With 22 runs scored in back-to-back wins over the White Sox, the Orioles look for a three-game series sweep tonight. That would also give them a seven-game sweep of the season series.

In late May, the Orioles won four straight at Chicago, but they were all close wins by 8-6, 6-4, 5-3 and 4-1. In this series, the O’s have won 13-3 and last night by 9-0.

They’ve scored 22 runs on 27 hits the last two games, with three doubles, a triple and two homers and they are 11-for-36 batting with runners in scoring position.

In going 6-0 on the year versus the Sox, the O’s have outscored them 45-17. On offense, they have hit .287 with an .887 OPS and 10 home runs. The Baltimore pitchers have a 2.67 ERA and have allowed a .528 OPS to White Sox hitters this year.

Right-hander Albert Suárez (7-4, 3.14) has been on a five-start pitching role and will make his 20^th start tonight. He is 2-0 with a 1.19 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in those five games, allowing four earned runs over 30 1/3 innings with five walks to 24 strikeouts.

The first-place Orioles wrap up their series against the White Sox tonight with Coby Mayo at third base and batting seventh.

Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter.

Gunnar Henderson stays atop the order. He has a hit in four straight games for the first time since July 25-Aug. 1.

Albert Suárez is making his 20^th start and 28^th appearance with his ERA down to 3.14. In his five starts last month after replacing injured right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, Suárez allowed only four earned runs with 24 strikeouts in 30 1/3 innings. He posted a 1.97 ERA in six August games.

Suárez pitched in relief against the White Sox on May 25 and shut them out over four innings.

When Wyatt Langford of the Texas Rangers hit a walk-off grand slam off Yankees closer Clay Holmes late last night, it moved the Orioles back into first place in the American League East.

Holmes, who suffered his 11th blown save, gave up two hits and two walks in the ninth and saw his slider hit 407 feet to lose the game 7-4.

The Orioles (81-59) were last in first on Aug. 20 and now they begin play today a 1/2-game ahead of the Yankees (80-59).

The Orioles beat the Chicago White Sox 9-0 last night at Oriole Park and have won four of five and seven of 11, going 23-21 since the All-Star game. New York has lost five of seven and is 22-19 in the second half. 

The chase is on for the AL East title with 22 games remaining.

On a day the Orioles had one of their highest-scoring games of the year and a day when every starter both had a hit and scored a run, one Oriole had two hits and now the club hopes he can get hot again.

Catcher/DH Adley Rutschman had two hits – one a bloop single – and drove in a run. It was just his third two-game game since Aug. 10.

Since posting an .848 OPS in June, Rutschman put up a .482 OPS in July and a .625 mark in August. Before Monday’s game, he was batting .149 with an OPS of .460 his previous 12 games.

Before the O’s beat the Chicago White Sox 13-3, manager Brandon Hyde said Rutschman was physically fine. Nothing bothering him or keeping him from putting up numbers. Now he just has to get out of an extended slump.

“It’s just been a tough couple of months. Tough since the All-Star break,” Hyde said pregame. “You know, he’s grinding. He’s trying every single day to try to get the feeling back. He is putting in so much work, where we have to monitor it honestly. He is such a huge part of our offense and our team, and he knows that. So, he is probably putting way too much pressure on himself also. I think that is why you see the swing decisions are sometimes not Adley-like. Because he is trying to make an impact and to get back to who he is.

CHICAGO – There was nothing easy about it although for a while it looked that it might be. But the Orioles' latest win featured another slog of a night and one that got dicey late in the game.

The Orioles won but other ways to say it are they held off, outlasted or survived their game with the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night.

The White Sox (15-36) had scored two runs or less 25 times this year, or in half of their games, as the Orioles arrived for the series opener.

The struggling O’s offense broke out for eight runs and 13 hits, including two huge homers in the top of the fourth. That seemed like it would be enough, and it was in the end. But barely.

Right-hander Jonathan Heasley, recalled from Triple-A to take the roster spot of injured lefty John Means, pitched a scoreless eighth inning as the O’s led 8-2.

CHICAGO – Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel’s season has once again taken a turn for the better. He got a save in the recent Seattle series – just his second save since late April.

After going thru a six-game slump where he dealt with upper back soreness and gave up seven runs in 3 1/3 innings, his last four outings looked a lot like his first 10.

In those first 10 innings, through April 22, he allowed one run with one walk and 16 strikeouts. Then he briefly was yanked from his closer’s role while staying on the active roster and dealing with the back issue.

Now, over his past four games he has not allowed a hit or run with no walks and six strikeouts.

It’s like he has had three different seasons. His last save was No. 426 of his career in his 800^th career appearance. He is No. 6 on the all-time saves list.

For long-time fans of the Orioles minor leagues, it might come as a surprise. There were many seasons when the Double-A Bowie Baysox, playing in the shadow of Washington, D.C., struggled to draw fans.

But in the last few years that has turned around. There have been four nights this year when Bowie drew 7,000 or more and for eight Friday and Saturday dates this season, the Baysox have averaged 7,125 fans. 

From 2022 to 2023, Bowie ranked No. 3 out of the 120 full-season minor league teams with an average attendance increase of 34.4 percent. Wichita was No. 1 with a higher increase on average and Binghamton No. 2.

These are better days throughout the minors with overall attendance for all teams up 4.4 percent from 2022 to 2023. Double-A teams were up 5.3 percent and the Eastern League itself, of which Bowie is a member, was up 6.8.

Bowie is nowhere close to the top drawing team in baseball or even in its own league. But the gains are still impressive and ongoing into this season.

Dean Kremer did his job. One sinker that hung in the middle of the plate was his only real sin. Easily forgivable under any circumstances, and especially if he had more than a modicum of offensive support.

