The Orioles placed starter Tyler Wells on the 15-day injured list this morning with lower left side discomfort. Wells is undergoing further testing today, which should provide a more specific diagnosis.

Wells’ placement on the IL was anticipated. The exact nature of the injury remains unknown beyond the pain he experienced last night in his side and lower back.

A slider thrown down and away to Tampa Bay’s Yandy Díaz to begin an at-bat in the fifth inning led to Wells’ departure from a 6-4, 10-inning loss.

The Orioles need a starter for Monday in Texas. They optioned left-hander Nick Vespi after last night’s game and recalled relievers Logan Gillaspie and Beau Sulser from Triple-A Norfolk this morning.

Nothing that solves the Monday riddle.

Tyler Wells has been on strict pitch and innings counts this season, the Orioles wanting to get him through a full season as a starter without shutting him down. Push him a little in a start, then pull him back. Provide rest where it can be found.

They didn’t want an injury to factor into his usage, but it happened tonight.

Wells threw a slider down and away to Tampa Bay’s Yandy Díaz to begin the at-bat with one out in the fifth inning, twisted his torso slightly, grimaced and bent at the waist. Rougned Odor put an arm around his shoulder as manager Brandon Hyde, pitching coach Chris Holt and head athletic trainer Brian Ebel rushed to the mound.

The club announced that Wells experienced lower back discomfort. The Orioles received 4 2/3 scoreless innings from the bullpen in regulation but lost 6-4 after the Rays scored twice in the 10th.

Jorge Mateo hit a game-tying home run off Colin Poche with one out in the ninth inning. Adley Rutschman walked with two outs and Trey Mancini singled off Poche, who surrendered Ramón Urías’ go-ahead, two-run homer last night in the eighth. Anthony Santander struck out.

The Orioles have had a pair of impressive wins over the Tampa Bay Rays and can win this series with a victory tonight. It's the third game of a four-game series and the sixth of a seven-game homestand.

The Orioles (49-48) moved ahead of the Boston Red Sox and into fourth-place with Tuesday's 5-3 comeback win. Ramón Urías hit a two-run homer to take Baltimore from behind by one to ahead by one. It was his first career go-ahead homer in the eighth inning or later.

Urías has recorded a hit in eight straight games while batting .419/.419/.903 (13-for-31) with three doubles, four homers, seven runs and 10 RBIs during the stretch. The eight-game streak is one shy of his career-high nine-game streak from May 15 to June 29, 2021.

He has hit .397/.426/.707 (23-for-58) with three doubles, five home runs, 11 runs scored and 18 RBIs in 17 games since being reinstated from the 10-day injured list on July 4. Urías has hit safely in 14 of those 17 games with seven multi-hit efforts. Last night, Ramón and Luis Urías of the Milwaukee Brewers became the first brothers to record game-winning RBIs on the same day since Lourdes (TOR) and Yuli (HOU) Gurriel in 2021.

O's shortstop Jorge Mateo has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games with an at-bat since July 10 - including four multi-hit efforts - hitting .342/.359/.632 (13-for-38) with four doubles, two triples, one home run, seven runs scored, three RBIs and three stolen bases during this stretch. He has also hit safely in seven straight games, and 11 of his last 14 games with an at-bat. The O's are 28-22 when Mateo records a hit, 9-2 when he records multiple hits and 16-4 when he drives in a run. Mateo's 24 stolen bases rank second in MLB behind only Miami's Jon Berti (28 SBs).

Adley Rutschman is batting second tonight as the Orioles attempt to secure another series win against the Rays.

Terrin Vavra has media gathered at his locker this afternoon, but his name isn’t in the lineup. His major league debut remains on hold.

Ramón Urías, who hit the decisive two-run homer last night in the eighth inning, is batting .397/.426/.707 in 17 games this month with three doubles, five home runs and 18 RBIs.

Cedric Mullins hit his 13^th career leadoff home run last night, tying him for second in club history with Don Buford, Al Bumbry and Brian Roberts. Brady Anderson is first with 44.

Tyler Wells is 7-6 with a 3.69 ERA and 1.096 WHIP in 19 starts. He’s allowed 11 runs and 17 hits in his last three starts over 14 2/3 innings.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde hasn’t confirmed his second-half rotation beyond Tyler Wells, Jordan Lyles and Dean Kremer for the Yankees series, which began last night with a 7-6 loss.

