6-3 versus the Rays and one more win will give the Orioles the season series victory. They went 9-10 last season against the Rays and 1-18 in 2021.

In the seemingly constant roster churn in the Orioles bullpen, lefty Nick Vespi was optioned back to Triple-A Norfolk today and right-hander Bryan Baker was recalled.

Baker has pitched in 111 Orioles games since the start of the 2022 season and was a fixture on the roster until he was optioned to Norfolk on Aug. 2. Today he returns – just in time to join the team for the biggest series of the year.

In 11 games at Triple-A, Baker went 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA. In 11 2/3 innings he gave up seven runs with seven walks and 16 strikeouts.

In 45 games this season with Baltimore, he is 4-3 with a 3.64 ERA. In 42 innings he has walked 24 and fanned 51. At the time he was optioned, he actually had pitched to an ERA of 2.25 in his previous 12 games.

“It’s great to be back,” Baker said this afternoon in the Baltimore clubhouse. “I’m excited to get back on the bump here at good ole’ Camden Yards and try to get some outs.

Stoked. Excited. Relieved.

Heston Kjerstad summed up his emotions after getting the news last night that the Orioles wanted him in Baltimore. He isn’t in tonight’s lineup, but he reached the majors in his first full professional season.

The wheels were in motion after Ryan Mountcastle injured his left shoulder while fouling off a pitch. Triple-A Norfolk manager Buck Britton pulled Kjerstad from the game after two plate appearances.

“For precautionary or whatever,” Kjerstad said, “and then postgame Buck let me know that I was getting called up.”

Kjerstad called his parents, Dave and Jody, and his siblings. They'll be part of his cheering section tonight at Camden Yards.

The Orioles must proceed through their important four-game series and the ensuing days without their closer and, for now, their starting first baseman. But how long?

Félix Bautista is on the injured list with a slight tear of his ulnar collateral ligament – he’s playing catch on flat ground while the team determines whether he can pitch again this year - but Ryan Mountcastle didn’t join him today.

Mountcastle injured his left shoulder last night and underwent an MRI, but outfielder Heston Kjerstad, the second-overall pick in the 2022 draft and one of the top prospects in baseball, had his contract selected from Triple-A Norfolk and Ryan McKenna was optioned. Mountcastle stays on the active roster and perhaps retains his day-to-day status.

Infielder Terrin Vavra was recalled from Norfolk and transferred to the 60-day injured list to make room for Kjerstad on the 40-man roster. Vavra has a shoulder strain and receives his major league salary and service time.

Also, reliever Bryan Baker was recalled from Norfolk and left-hander Nick Vespi was optioned for a fifth time. Vespi can’t be optioned again without passing through waivers.

The Orioles are finishing their homestand this afternoon, taking a day off and embarking on a three-city road trip that begins in Arizona.

The move into a new month, the last full one before the playoffs, brings another set of important roster decisions.

Expansion to 28 is permitted on Friday, an extra pitcher and position player. A task that’s trickier with the choices coming from the minors and injured list.

This isn’t as routine as attaching two names. A few others will need to go.

Outfielder Aaron Hicks is hoping to be reinstated while the Orioles are in Anaheim for a series that starts Monday. He’s taking batting practice at “high velocity,” as he described it, and will be on the charter to the West Coast.

Three forearm smashes and a hand slap. That’s what awaited Adam Frazier tonight after he crossed home plate in the first inning. Before he reached the top step of the dugout.

In the middle of the latest beating administered to Yankees starter Luis Severino.

The Orioles sent 11 batters to the plate, scored seven runs and turned ESPN’s first Camden Yards broadcast in five years into a challenge to avoid using every note and anecdote before the top of the second.

Frazier drove a fastball onto the flag court in right field for a three-run homer, the sixth consecutive Oriole to reach base in a 9-3 rout of the Yankees before an announced crowd of 37,429.

The three-game series drew 114,816.

NEW YORK – Colton Cowser finally got the phone call.

The organization’s No. 2 prospect is joining the Orioles in New York, according to a source. The club is expected to select his contract from Triple-A Norfolk.

Space must be cleared on the 40-man roster, and the Orioles could make other moves prior to Wednesday night’s game against the Yankees.

They’re carrying three catchers, which always is a temporary arrangement. And they might want to bring up a pitcher, with only 12 on the active roster.

What’s certain is that Cowser, ranked No. 14 among baseball’s prospects by MLB Pipeline, is in position to make his major league debut.

After winning the last two games against Seattle by 6-4 and 3-2 scores to take another series, the Orioles welcome the Cincinnati Reds to Camden Yards tonight as this homestand continues. The clubs open a three-game series tonight.

The game will mark the big league debut of O's prospect Jordan Westburg, who will bat seventh and play second base in the series opener. 

The Orioles (47-29) are the current No. 1 wild card team in the American League. But they are second in the AL East and 4.5 games behind Tampa Bay.

The Orioles are 2-1 on this homestand, have won four of their past six and 10 of the last 15 games. They are now 16-7-2 in series play for the year, 8-3-1 in home series and 24-14 at Oriole Park in 2023. Sunday’s win improved them to 8-4 in rubber match games.

With win No. 47, the Orioles matched the season-long win total of the 2018 Orioles, a club that went 47-115.

Brink Ambler glances at the lineup card for Triple-A Norfolk and a smile creases his face. And he isn’t filled with joy because of the two Orioles on injury rehab assignments.

Cedric Mullins and Ryan Mountcastle would liven up the place if it needed a spark. It does not. The joint was jumping long before their arrivals.

The Tides are the first half International League kings. If you want to crown them, then crown their butts. It’s going to happen anyway, with or without you.

