KANSAS CITY – With each swing, Carlos Santana was getting closer. A 277-foot flyout in the second inning, a 354-foot flyout in the third. 

Santana had seen 14 pitches from Jordan Lyles. None were sinkers. But the 15th was.

Lyles left a 90 mph sinker over the heart of the plate with one on and no out in the bottom of the fifth inning of Thursday’s game. Santana deposited it over the right-field wall for a two-run go-ahead shot. After the Orioles had battled back from a 4-1 deficit to tie the game in the top half of the inning, the Royals reclaimed the lead, this time for good.

Kansas City (19-37) got the best of Lyles and Baltimore (24-34) in a 7-5 win in the series opener in front of 15,594 fans at Kauffman Stadium. 

"Just a front-hip sinker that I thought we could get one by him, get a quick punchout," said Lyles after the start. "But it started on the plate and covered way too much of the plate, and it was just a bad pitch."

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde describes rookie Kyle Bradish as having electric stuff, with plus pitches across the board. Says it’s about locating and working ahead in the count, “and not having the high pitch-count innings that he’s had trouble with.”

Bradish’s first pitch of the game tonight was a strike, and Christopher Morel drove it 429 feet to left field for a leadoff home run.

Jumping hard on a trend, Cedric Mullins led off the bottom of the first with a home run to right field off Cubs starter Keegan Thompson, and Trey Mancini launched the next pitch into the home bullpen.

Thompson hit Rougned Odor and Ramón Urías with one out in the second, fans booed, and Jorge Mateo changed their tune with a three-run shot to left. Austin Hays later became the fourth Orioles player to homer into the second deck.

Rain kept falling, baseballs kept flying, and the Orioles welcomed back the Cubs to Baltimore with a 9-3 victory.

Tyler Wells was hours away from the postgame meal today and he already had lots to digest.

A first inning with the first two batters retired and José Ramírez hitting an opposite-field home run.

A second inning with the first two batters retired and Andrés Giménez hitting a ball onto Eutaw Street.

Wells struck out Luke Maile, walked back to the dugout and replayed the mistakes in his mind. Having his fill of them.

The Guardians ran out of power, the Orioles supplied more in support of the Wells and the bullpen, and they evened the series with a 5-4 victory at Camden Yards.

Cleveland right-hander Shane Bieber was a pitcher on a roll when he took the mound at Camden Yards last night. He was still rolling when he left the same mound in the last of the eighth. He flirted with a no-hitter into the O’s sixth before Trey Mancini singled but the Orioles lost the series opener to Cleveland to fall to 1-3 on this eight-game homestand.

Two runs would score after Bieber left the game as the Orioles rallied in the eighth on Mancini’s two-run double and Anthony Santander’s RBI single. But he got the 6-3 win, allowing just three hits over seven innings with two walks and 11 strikeouts.

Bieber had posted an ERA of 1.71 his previous three starts and the Orioles found out why on Friday night when he got 23 whiffs on 52 swings against his pitches. He got 14 whiffs on 24 swings versus his slider.

Bieber's 11 strikeouts were his most since he recorded 12 on May 27, 2021 at Detroit. Last night marked his 16th game with 11-or-more strikeouts since he debuted in 2018, the sixth-most among MLB pitchers during that span. He has allowed three-or-fewer earned runs in 34 consecutive road starts, marking the longest such streak since earned runs became an official statistic in 1913. And Bieber is 18-8 with a 2.26 ERA during that span. So, yep, pretty impressive.

Mancini has reached base safely in nine straight games and is batting .382/.462/.647 (13-for-34) with four doubles, a triple, a home run, six RBIs, four walks, and seven runs scored during the streak. And he has also reached safely in 26 of his last 27 games since May 8 and leads the O’s with 19 multi-hit games.

The smile, chuckle and slight eye roll gave away Trey Mancini’s opinion on the subject, and he didn’t need to hear the rest of the question.

He knew what was coming and found the amusement in it.

Adley Rutschman began last night’s game on the bench, a break that manager Brandon Hyde planned in advance. Baseball’s top prospect is living up to the defensive hype with his skills and energy behind the plate and handling of pitchers, but he’s 7-for-39 with no home runs and 10 strikeouts in 10 games.

Three of those strikeouts occurred in Tuesday’s series opener against the Mariners, after his second career two-hit game the previous night. A botched ruling on a checked swing was responsible for the first strikeout.

Do the veterans in the clubhouse make sure that Rutschman isn’t stressing over the slow start, that he remains unaffected by it?

The idea of platooning Orioles second baseman Rougned Odor doesn’t seem to carry the same logic as it did earlier in the season.

