DETROIT – Grayson Rodriguez got on an impressive roll today in Game 2, the kind he hasn’t experienced in his limited exposure to the majors, and he knows who provided a nudge.

Shortstop Jorge Mateo demonstrated his range and athleticism after Rodriguez allowed the leadoff batter to reach for the fifth time in five starts. An important early out was recorded, Rodriguez flummoxed the Tigers with his changeup while tossing five scoreless innings with a career-high nine strikeouts, and the Orioles earned a split of the doubleheader with a 6-4 victory over the Tigers.

The final game of the series is 1:40 p.m. Sunday, with the Orioles carrying an 18-9 record and trying again to move 10 above .500 for the first time since 2022.

Former Orioles infielder Tyler Nevin hit a three-run homer off Mike Baumann in the sixth after the right-hander inherited two runners from Keegan Akin, and after Mateo committed an error, a reminder of baseball’s fickle nature. But Bryan Baker, Danny Coulombe, Yennier Cano and Félix Bautista covered the last three innings.

The game ball goes to Rodriguez, who earned his first major league win after holding the Tigers to two hits and a walk. Six of the nine strikeouts came on his changeup, but the whiffs raised his pitch count to 91.

DETROIT – Austin Hays wasn’t fooling around with a perfect game bid. Not today. Nip it in the bud.

Hays lined a double down the left field line on the first pitch from Tigers starter Eduardo Rodriguez, who didn’t allow an Orioles baserunner for 6 2/3 innings Sunday in Baltimore. Hays was stranded but also successful in his return from a bruised right finger.

James McCann homered off Rodriguez in the second, another shot at his former team. Rodriguez obviously was more vulnerable this afternoon in Game 1 of a doubleheader.

He just wasn’t beatable, and the Orioles couldn’t manufacture a 10^th comeback win.

Rodriguez was removed after 5 2/3 innings and only one run allowed. Meanwhile, Dean Kremer surrendered a career-high 11 hits through the fifth, and the Orioles lost to the Tigers 7-4 at Comerica Park.

DETROIT – The words have been uttered multiple times now by multiple people in the Orioles organization.

Manager Brandon Hyde floated them into the chilly Detroit air yesterday afternoon while seated in the visiting dugout, explaining why the Orioles optioned Terrin Vavra and brought up infield prospect Joey Ortiz. A promotion that wasn’t telegraphed. Whose purpose wasn’t immediately known.

“We’re trying to win games,” Hyde said.

Let’s make that perfectly clear.

Player development remains a priority and the Orioles get a kick out of being first in farm system rankings, but they don’t intend to punt the playoffs. They want a wild card berth, at the very least. The games in April matter as much as August and September.

Orioles outfielder Austin Hays has avoided the injured list after bruising his right hand last night while attempting a bunt in the third inning.

Hays came out of the game after flying out to deep left field, and X-rays didn’t reveal any fractures.

“Feels good, a lot better than last night,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “Pretty sore, a lot of bruising, so hopefully it’s just a few days.”

Shortstop Jorge Mateo is out of the lineup but available to play. Mateo recovered from the right hip soreness that forced him out of Wednesday’s game in D.C., and he scored from first base Sunday on Anthony Santander’s double to left field and homered last night into the home bullpen.

“He’s just coming off that hip and day game after a night game,” Hyde said. “A lot of games still coming up.”

Austin Hays is out of today's lineup, as the Orioles try to win their sixth series of the year.

Hays left last night’s game with a bruised right hand and is day-to-day.

Terrin Vavra is in left field again after replacing Hays last night and collecting two singles. Ryan Mountcastle is the designated hitter, with Ryan O’Hearn at first base.

Gunnar Henderson is the shortstop. Jorge Mateo goes to the bench.

Mateo is batting .406/.432/.750 (13-for-32) with five doubles and two home runs in his last 11 games (10 starts). Last night’s homer into the Orioles bullpen was 108.2 mph off the bat.

Kyle Bradish issued a walk and took a brief stroll. Off the mound and toward first base, his eyes locked for a moment on plate umpire Adrian Johnson. His frustration at a non-strike call leading him to take a break before the pitch clock started again.

No distance covered was going to fix Bradish’s night. He couldn’t get far enough away from it.

