I think The Supremes said it best when they sang, “Reflections of, the way the season used to be.”

Or something close to that.

My reflections are continuing into late October, after the Orioles took their fans on a thrill ride until finally running out of gas.

I’ve already noted how Matt Harvey never had his contract selected from Triple-A Norfolk, Gunnar Henderson earned a promotion despite his age, Yusniel Diaz stayed only for a cup of coffee, Rougned Odor lasted into September, we never saw Robert Neustrom, DJ Stewart didn’t make it back to the Orioles after three games to begin the season, Jorge Mateo was exclusively a shortstop, Bryan Baker stuck for the entire season, Nick Vespi will never give up another Triple-A run, Joey Krehbiel disappeared after almost going wire-to-wire, Terrin Vavra could wear many hats next season, Jacob Nottingham didn’t get back to the majors, César Prieto’s 2022 ceiling was Double-A, we don’t know how the Orioles view Mike Baumann, and Chris Ellis’ second chance with the Orioles was much worse than the first.

Here are two more:

The Orioles optioned reliever Travis Lakins Sr. to Triple-A Norfolk after last night's game to create room on the active roster for left-hander Logan Allen, claimed on waivers yesterday from the Guardians.

Lakins was most vulnerable among the bullpen bunch, surrendering three home runs, including two grand slams, and nine runs total in 8 1/3 innings. The first slam came after he inherited three runners from Chris Ellis in Anaheim.

Allen gives the Orioles four left-handers in their nine-man bullpen, including Keegan Akin, Paul Fry and Cionel Pérez. 

Four relievers combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings last night in a 5-3 win over the Twins.

Allen is wearing No. 61.

The Orioles signed Chris Owings to a minor league contract in March after two partial seasons with the Rockies because his ability to play just about anywhere on the field made him ideal utility material.

Owings remains with the club following the roster cutdown for the exact same reason.

Kelvin Gutiérrez was 4-for-28 before heading out the door, with the Orioles designating him for assignment yesterday morning. A move that seemed more predictable with his name missing from the last three lineups.

Gutiérrez was a third baseman on a team that had other options. Owings has done everything except catch and play first base, making his 2-for-18 start with 12 strikeouts forgivable to the front office.

It’s really that simple. Gutiérrez had to hit in order to justify keeping a player who can’t really bounce to other positions. Owings is under a different microscope.

Trey Mancini said he’s available off the Orioles bench tonight after bruising his ribs Friday night and being in a considerable amount of discomfort.

Mancini slammed into the right field wall after making a catch.

“I’m just trying to gear toward, if they need me in a big spot, I want to be out there and be able to go,” he said. “The last couple days, I was in a lot of pain. The rib bruise is no joke. Luckily, I feel definitely better today, which is really nice.

“I feel like I can definitely be available if they need me in a spot tonight.”

Mancini didn’t want to broadcast the injury when asked Saturday about his exclusion from the lineup. Meanwhile, he wasn’t available the past two games.

The Orioles made their final roster move this morning to get down to the required 26 players, announcing that they designated infielder Kelvin Gutiérrez for assignment.

Gutiérrez joined the team on July 3 after having his contract purchased from the Royals, and he became the regular third baseman over the final month. He batted .248/.327/.336 in 47 games but was 4-for-28 in 12 this season.

The last three lineups didn’t include Gutiérrez, who’s out of minor league options, and manager Brandon Hyde confirmed yesterday that the infielder wasn’t dealing with a health issue.

Chris Owings remains with the Orioles despite a 2-for-18 start with 12 strikeouts. Owings can play just about anywhere, while Gutiérrez is mainly a third baseman on a team that has other choices at the corner.

Gutiérrez committed two errors Sunday at Yankee Stadium in his final start.

Orioles pitcher Alexander Wells has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 strain of his left ulnar collateral ligament and is expected to miss eight-to-12 weeks.

Surgery isn’t a consideration at this time. Wells will rehab at the spring training complex in Sarasota, Fla.

Wells felt the discomfort in his elbow after Tuesday’s game in New York.

Chris Ellis is still dealing with inflammation in his right shoulder.

“Still seeing some medical people about it,” said manager Brandon Hyde, “but we’ll have some more news about him this week sometime.”

OAKLAND - It seems quite improbable. But at this early stage of the 2022 season, the Baltimore Orioles' pitching rotation and entire pitching staff is hanging with the best in baseball. And the latest example came on a cool, sunny afternoon in Oakland.

Right-hander Jordan Lyles, coming off a strong outing against the Yankees, had another one today, throwing five scoreless innings as the Orioles blanked Oakland 1-0. Four relievers completed the shutout, which included an impressive five-out save from Jorge López as the Orioles improved to 4-8.

When the game ended, the Orioles charged out of their first-base dugout.

“Our guys were fired up," said manager Brandon Hyde. "In the dugout, we exploded after that last out. What an amazing job by all of our pitchers, especially Lopie coming in there at the end of the game. The first-and-third situation in the eighth and got us out of that, and then an easy ninth. Jordan Lyles set the tone, five great innings."

Baltimore has scored just a single run for three straight games in Oakland, but today they got a victory out of it.