Manager Brandon Hyde kept Odor in the lineup tonight against Mariners left-hander Robbie Ray. One pitch validated his decision.

Odor jumped on a slider from Ray in the second inning and drove it to the back of the flag court for a three-run homer. And the Orioles were just getting started.

Didn’t matter who was on the mound. Didn’t matter where the ball was hit.

Ryan Mountcastle, Ramón Urías and Trey Mancini homered in the sixth inning after Sergio Romo entered the game, and the Orioles cruised to a 9-2 win at steamy Camden Yards.

The Orioles swapped out pitchers again today, recalling Denyi Reyes from Triple-A Norfolk and optioning left-hander Zac Lowther.

Lowther threw 100 pitches last night in 5 1/3 innings. Reyes was the 27^th man for Saturday’s doubleheader in Boston, allowing one run in 3 2/3 innings in Game 2, and remained eligible to be recalled in fewer than 10 days.

Lowther was the first Orioles reliever last night to throw at least 100 pitches since Gabriel Ynoa on May 5, 2017.

Adley Rutschman is on the bench tonight as the Orioles continue their series against the Mariners. He’s 7-for-39 in 10 games.

Trey Mancini is playing first base and Anthony Santander is the right fielder and cleanup hitter.

Pitching again in the majors is the only proverbial carrot that pitcher Zac Lowther needs dangled in front of him. He didn’t get the call until Monday morning. His bags are unpacked but he doesn’t know if he’s in for an extended stay, especially after working 5 1/3 innings last night.

There actually was more to it for Lowther beyond just leaving the minors. He knew from what he observed from a distance and heard from teammates that the Orioles are having a blast, and he wants badly to be included in it.

The fear of missing out can gnaw at a guy.

“You kind of see as a whole how the team has been playing and it’s fun baseball, it’s a different energy,” he said. “Obviously, I wasn’t here, but you can just see it on the field. It’s like, ‘Hey, I want to be a part of that.’ It’s a little more motivation, but you really don’t need anymore motivation than, it’s the big leagues. But when you’ve got guys like (Kyle) Bradish, who have pitching really well down in Triple-A, getting a chance, and then Adley (Rutschman), you knew it was only a matter of time with those two.

“Just being able to get back here with them is great, because they’re good guys, I enjoy spending time with them, enjoy playing with them. It’s a lot of very positive things. You’ve got really good pitchers at Triple-A like Cody (Sedlock) and Nick Vespi, who finally got their chance and they did really good. It was just fun to see.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde didn’t carry any delusions of a long start tonight by Bryan Baker. He wasn’t raising the bar to three innings. This was strictly an opener arrangement followed by, if it worked as planned and hoped, significant coverage from Zac Lowther until Hyde could begin calling upon some of his high-leverage relievers.

The game didn’t reach the point where a tie or lead needed to be protected. The Orioles were in damage control. Live to play another night.

Baker was charged with three runs in 1 2/3 innings, Lowther let two inherited runners score and six of his own over 5 1/3, one unearned after a Ramón Urías error that assisted the Mariners in sending 10 batters to the plate in the third, and the Orioles began their homestand with a 10-0 loss.

Lowther retired 12 of 13 beginning with the final out in the third inning and got into the seventh at 100 pitches. Marcos Diplán didn't let the Mariners score in 1 1/3, and infielder Chris Owings made his second career pitching appearance in the ninth, allowing one run on two doubles.

Owings was trusted with 1 2/3 innings for the Royals in 2019 and surrendered four runs and six hits, including two homers. He allowed a leadoff double tonight to Eugenio Suárez after starting him with a 49 mph slider, induced a ground ball and shallow fly, and was burned by Taylor Trammell’s double down the right field line.

BOSTON – The Orioles got loud in the first inning tonight against a soft-tossing left-hander who gave up nothing against them in an earlier game.

Rich Hill was down a couple runs just three batters into his start. The outs also made noise. There was no hangover for the Orioles after the previous day’s lopsided defeat.

Hangovers and loud noises don’t mix anyway.

Ryan Mountcastle hopped out of the batter’s box after crushing a full-count curveball, hoping to land on the other side of his slump. Ramón Urías got into the act in the third with a two-run shot to dead center field measured at 422 feet.

Tyler Wells grabbed lots of attention by shutting out the Red Sox over six innings, the longest scoreless outing of his career, Mountcastle had four hits, and the Orioles defeated the Red Sox 10-0 at Fenway Park.

BOSTON – The Orioles still can claim the five-game series against the Red Sox with a victory tonight that concludes their homestand.

The teams have split the first four games, with the Red Sox cruising yesterday to a 12-2 win.