Bradish lasted only 2 1/3 innings and was charged with seven runs, including Jarren Duran’s first career grand slam, in the Orioles’ 8-6 loss to the Red Sox before an announced crowd of 14,343 at Camden Yards.

Triston Casas was awarded the win in an 11-pitch at-bat with one out in the second inning, with Johnson ruling that Bradish’s slider missed wide. Casas began a string of five consecutive batters reaching base, three of them scoring.

Bradish threw 40 pitches in the inning and 81 before manager Brandon Hyde brought in Mike Baumann. The bullpen held Boston to one run and three hits in 6 2/3, and the Orioles scored five times off Kaleb Ort in the ninth, including Gunnar Henderson's first home run since April 3 and Cedric Mullins' second career grand slam.

A late scratch from last night’s lineup, shortstop Jorge Mateo is starting this afternoon’s series finale against the Tigers at Camden Yards with no rain in the forecast.

Manager Brandon Hyde reconsidered yesterday with rain falling throughout the day, worried that Mateo might reinjure his right hip. Mateo, who hasn’t played since leaving Wednesday’s game in D.C., was on the field before 10 a.m. with head athletic trainer Brian Ebel to do some light running and side-to-side drills.

He must have passed the tests.

Cedric Mullins is batting ninth again today, with Austin Hays in the leadoff spot. Ramón Urías, who had a three-run double last night and later was ejected from the game, is batting cleanup and playing second base.

Gunnar Henderson is at third base and Ryan McKenna is the right fielder. Anthony Santander goes to the bench.

When Jorge Mateo was with the San Diego Padres earlier in his career, he could not crack the starting lineup and get regular playing time. But he played in 150 games last season for the Orioles, and maybe all those reps are paying off now.

Mateo is off to a sizzling start at the plate and making a real difference for an Orioles team that already expected to see him play strong defense and steal bases. They knew they would get two of these elements, but now they are getting all three.

Mateo, who has missed the last couple of games with a hip injury, could return to the lineup today. He was in the original lineup yesterday but the wet field led to the Orioles making the precautionary move to sit him another day. 

When center fielder Cedric Mullins watches Mateo play, the O’s leadoff man sees a player he can relate to.

“When I first saw him as a player and his skill set, what he is doing right now is what I always envisioned,” Mullins said recently. “For example, I think me and him are similar in that power-speed combination. He provides great defense on the field. Able to steal bases. Everything that I do at my peak, I think he can do as well. To be able to see it all come together with his hard work is great to see.”

Orioles reliever Dillon Tate is ready to begin his injury rehab assignment Tuesday night with High-A Aberdeen, which is playing in Wilmington, Del.

Tate didn’t pitch in spring training due to a right elbow flexor strain. The injury surfaced in November, denying him a chance to join Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.

Early projections from the club had Tate being out until mid-to-late May.

Asked whether Tate’s return to game action is faster than anticipated, manager Brandon Hyde said, “I think it’s pretty much on schedule.”

The Orioles won’t assign a specific total of appearances for Tate before he’s deemed ready to be activated.

Jorge Mateo has returned to the lineup tonight as the Orioles try to extend their winning streak to five games. However, manager Brandon Hyde said he’s reconsidering because of the wet conditions.

Rain is falling at Camden Yards, but Hyde said, “As of now, we’re playing.”

Mateo is listed at shortstop and batting sixth. Austin Hays is leading off, with Cedric Mullins lowered again to ninth against Tigers left-hander Joey Wentz.

Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter. Ramón Urías is playing third base.

Kyle Gibson has a 4.18 ERA and 1.268 WHIP in four starts. He’s 10-11 with a 5.84 ERA and 1.577 WHIP in 25 career games (24 starts) against the Tigers.

Shortstop Jorge Mateo said his right hip has improved and he should be available tonight if the Orioles need him to come off the bench.

Mateo felt some discomfort in the hip Wednesday night in D.C. while running up the first base line. The Orioles were off yesterday, which provided an extra day of rest.

“Probably tomorrow 100 percent,” he said. “I feel much better today.”

Mateo said he was “a little bit” concerned as he reduced his speed up the line on a ground ball in the second inning and walked off the field. He was moving today without any sign of a limp.