Unless there’s a late intruder, the first two games of the Rays series next week should feature Spenser Watkins and Austin Voth in whatever order.

The process of elimination is at work here. But also some suspicion.

DL Hall started last night for Triple-A Norfolk and came out after one inning, a planned removal to shorten up the young pitchers coming out of the break. Didn’t necessarily mean anything more than that, but it stirred up the local media for a few minutes.

There’s shortening and then there’s really shortening. One inning and 17 pitches?

The Orioles burst into the unofficial second half of the season with four days’ rest and a streak of 11 wins in their last 13 games. They were energized, and they were playing at home. A perfect pairing on a sweltering night.

The Yankees were swept yesterday in a day-night doubleheader in Houston, boarded their charter flight and arrived in Baltimore this morning. Losers of seven of their last 10 games. They were tired and perhaps a bit irritable.

Holders of the best record in baseball, tormentors of teams below them in the standings, put in an unenviable position.

“Doesn’t matter at all,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said before heading outdoors for batting practice. “It’s the New York Yankees. It’s a really good team, it’s a huge payroll, superstars up and down. They’re pros. They’ll be ready to play.”

All of it true. Nothing that the Orioles could do about it, no matter how hard they fought.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde sent bullpen catcher Ben Carhart to home plate tonight for the exchange of lineup cards. As Carhart’s done during every game of the winning streak except one, on July 9, when Tyler Nevin was the sentimental choice with his father, Phil, managing the Angels.

Carhart still gets credited with the win.

Hyde keeps wearing his uniform jersey rather than the hoodie that he favors. He wasn’t changing his wardrobe until the Orioles lost.

Worse choices have been made inside a superstitious clubhouse and dugout. Hyde simply had to match his shirt and pants.

Clothes make the manager.

Can the Orioles make it 11 in a row while returning to division play?

Probably not a smart idea to start doubting them.

A three-game series against the Rays at Tropicana Field, where the Orioles were swept to begin the season, leads into the All-Star break, followed by four at home against the Yankees and three versus the Rays. Ten games that could provide a clearer read on the Orioles’ actual chances of staying in the wild card race.

The Orioles haven’t played an American League East team since hosting the Rays on June 19. They won that day and proceeded to go 15-6 against non-division opponents. They haven’t lost since Jorge López’s back-to-back blown saves in Minnesota.

I don’t think this is how he planned it.

The trade deadline seems to be bringing a higher level of angst than usual in Baltimore. The growing possibility, or maybe likelihood, that the very popular, productive and inspirational Trey Mancini is dealt. That other veterans are moved, just as the Orioles are playing winning baseball again, and in wildly entertaining style. Just as the dugout energy has returned, for the first time under Brandon Hyde’s tenure as manager.

But the deadline is Aug. 2. Today is another important date, because the rest of the All-Stars are announced beyond the starters in both leagues.

The Orioles haven’t had multiple representatives since 2016 with Manny Machado, Mark Trumbo, Matt Wieters, Zack Britton and Brad Brach, and it would be surprising if the solo streak ended today.

There are more deserving candidates this summer, but the Orioles remain a last-place club trying to shed its losing reputation, and an industry perception, at least in some corners, of irrelevance.

Pay close attention and you’ll find reasons why the industry needs to reset.

John Means has always wanted to visit Wrigley Field, and his chance finally arrives next week for the Orioles’ short series against the Cubs.

Means never imagined that he’d be injured and done pitching for the entire summer, but he’ll make the most of it.

“Those were games I circled on the list to try to make it to,” he said.

The left-hander came back to Camden Yards for the current homestand and will join them on the charter to Chicago. He can hop on a flight back to his Texas home while the Orioles continue their road trip in St. Petersburg.

The activity at home beyond chasing his son McCoy is limited to workouts in the weight room that don’t put a strain on his surgically repaired left elbow.

Austin Hays has his right wrist wrapped and is out of tonight’s lineup against the Rangers.

Hays was hit by a pitch yesterday, but X-rays were negative. He tried to swing a bat in the cage today and said it just didn’t seem like “a good idea to try to push it and make it even worse,” so he’s sitting as a precaution.

At least he avoided the injured list.

“It’s not feeling too bad,” said Hays, who’s celebrating his 27^th birthday today. “The swelling seems like it’s stayed down, so it’s really just certain movements are what’s bothering it. It’s just like a day-to-day thing right now. X-rays were clean, no bad news from that front.