“We just need to let this one go,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “We’ve been playing good baseball, we’ve played competitively this entire trip.”

Cedric Mullins begins tonight’s game on the bench, with Ryan McKenna in center field.

Austin Hays is leading off and playing right field. Anthony Santander is in left field and batting cleanup.

BOSTON – The major league education of Orioles rookie Kyle Bradish was bound to bring some hard lessons. No matter how much he earned his promotion. No matter how many Triple-A batters couldn’t touch him.

There’s no substitute for pitching in the American League East. Just as it's hard to match the thrill of a completed rally against one of its hottest teams.

Four of Bradish’s six starts have come within the division, and what’s supposed to constitute a break of sorts are games against the first-place Twins and the Cardinals in St. Louis.

The Red Sox saw Bradish for a second time tonight and handled him in an aggressive manner, scoring six runs in 1 2/3 innings. But the Orioles also showed him the value in pitching for a team that won’t let up. That stays engaged in the dugout and treats deficits like minor inconveniences.

The Orioles scored three runs in the seventh and eighth innings to tie the game and four more in the ninth to post a stunning 12-8 win at Fenway Park - their 11th comeback win of the year.

As the Orioles' road trip continues at Boston tonight, they face a Red Sox team playing much better than the last time these two teams faced. On April 29 at Baltimore, the clubs began a three-game series and the Red Sox had lost seven of nine at the start of the series. The Orioles won the last two games that weekend to take two of three.

But now, Boston is red-hot and scoring a lot of runs. The Red Sox (21-23) beat the White Sox 16-7 last night, scoring 16 runs for the second time in three games. Boston has won seven of its last eight games and is 10-3 in its past 13 games. The Red Sox have scored 100 runs (7.7 per game) in those 13 games. They have scored 112 runs (7.5 per game) their past 15 games, going 11-4.

Boston has won four series in a row, going 2-1 at Texas, 2-1 versus Houston, 4-0 versus Seattle and 2-1 against Chicago. The Red Sox are 10-10 at home but are 6-1 in the last seven games at Fenway Park.

Boston’s Trevor Story had two hits, including a three-run homer on Thursday night, as he continues his recent torrid hitting. Hitting that has seen him produce seven homers and 21 RBIs his past seven games and eight homers in his last 10. He has driven in 32 runs this month.

O’s right-hander Kyle Bradish (1-3, 5.74 ERA) will try to slow down this hot club tonight. He made his major league debut in that April 29 game against Boston and pitched well. Over six innings, he gave up five hits and three runs (two earned) with one walk and two strikeouts on 81 pitches. In his third start, Bradish would allow two runs over seven innings with 11 strikeouts at St. Louis.

Adley Rutschman walked into the dugout around 6:30 p.m., turned and headed back into the tunnel. Photographers jostling for position on the other side of the railing lowered their arms. Stakeouts apparently come with a pause button.

Rutschman immediately came back, again in his full catching gear, walked up the steps and smiled as fans cheered and yelled his name. He wasn’t animated, but he noticed it.

The top pick in the 2019 draft is known as a big autograph signer, but the starting pitcher needed him in the bullpen.

Another ovation broke out as Rutschman’s name was read over the public address system, and again as he walked back from the bullpen to the dugout. The game hadn’t started and he already was bathed in sweat and showered with affection on a steamy evening at Camden Yards.

The major league debut of baseball’s No. 1 prospect was going to be rated a success just by getting him to Baltimore.

It’s a huge day in Birdland with the arrival of the No. 1 prospect in baseball to the Orioles. Adley Rutschman will catch and bat sixth tonight to make his major league debut as the Orioles host the Rays.

A veteran like Trey Mancini noted this takes the rebuilding phase to another level. The organization, for want of a better phrase, is getting on with it.

“Yeah, I think so,” Mancini said this afternoon in the clubhouse. “It’s not something that happens overnight, obviously. But it’s not a thing where you can circle like, ‘Oh in this year, we are going to start competing.’ It’s something that just happens over time and it starts by establishing the culture that we have here. And when you do that and do things the right way, sometimes you can compete a little earlier than you think. And we’re going to see more guys like Adley come up here over the next year or so. And that is really exciting, and for the fans, too. I know they have been waiting for this day for a long time.

“It’s a really exciting day for the franchise and most importantly for Adley. I’m expecting it to be a great atmosphere tonight. I think he’s going to be able to handle it all really well. It’s a lot of attention and a big day, but when it gets close to game time, it’s basically like any other game that you’ve played in your career. You have to treat it like that even though there will be a huge adrenaline rush for him. It’s a day you want to soak in no matter what. It’s one of the more special days of your life and it goes by quickly.”