Ambler is the hitting coach whose classroom is filled with valedictorians. On the night in Nashville that they clinched, the Tides had Colton Cowser batting third behind Mullins and Mountcastle, Jordan Westburg in the cleanup spot, Heston Kjerstad fifth and playing left field, Connor Norby sixth at second base and former Cuban batting champion César Prieto seventh at third base.

In MLB Pipeline prospect rankings, that’s No. 2, 3, 4, 7 and 16. Outfielder Hudson Haskin, who’s 13^th, was on the bench.

CHICAGO – The Orioles lost their first two American League East series of the 2023 season with series losses to Boston and the New York. They have not lost a series in the division since then.

Their 4-2 win over Toronto on Thursday afternoon in Baltimore gave the Orioles another rubber match game win, another series win and another AL East series win.

They are now 11-4 in five straight AL East series wins against in order Boston, Tampa Bay, Toronto, New York and Toronto. They have at least one series win against every other team in the division during the AL East series win streak.

As the latest Orioles road trip begins this afternoon at the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field and the Orioles play the Chicago Cubs, the team will again this weekend call on its depth to help win games.

Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver called it “deep depth” and the 2023 Orioles are showing some of that.

The Orioles probably welcomed another reset yesterday before beginning a three-game series in Milwaukee, though they won two of three games in San Francisco. Step back, take a breath, assess your own situation, maybe look around the majors and remember how good you have it and that everyone is dealing with something.

Every team in the American League East is .500 or better, with the Red Sox dropping their third in a row yesterday to leave their record at 30-30. Only the first-place Twins are above .500 in the AL Central. The defending World Series champion Astros are in second place in the AL West. The wild card Mariners began yesterday in fourth.

The Mets spent a lot of money in the offseason and are in third place in the NL East, ahead of the pennant-winning Phillies. The rebuilding Nationals are last, but only nine games below .500.

I’ve seen worse.

What are the Cardinals doing in last place in the NL Central? Is it stranger than the Pirates moving into first last night?

SAN FRANCISCO – When the series began on Friday the Orioles had lost back-to-back series for the first time all year. Their pitching staff had gotten torched for 12 runs on Wednesday versus Cleveland with the bullpen giving up 11 runs.

But during a weekend where they faced a San Francisco Giants team that had won four of its last five series and was 11-5 over the previous 16 games, the Orioles took two of three from the Giants.

Their pitching staff restored some order even as they played three more games without Cedric Mullins and the last 15 innings of the series without Gunnar Henderson, who left Saturday’s game with lower back discomfort. The good news there is that manager Brandon Hyde said Sunday he was doing better and he seemed confident Henderson could play in the Milwaukee series that begins tomorrow night.

O’s pitching gave up two, four and three runs in the series at Oracle Park, allowing nine runs on 21 hits in the games with 10 walks to 34 strikeouts.

Right-hander Tyler Wells set a career high with nine strikeouts Sunday, but all the Ks also helped escalate his pitch count and he left the game after 5 1/3 innings throwing 102 pitches. Mike Baumann, Yennier Cano and Austin Voth covered the last 3 2/3 allowing a hit and a run.

As the Orioles braced for the extended loss of center fielder Cedric Mullins to a strained groin muscle, knowing that further tests would confirm his placement on the injured list but relieved that the news wasn’t worse, they pondered their options for replacing him on the active roster.

They couldn’t consider Triple-A outfielders Colton Cowser and Kyle Stowers, who were on the injured list. They could recall an infielder to provide depth while others offered support in the outfield corners, leaving center to Austin Hays and Ryan McKenna, but shortstop Joey Ortiz wasn’t available due to some sort of illness that’s kept him from playing since his last demotion.

Aaron Hicks was a free agent after the Yankees designated him for assignment and released him, and executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias expressed interest prior to Mullins’ injury. And the price certainly was right, with the Orioles paying on the prorated major league minimum.

But beware of accepting the role of center fielder with the Orioles. Mullins strained his groin. Hays was out of Wednesday’s lineup because of an illness, which showed in his face later as he shuffled to his locker with one of the athletic trainers. Hicks made his debut with the club, reached base three times and exited with left calf cramps.

One scenario that the Orioles didn’t consider, of course, was promoting Heston Kjerstad from Double-A Bowie. Many fans wanted it. I’m guessing that a few thought it could happen.

Colton Cowser led off Thursday night’s game in Jacksonville by homering on the first pitch, the ball clocked at 110.3 mph off the bat and slamming off the back row of bleachers in right field before arcing back onto the warning track. Jumbo Shrimp outfielder Jerar Encarnación was forced to watch and retrieve.

Cowser led off the third inning with another home run, this time to the opposite field. His second left-on-left assault of the night.

He settled for a single into left field in his next at-bat. Going easy on ‘em.

An intentional walk in the seventh put the finishing touches on another monster game for Cowser, the fifth-overall draft pick in 2021. But this isn’t just about Cowser, who singled in his first two at-bats last night and drove in a run, and drew a walk in his next plate appearance. Many fists are rapping on the door that leads inside Camden Yards.

Many decisions are pending for the Orioles, who don’t feel rushed to make them.

Gunnar Henderson led off the third inning last night by barreling a cutter from Tampa Bay’s Zach Eflin and driving it into right-center field at 99.9 mph off the bat.

Manuel Margot raced to the gap, dived and missed it. Luke Raley tried to pick up the ball with his glove and failed on the first attempt as Henderson kept motoring.

The official scorer gave him a triple on the play, and he scored on Jorge Mateo’s ground ball to the right side.

Henderson also flied out and grounded out and is batting .179 with a .665 OPS in 31 games. He hasn’t gone on a tear, but the Orioles expect it to happen and are staying patient with the former No. 1 prospect in baseball.

“There’s been some encouraging stuff,” executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias said yesterday in his first media session since the end of spring training.