“I’ll be available off the bench tonight if I need to. … Let the trainers do their thing and treat it, and it should be good to go either tomorrow or the next day.”

After ending a four-game losing streak and hanging on for a 3-1 win Sunday at Minnesota, the Orioles make a quick turnaround today for a day game on the Fourth of July against the Texas Rangers. It is the opener of a three-game series and seven-game homestand that also includes four games with the Los Angeles Angels.

Right-hander Tyler Wells produced his latest strong start in the Twins series finale, allowing three hits and one run over six innings with one walk and a career-high seven strikeouts. He improved to 7-4 with a 3.09 ERA for an O’s team that allowed just eight runs in the weekend series.

Wells has allowed one run or less in each of his last four starts and has been the winning pitcher for the last five, going 5-0 with an ERA of 1.93 in that span. The Orioles have won his past seven games and his ERA is 1.89 during that 7-0 run.

O’s starting pitchers have been on a tremendous roll, allowing one earned run or less in 13 of the past 16 games, with a rotation ERA of 2.03 in that span.

Today's game with Texas marks the first time the Orioles have played at home on the Fourth of July since 2008, also against Texas. The O's won that game, 10-4. The Orioles have played in Baltimore on Independence Day 19 times in club history, going 14-4-1 with a 6-6 tie against Kansas City in 1964 at Memorial Stadium. The O's have hosted six Fourth of July matchups at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, going 4-2.

When you get pitching like the Orioles did in Minnesota – and have been getting for the most part since mid-June – you are going to have a chance to win some baseball games.

The O’s allowed three runs Friday and lost, and four on Saturday and lost. But they held the lead Sunday and beat Minnesota 3-1 to end the road trip, going 5-5 through Chicago, Seattle and Minnesota. They come home today for game No. 81 at 36-44. At the season’s halfway point after today they will either be on a pace to win 72 or 74 games in this 2022 season.

Orioles right-hander Tyler Wells improved to 7-4 and lowered his ERA to 3.09 with his latest strong outing on Sunday. Wells allowed three hits and one run over six innings, tying a career high for his longest outing, and he set a career high with seven strikeouts. He walked just one and continues to excel in strikethrowing. He has walked one or none in 10 of his 16 starts. And he’s walked more than two in just one outing this year with 17 walks for the season in 75 2/3 innings, or just 2.02 per every nine innings.

Wells pitched around a two-out error in the first, rolled through the fourth on 53 pitches and got a huge double-play ball off the bat of Carlos Correa in the sixth, when he allowed his only run. The bullpen took it from there with Keegan Akin, Joey Krehbiel and Dillon Tate getting the last nine outs. Tate fanned the game’s last two batters to keep the Orioles from suffering a third straight walk-off loss for the first time since Aug. 12-14, 2013 at Arizona.

The Twins had no late-inning magic this time as the Orioles got the win and salvaged a .500 road trip. While they are 18-27 on the road for the year, the Orioles are 12-11 over their past 23 away from Baltimore.

MINNEAPOLIS – Tyler Wells has turned from experimental starter to staff ace.

There’s no disputing it. He’s reached that status. The proof is in the output.

Wells didn’t allow a baserunner in Seattle until Cal Raleigh homered with two outs in the fifth inning. He didn’t surrender a hit today until Nick Gordon doubled with one out in the fifth.

Given more room to operate in Minnesota, Wells held the Twins to one run in six innings and 90 pitches. The Orioles supported him with three home runs in the first six innings and avoided the sweep with a 3-1 victory.

The Orioles ended their four-game losing streak and a 12-game streak at Target Field, and they finished 5-5 on the road trip.

Pitching is the No. 1 reason why the Orioles are better in 2022 than past years of the rebuild. And it’s inexplicable in a sense.

We can break down the numbers, but how is the rotation able to withstand the loss of ace John Means for the rest of the season? Followed by the demotion of left-hander Bruce Zimmermann, who allowed 17 home runs in his last seven starts, and rookie Kyle Bradish’s slump and placement on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation.

Bullpen games are plotted and won. Tyler Wells, last year’s Rule 5 reliever who earned the closer’s job, entered last night’s game in Seattle as easily the most dependable starter on the staff.

Spenser Watkins was No. 5 in the rotation, injured and optioned. He returned Saturday in Chicago, the guy who re-signed with the Orioles in November as a minor league free agent, and allowed just an unearned run in five innings. The Tigers released him in 2020.