Kremer worked into the seventh inning, registered his fourth quality start in a row, and waited to find out whether the Orioles would be stuck on one run.

Danny Coulombe replaced Kremer with two runners on base and no outs, and he stranded them. Little did he know that he’d become the pitcher of record. Or that the Orioles would torch the White Sox’s bullpen and turn a tie into a blowout.

Then again, comeback wins have become routine with this team. The 41^st was approaching.

The first two Orioles were retired in the bottom of the seventh, a single and pair of walks loaded the bases, and Anthony Santander slapped a ground ball down the right field line to clear them in a 9-3 victory before an announced crowd of 14,903 at Camden Yards.

CHICAGO - Anthony Santander had identified the issue. He didn’t need more video of his at-bats, though he was willing to keep studying to confirm what he knew.

Santander said this morning that he wasn’t seeing the ball well because he’s late on pitches. Manager Brandon Hyde said he’d like Santander to be a little more on time. They could agree, both on the problem and the supreme confidence that it would subside.

Hyde batted Santander cleanup again today in a 7-6, 10-inning loss to the White Sox. Santander began the day with three hits in his last 35 at-bats, was 0-for-2 against Michael Kopech to strand three runners, and led off the sixth with a game-tying home run.

On a 94 mph fastball.  

The bat speed back to its prime.

After their 6-3 comeback win over the White Sox Friday night, a victory today in the windy city would give the Orioles a series victory over Chicago and a chance to sweep the Sox on Sunday afternoon.

Adley Rutschman’s bases-loaded double on an 0-2 pitch in the seventh inning, turned a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 lead and the Orioles went on to win to improve to 8-6.

The AL East standings today

Tampa Bay at 13-1
Toronto at 9-5
Orioles, New York Yankees at 8-6
Boston at 6-8

The Orioles are two games over the .500 mark for the first time this season and have won four of five games. They are 4-3 in road games and are now 5-0 in series-opening games.

CHICAGO – Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter this afternoon against the White Sox, as the Orioles try to guarantee another series win.

Rutschman ranks second in the American League and third in the majors with a .492 on-base percentage. He’s sixth in the majors with a 1.134 OPS.

Ryan Mountcastle’s 19 RBIs continue to lead the majors.

Gunnar Henderson’s 21 strikeouts are tied for most in the American League, but his 12 walks tie Rutschman for first in the AL.  He’s out of the lineup today.

Kyle Gibson is the first Orioles pitcher in modern franchise history to make three starts in his first three appearances with his new team and win each decision. He has a 3.44 ERA and 1.145 WHIP in 18 1/3 innings.

CHICAGO – Dylan Cease struck out five of the first six Orioles this afternoon, plate umpire Junior Valentine giving Cease a call on a low fastball that angered Adley Rutschman and signaling that it could be a long day.

Gilman-product Gavin Floyd hit a two-run homer in the second, the first deficit for the Orioles since Tuesday.

The four-game winning streak came apart, with the Orioles settling for a series win and hoping to transport the lingering good vibes to Seattle. But they sure made it interesting.

Cease struck out a career-high 13 batters in seven innings, and the Orioles lost for the first time in five games, 4-3, at Guaranteed Rate Field. They're 34-40 as they continue their three-city road trip.

First baseman José Abreu committed back-to-back errors in the ninth and Jorge Mateo drew a four-pitch walk to give the Orioles three cracks at tying the game or taking the lead against Kendall Graveman. Jonathan Araúz singled to reduce the lead to 4-2, pinch-hitter Rougned Odor struck out, Cedric Mullins flied to deep center for a sacrifice fly and Trey Mancini struck out.

When this Orioles series in Chicago began, the team had not posted a four-game win streak since the end of the 2020 season. Today, the O's seek a five-game streak and a four-game sweep on the road against the White Sox – which would be their first four-game sweep at Chicago since 1995.

Baltimore's pitching has led the way to 4-0, 4-1 and 6-2 wins in this series. As a staff, the team's pitchers have allowed just the three runs on 16 hits with seven walks and 25 strikeouts.

The O’s pitchers have allowed two runs or less in seven of the last nine games, pitching to an ERA of 1.73 in that span. In the last four games, the O’s staff has allowed two total earned runs for an ERA of 0.55.

Over the last six games, O’s starting pitchers have an ERA of 0.98. The bullpen, which has been strong almost all year, has now gone 11 straight games allowing one earned run or less with an ERA of 1.29 in that span.

Couple that with some solid defense and an offense that has produced six runs or more 11 times in 22 games, you can see why the club has moved to 34-39 and is now five games from .500.

CHICAGO – Orioles rookie Kyle Bradish is optimistic that he can pitch again after his 15 days expire on the injured list. Manager Brandon Hyde thinks it will be close to the date, if not hitting it exactly.

Bradish is eligible to return on July 6. For now, he’s shut down with inflammation in his right shoulder.

“I’d say Monday on the off day, it kind of started to get a little tight,” he said today. “And then Tuesday I woke up and then threw a bullpen, and it didn’t get better from there. Right now it’s feeling good. We’re on some treatment and some other stuff, and it’s feeling good.”

Which leads Bradish to believe that he can jump back into the rotation when rules allow it.

“Yeah, no doubt,” he said.

CHICAGO – The Orioles waited to post their lineup until checking Rougned Odor’s back.

Odor worked out on the field and remained on the bench for the fifth game in a row - the last four due to injury.

Richie Martin is the second baseman and Jonathan Araúz is the third baseman, with Tyler Nevin among the reserves.

Trey Mancini stays in the lineup after being hit on his left hand yesterday. X-rays were negative.

Jordan Lyles has a 4.92 ERA and 1.500 WHIP in 14 starts. He held the Nationals to two runs over 6 1/3 innings in his last appearance after going four consecutive starts without reaching the sixth.