The Orioles have posted back-to-back walk-off wins for the first time since June 6-7, 2017 against Pittsburgh and the first time with homers ending the game since Aug. 14-15, 2015 versus Oakland.

Another series is in the books and the Orioles have moved on to the Rays, who arrive at Camden Yards for three games.

Sportswriters are prisoners to lists of five, but three sounds right. So here are three more observations while I wait for the lineup to be posted – and for more questions about possible call-ups.

I swear, I don’t have any inside information on Jacob Nottingham.

* Trey Mancini keeps squaring up baseballs, but now they’re finding grass or the seats.

Mancini entered yesterday slashing .375/.444/.500 in May, the second-highest average in the American League and third-highest on-base percentage. He’s reached base in 13 consecutive games after lining a single into center field in the first inning, and is batting .360 (18-for-50) with two home runs and five RBIs during that span, including his 10-pitch single in the ninth inning that led to Anthony Santander’s walk-off home run.

Offense, offense, wherefore art thou, offense? Baltimore’s bats once again faltered in Detroit, this time in a 5-1 loss to the Tigers. The Orioles scored just three runs in this three-game sweep, striking out 16 times today alone. 

On Friday, the O’s couldn’t cash in on offensive opportunities, stranding 14 runners on base. Yesterday, Baltimore hit the ball hard, but just right at defenders. Eight balls were hit over 100 mph, with four of them having an expected batting average over .500, but no runs came of it. 

Today? The Orioles didn’t fail to cash in, nor did they simply get unlucky. The lineup just didn’t hit. 

Tarik Skubal was dominant, striking out five O’s hitters the first time through the lineup. It was the third-career double-digit strikeout game for Skubal, who struck out 11 Orioles in the game, matching a career high. The lefty was able to go deep into this one, allowing just three hits and not surrendering a run over six innings of work. 

“I thought Skubal was really good,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “We had a tough time making contact against him, and give him credit, he threw a really good game.”

Austin Hays remains out of the Orioles lineup today as they conclude their road trip in Detroit.

Hays hasn’t played since Cardinals reliever Genesis Cabrera stepped on the back of his left hand in the seventh inning of Thursday’s game. He told the media this morning that he threw yesterday and is hoping to increase his baseball activity on Monday.

Ramón Urías moves up from fourth to second in the order today, and Jorge Mateo is batting fifth for the third time in his career and the first in 2022.

Tyler Nevin is the third baseman, Ryan McKenna the left fielder and Rylan Bannon the designated hitter.

Since May 3, the Orioles have two of the top four batting averages in the American League with Trey Mancini, first at .405, and Cedric Mullins, fourth at .354.

In the 2016 First-Year Player Draft, the Orioles selected outfielder Austin Hays out of Jacksonville University in the third round. The next year, after his first full professional year, Hays had a season among the best in all of the minor leagues. He was finalist for Baseball America’s Player of the Year.

After a season where Hays hit 32 homers and drove in 95 runs in high Single-A and Double-A, he was keeping company with some of the game’s brightest young stars. Ronald Acuña Jr. won Baseball America's Player of the Year award then, but Hays was a finalist with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette of Toronto. That winter, Baseball America ranked Hays No. 21 on its top 100 list.

While some injuries slowed Hays over the ensuing seasons, he finally stayed on the field a lot last season and posted a better-than-league-average .769 OPS for the Orioles, showing glimpses of his talent.

This year, that talent has been on full display. Hays has gone 12-for-21 his past six games and is batting .463 (19-for-41) his last 11 games. Since April 15, his average is among the best in the major leagues at .386. He has reached base 12 times his last 14 plate appearances after going 2-for-3 in Monday’s win over Kansas City.

Teammate Trey Mancini said he knew Hays could do this.

Catcher Adley Rutschman and left-hander DL Hall made brief stops at Double-A Bowie before heading to the next level.

Rutschman and Hall are joining Triple-A Norfolk Friday in Nashville. Rutschman is scheduled to be in the lineup.

Hall, the No. 5 prospect in the system per MLBPipeline.com, made his only start with the Baysox this morning and was charged with two runs and three hits in 3 2/3 innings. He walked one batter, struck out six and again flashed a fastball clocked at 100 mph.

The Orioles kept Hall at extended spring training and assigned him to high Single-A Aberdeen for one start. Hall made seven starts with the Baysox last summer before sustaining a stress reaction in his left elbow.

Rutschman, the top prospect in baseball, is back with the Tides after straining his right triceps early in camp. He went 2-for-4 today and is 11-for-25 with five doubles since leaving Sarasota.