Austin Voth was a waiver claim, which made him a perfect fit on this team, and viewed as a potential starter down the line. He was needed more as a long reliever, to stretch him out as much as anything.

SEATTLE - Entering tonight’s game, the Orioles had won six of the last seven games in which Tyler Wells was on the bump. On the other side, the Mariners had won four of the last five games in which George Kirby had started. Unstoppable force, immovable object, etc., etc. 

It was not a pitchers' duel in the 9-2 Orioles victory. George Kirby lasted just four innings, allowing nine hits, seven earned runs and four home runs. 

The Orioles were able to get to Kirby early and often, hitting back-to-back home runs twice in the first four innings. That hasn’t happened for the O’s since Aug. 10, 2017. Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle did it in the third inning, and Anthony Santander and Austin Hays didn’t waste any time making it happen once again in the fourth. 

"I thought we took some of our better at-bats of the year those first four innings," said Hyde. "I thought our approach was outstanding. Up and down the order, really good at-bats."

Rutschman got a nice ovation from family and friends for his first at-bat in Seattle. The Oregon State product attended Sherwood High School in Oregon, with the Mariners being the closest big league team. 

Visiting the Mariners on May 5, 2021, John Means threw nine hitless innings, striking out 12 in the process. 

“We were talking on the way here, last time we were here it was a pretty cool moment,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “Great story, and a really, really special day.”

The O’s current starting staff does not include their ace, who underwent Tommy John surgery in April. 

Bruce Zimmermann isn’t in the rotation either. After posting a 2.72 ERA in his first seven starts of the season, the lefty is down in Triple-A Norfolk working on returning to that form. 

The O’s No. 10 prospect, Kyle Bradish, was placed on the 15-day injured list on Friday. Another option off the board. 

Rain began falling again tonight in the bottom of the sixth inning, threatening to form more puddles on the track and bring a second delay. Conditions that normally aren’t ideal for cycling. But in the baseball sense, they worked just fine for Orioles outfielder Austin Hays.

Hays lined a double into left-center field off Nationals reliever Steve Cishek to become the sixth Orioles player to hit for the cycle and the first since Jonathan Villar in 2019.

Two runs scored on the play, and Hays touched the plate on Trey Mancini’s two-run shot to left field.

Tyler Nevin raced home on Hays’ double with a big smile on his face. He knew.

Hays reached second base, raised both arms and looked up as the rain pelted his face, smiled and did the binoculars gesture to the dugout. He knew.

The Orioles have recalled infielder Rylan Bannon from Triple-A Norfolk to expand their bench to four players for tonight’s series opener against the Nationals at Camden Yards.

Bannon made his major league debut while the Orioles were in St. Louis and went 2-for-14 in four games before they optioned him. He was batting .232/.358/.416 in 221 plate appearances with the Tides and homered in three of his last six games, also driving in eight runs.

Acquired from the Dodgers in the 2018 Manny Machado trade, Bannon has posted a .450 on-base percentage and .578 slugging percentage this month.

Jordan Lyles has been cleared to make tonight’s start after a stomach virus forced him to miss Sunday’s game against the Rays.

Lyles will attempt to complete the sixth inning for the first time in five starts. He’s made 11 career appearances against the Nationals, including three starts, and registered a 6.35 ERA and 1.412 WHIP in 28 1/3 innings.

TORONTO – Don’t look now but the Orioles may slowly be making some gains on their American League East opponents. Not in the standings yet – as they're still in last place – but they're making gains in head-to-head competition.

Through the season’s first 65 games, the Orioles have already won or tied series with every AL East club – the Yankees, Red Sox, Rays and Blue Jays.

The Orioles have won one series against New York, two against Boston and one against Tampa Bay. And Thursday’s 10-2 win at Rogers Centre, once a house of horrors for the Orioles, gave them a four-game split with Toronto.

In fact the Orioles are 9-7 in their last 16 AL East games. They are 13-18 (.419) overall for the year versus the AL East after going 20-56 (.263) last year. The Orioles are 4-9 versus the Yankees, but are 9-9 combined against the rest of division. They are 5-3 against Boston, 2-2 versus Toronto and 2-4 against Tampa Bay. They are 1-3 in series versus New York, but 3-1-1 in their other five AL East series.

Before the game Thursday, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde talked about the club’s more competitive play within the division.