“I think (it was) something painful, but now it’s getting better,” he said.

WASHINGTON – The Orioles got one of their starting pitchers back tonight, and it was a welcome sight for them to see right-hander Kyle Bradish on the mound. He was activated off the injured list and pitching for the first time since taking a liner off his right foot April 3 at Texas.

And they got back the Bradish that pitched to a 3.28 ERA in his last 13 starts of the 2022 season.

Tonight, he threw six scoreless innings as the Orioles beat Washington 4-0 to sweep a two-game series by throwing back-to-back shutouts.

O’s pitchers have thrown 26 consecutive scoreless innings dating back to the second inning on Sunday versus the White Sox in Chicago. Their rotation ERA was 6.75 to start this series, but Bradish and Dean Kremer combined for 12 2/3 scoreless innings against the Nationals.

They also saw the home run ball return to their offense tonight, and that was a welcome sight as well.

The Orioles entered D.C. yesterday leading the majors with a .357 on-base percentage, and their .807 OPS ranked third. They scraped and clawed their way to a 1-0 win over the Nationals, finally able to lean more on their pitching, with starter Dean Kremer offering 6 2/3 scoreless innings.

The club's .305 on-base percentage last year ranked 22^nd, which felt like a substantial gain. A .304 OBP in 2021 was 26^th, and the Orioles were 24^th in 2019 at .310.

Dare we check 2018? Yes, and they ranked 29^th at .298.

They haven’t finished in the top 20 in a full season since winning the division in 2014, when their .311 OBP was 17^th.  The 2006 team ranked 11^th at .339, led by Miguel Tejada’s .379.

This year’s club registered its sixth highest OBP through 16 games, according to STATS. The record is .377 in 1969, followed by .374 in 2000, .367 in 1997, .366 in 2004 and .3573 in .2009 that barely edges out the 2023 Orioles.  

WASHINGTON – Orioles infielder Ramón Urías, who was hit in the left side of his head Saturday by a 96.2 mph pitch, is no longer in concussion protocol. He is not starting tonight, but could play in the series opener against the Washington Nationals.

“He’s cleared everything and that’s unbelievable,” said manager Brandon Hyde before today’s game. “From what that looked like and how that sounded. Such a scary moment. Passed all the tests, wants to be in there and is ready to go. I just want to make sure he feels right and he says he does. I won’t hesitate to use him off the bench, in a pinch-hitting moment or for defense late.”

The Orioles have still not announced a starter for Wednesday’s game. Right-hander Kyle Bradish is eligible to come off the injured list tomorrow and still seems likely to get that start.

“We need a starter tomorrow and we’re going to see what our options are after the game today,” said Hyde.

Hyde said "no" when asked if the Orioles would use a current starter out of the bullpen. 

After taking the game on Friday night via a comeback win, the Orioles had leads four times in Saturday’s game in Chicago against the White Sox. But they lost 7-6 in 10 innings after gaining leads of 1-0, 4-2, 5-4 and 6-5.

The Orioles (8-7) have been at the .500 mark six times this year at 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5 and 6-6, and it would become seven times should they lose today.

The Orioles are 0-2 in rubber match games, losing 9-5 to Boston on April 2 and 5-3 to the New York Yankees on April 9.

The Orioles have scored six runs in each of the two games in this series. They have scored 20 runs the last three games, and 41 runs the past six games. They have scored 86 runs in 15 games for an average of 5.73 runs per game. They have scored six runs or more eight times this year.

The O’s hit two homers on Saturday as Jorge Mateo and Anthony Santander connected on solo shots. It was No. 3 for Mateo and No. 1 for Santander. Mateo went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and is now batting .350/.413/.625/.1.038. He is one of four Orioles with an OPS of 1.000 or better, led by Ryan O’Hearn (1.371), and also including Adley Rutschman (1.075) and Austin Hays (1.045).

CHICAGO – However the Orioles construct their starting rotation, Tyler Wells should have his own room.

Never mind the early talk of piggybacking or maybe sending him down to start in the minors. Demolish it and move on to the next project.

