This, that and the other

The Orioles are starting Gabriel Ynoa tonight and faced with a decision on how to fill the opening on their 25-man roster after optioning reliever Dillon Tate to Triple-A Norfolk.

They must have it figured out, but we're left to wonder if they want a fresh arm - especially with Miguel Castro sick - or a third bench player.

If it's a bench player, do they bring up an outfielder?

The Tides were rained out yesterday. Their lineup included DJ Stewart, Austin Hays and Rio Ruiz.

Castro hasn't pitched since Tuesday in San Diego and the Orioles are reaching the point where they should consider putting him on the injured list if he's still under the weather today. He hasn't been sitting in the bullpen. There's no temptation to pitch him.

Manager Brandon Hyde has been scrambling to get the last crucial outs in the past two games. He trusted Branden Kline in the eighth inning yesterday and was rewarded with two strikeouts. Shawn Armstrong was the designated closer and struck out three batters, leaving two runners on base as the Orioles escaped with a 6-5 win.

Tom Eshelman earned his first major league win and a drenching - beer, water, anything else within reach. Hyde and John Means got the same treatment after their first wins and Stevie Wilkerson after his first save.

"It was good." Eshelman said after showering. "There was a lot of stuff being thrown around. We did it to Wilkerson in Anaheim when he got his first save and, obviously, I wanted to do it, so I was glad to be part of it and have it done to me."

* The rebuild hasn't sped up and it's ridiculous to suggest otherwise. The Orioles aren't rolling downhill the rest of the way. There will be lots of challenges awaiting them, especially as they make the anticipated changes to their 40-man roster after the season and continue to limit their spending.

However, they posted a 12-12 record in July and split their first four games in August. They've won 10 of their last 17 games. They've been rewarded for the effort.

How long can it last?

The Yankees are in town for three games, followed by the Astros. There are four games in the Bronx, including next Monday's doubleheader, and another trip to Fenway Park.

Good thing the games aren't played on paper.

It's going to be hard enough on grass.

The Orioles set a season high yesterday by drawing nine walks, their highest total since Aug. 7, 2016 against the White Sox. They won their second straight game while being outhit and are 6-60 in these instances.

Allowing multiple home runs in nine consecutive games has tied a major league record shared by the 2016 Astros, 2003 Padres and 2001 Reds. But the Orioles are 5-4 during that stretch.

Gleyber Torres could be a problem tonight. He's 20-for-43 (.465) in 12 games against the Orioles this season with three doubles and 10 home runs.

* Veteran catcher Jesús Sucre, placed on the restricted list Friday at Triple-A Norfolk, left the team and returned home for personal reasons.

I'm told that his absence is "indefinite" at this point.

The Orioles designated Sucre for assignment on April 28. He cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Norfolk two days later.

Sucre was placed on the temporarily inactive list in May while relocating his family to Miami. And he can't be happy in the International League.

He must not be drumming up much interest.

Sucre is batting .283/.333/.364 with 15 doubles and 19 RBIs in 50 games. He's thrown out 11 of 27 runners attempting to steal.

* While Mark Trumbo tries to make the Orioles' expanded September roster, hoping for a little more cooperation from his right knee, he can remain the answer to a team-related trivia question.

Who's the last Orioles player to drive in a run in the postseason?

Trumbo, of course, hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning of the 2016 American League wild card game in Toronto. He also supplied all of the scoring, with the Orioles losing 5-2 in 11 innings.

How much have the Orioles changed in three years beyond front office, manager and coaches?

Chris Tillman started the wild card game and relievers included Donnie Hart, Brad Brach, Darren O'Day, Brian Duensing and, you may remember, Ubaldo Jiménez. Mychal Givens was perfect for 2 1/3 innings with three strikeouts and no one questioned his usage beyond one inning.

Hyun-Soo Kim and Michael Bourn manned the outfield corners. Nolan Reimold pinch-hit for Kim.

How many in this group are still in the majors?

The Cubs designated Brach for assignment over the weekend. He had a 6.13 ERA and 1.765 WHIP in 42 games and averaged 6.4 walks per nine innings after signing a contract that guaranteed $4.35 million.

* Former Orioles first-round draft pick Matt Hobgood celebrated his 29th birthday on Saturday.

So whatever happened to him beyond blowing out his candles?

Hobgood, the fifth overall selection in 2009, no longer is playing baseball. He toyed with the idea in 2016 of making a comeback as a hitter and worked out with former Orioles outfielder Larry Harlow in Arizona, but couldn't latch on with a team.

Harlow was his hitting coach at Norco (Calif.) High School

Hobgood's final season consisted of six relief appearances in 2015 at Double-A Bowie, where he allowed seven earned runs with eight walks in 9 2/3 innings. He never made it to Triple-A, let alone the majors.

Multiple shoulder surgeries, the last in 2015 to remove a bone spur, kept stalling Hobgood's career.

He underwent a procedure in April 2012, missing the entire season, and moved to the bullpen. An impressive spring training in March 2015 and 5 1/3 scoreless innings in his first two games with Bowie raised hopes that he'd live up to expectations, but he made two more stops on the disabled list and succumbed to another surgery.

Hobgood currently is working for a friend's door company, "Southwest Door Service," in Arizona. Doing interior/exterior/commercial doors and repairs. His wife is in real estate, providing nice flexibility while they raise their young children.

Hobgood thought he might become a fire fighter and it's still an option down the road.