While Kyle Bradish pitched tonight at Double-A Bowie on his injury rehab assignment, Wells cemented his role with the Orioles by recording an out in the sixth inning. By providing more length than others before appearing to tire.

The bar has been lowered a bit, but that’s the material that the Orioles are working with this month.

There wouldn’t be another out for Wells, who left after 5 1/3 with the White Sox scoring twice in the inning. Mike Baumann issued a walk to load the bases before stranding the runners with a pair of strikeouts, Yennier Cano escaped a jam that he inherited, and the Orioles took advantage of Chicago’s wild streaks by scoring four times in the seventh to win 6-3 in the opening game of the series.

James McCann is behind the plate this afternoon for the series finale against the Yankees, on the day that he was activated from the injured list.

Adley Rutschman is serving as the designated hitter.

Jorge Mateo returns to the lineup after sitting out last night’s 4-1 loss. He’s been getting treatment on a sore ankle.

Gunnar Henderson is the third baseman and Ramón Urías is at second base.

Tyler Wells makes his first start of the season after working five scoreless and hitless innings Monday in relief. Wells replaced Kyle Bradish, who was hit on the right foot by a line drive, and the only baserunner against him came on an error.

Orioles catcher James McCann is nearing a return to the active roster. Perhaps as early as Sunday.

McCann began his injury rehab assignment last night at High-A Aberdeen and singled twice as the designated hitter. He’s going to catch tonight and the Orioles want him to work around seven innings before determining his status.

“Kind of take it day-to-day, see how he feels after and see what else he needs,” said manager Brandon Hyde.

Asked if it’s possible that McCann will be with the club on Sunday, Hyde said, “We’ll see what happens.”

Adley Rutschman is behind the plate tonight and batting second against Yankees rookie right-hander Jhony Brito. Left-hander Nestor Cortes starts Sunday, and Rutschman isn’t likely to catch a day game following a night game.

The Orioles had 10 stolen bases in the first two games of the season, and manager Brandon Hyde joked about all the records they could break at such an unrealistic pace.

They swiped one in the next four games.

Somewhere in between the flurry and the freeze is probably a more reasonable expectation.

The 11 steals before yesterday’s home opener ranked first in the majors, followed by the Guardians with 10. Jorge Mateo and Cedric Mullins had four each to tie for third. Adam Frazier, Austin Hays and Ryan McKenna each had one.

Mateo singled with one out in the sixth inning yesterday and stole his fifth base despite a pitch-out. He dived into the bag and easily beat the throw, which arrived on one hop, and he scored the tying run on Adley Rutschman’s single.

ARLINGTON, Tex. – Sometimes in baseball it is said that momentum can be hard for a team to build because it is only as good as the next day’s starting pitcher. Meaning someone can shut you down and beat you. In the case of the Orioles the next day’s starter built on what happened the previous day in a twist on the phrase.

When asked about his strong seven-inning start last night as the Orioles beat Texas 7-2, right-hander Kyle Gibson first spent quite some time talking about the job Tyler Wells did the night before when Kyle Bradish got hurt. The Orioles were still marveling yesterday at Wells’ performance to bolster the pitching staff Monday night in the series-opening 2-0 win.

“I don’t think we can say enough about what Tyler Wells did for this team (Monday) night,” said Gibson. “That set us up for me not needing to go seven innings tonight. I was thankful I was able to do it, but what a job by him. When I found out he was going in, they asked me if I could throw (yesterday) and that’s a no brainer. If Wellsy can step up and do that I can take my turn the next day. Anytime a starter can get to the seventh, I think it’s big for the bullpen. I told Hyder I could go another one and try to save one more inning, but he said they were fresh enough down there and handed the ball off.”

The Orioles realized what Wells did Monday was pretty special in how he stepped up and Gibson said good teams need such things.

“It’s necessary, right,” he said. “There is something on the line behind the scenes like every time a guy is on the mound. That put him in a tough spot - he is not staying on routine, mentally he is not locked in when Hyder asked him that. But it shows a lot about his routine and how he stays prepared. He had done a really good job of staying prepared and ready. I think that is what this team is all about – we’ve got a lot of young guys that have really good heads on their shoulders and understand that if they start the game on the bench, they are one play away from being out there. Hats off to him. That gave us a lot of momentum going into today.”