Drew Rom thought he made it past the trade deadline.

The Orioles’ pitching prospect was in Charlotte with Triple-A Norfolk. Manager Buck Britton approached him. And his baseball life was about to change.

“Was not expecting it at all,” Rom said. “It was literally a minute or two before the trade deadline and Buck walks in and says, ‘Hey Rom, I need to see you in the office real fast.’ I’m like, ‘Oh Lord, here we go.’”

Rom, a Kentucky native, was going to the Cardinals organization with infielder César Prieto and pitcher Zack Showalter for veteran starter Jack Flaherty. He’s starting Wednesday night’s series finale against the Orioles.

“The ball got rolling and next thing I know, I’m in Memphis, and then two weeks later I’m up here in the big leagues with the Cardinals making my debut,” he said. “And then I get to check two things off my check list with playing in Cincinnati and debuting, and the third, playing against the Orioles in Camden.”

The Orioles reinstated John Means from the 60-day injured list today and optioned reliever Joey Krehbiel to Triple-A Norfolk. The 40-man roster is full.

Krehbiel has made six appearances with the Orioles and allowed one run and two hits with five strikeouts in five innings.

Means makes his first start tonight since April 13, 2022. He’s never faced the Cardinals, but the opponent doesn’t matter.

Means is back on the mound and that’s the story.

The magic number is four to clinch a playoff berth. The Orioles are on pace to win 103 games.

Nineteen games remain for the Orioles, but it feels like the first time for John Means.

The left-hander gets back on the mound tonight, finally past his Tommy John surgery and pulled muscle in his upper back and the litany of questions about his recoveries and status. He doesn’t need to say that he’s fine starting or relieving or attempt a guess at his return date.

Means wants to start. He’s a team player and will go along with the program, but yes, he definitely wants to be in the rotation. And the return date is Sept 12, 2023.

The ovation for Means could bring down the center field roof deck bar. Windows could shatter in the warehouse. Jack Flaherty could smile.

(I kid. He’s a serious guy. It’s OK.)

The Orioles aren’t ready to shut the door on Félix Bautista’s season. They don’t feel the urgency to make a declaration with 20 games remaining before the playoffs.

Bautista isn’t in their bullpen, but time is on their side.

Executive Vice President/General Manager Mike Elias confirmed today in a media session that Bautista has a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. An MRI revealed the damage, which is termed “acute-on-chronic.” A sudden injury that also results from use over a period of time.

Surgery to replace the ligament, or a Tommy John procedure, remains a possibility down the road, but the Orioles aren’t traveling it this month.

“The question is when and how to deal with that,” Elias said.

After going 7-2 on their road trip, the Orioles begin their penultimate homestand of the season with a three-game series against the Cardinals.

This is the first Cardinals visit to Baltimore since 2017, when the Orioles lost the first game 11-2 and won the next two 15-7 and 8-5.

Jordan Westburg came out of Saturday’s game in the seventh inning and wasn’t in yesterday’s lineup. He’s on the bench again tonight.

"Everybody's got little things going on right now," manager Brandon Hyde said on Saturday, adding yesterday that he didn’t have any other updates.

Austin Hays also is a reserve. Aaron Hicks is in left field.

BOSTON – Ryan O’Hearn wouldn’t get lured out of his baseball comfort zone. The dangling carrot was swatted like a pesky fly. Or a grooved fastball that wraps around the Pesky Pole.

Asked about the significance of the Orioles winning the division and leaving wild card aspirations in the dust, O’Hearn was willing to confirm that the American League East title is “very important.” But don’t press it.

“To me, the No. 1 goal is to make the playoffs, but you’re not going to get me to predict the future or get too far ahead of ourselves,” he said, smiling.

“We focus on every day, same thing we’ve been saying. One game at a time, trying to win a ballgame, and that’s it. If we do that, that’ll take us where we want to go.”

Trust the process, a slogan the Orioles can carry from rebuild to contender. It doesn’t get stale.

BOSTON – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde stood on the soaked infield grass earlier today with a member of the Red Sox’s grounds crew who held a tablet, presumably immune to water damage, and tracked the latest storm in the Boston area. The tarp was rolled up and rain kept falling with an uncomfortable intensity while workers filled shovels with a drying compound. Some players jogged and stretched in the outfield. Fans were invited onto the warning track for a pregame ceremony.

Hyde came out of the dugout again following the anthem. Game status hadn’t changed. The ceremonial first pitch was done with the mound and plate covered. A minor inconvenience.

Adley Rutschman stepped into the batter’s box after a 42-minute delay. The teams were playing, with the smart money on the mudders.

The Orioles usually shine in any weather, but they couldn’t hold an early three-run lead and Grayson Rodriguez lasted only 4 1/3 innings in a 7-3 loss to the Red Sox before an announced crowd of 31,295 at Fenway Park.

The game was halted with two outs in the bottom of the eighth and Joey Krehbiel pitching after another downpour. This delay lasted one hour and 28 minutes, and it took nine minutes to finish. The tarp and patience were stretched. Only one returned to its normal position.

BOSTON – John Means smiled and confirmed to the local media this morning that, yes, he was available to talk. He moved back toward his locker and waited. Recorders and a television camera were pointed at him. And then, he confirmed how he’s feeling and left the rest of the updates to the club.

Means stayed in his lane while standing inside the clubhouse.

“All I know is I threw a bullpen yesterday, felt really good,” he said. “Other than that, I’m not really sure what the next step is.”

The expectation is for Means to return from the 60-day injured list and make a start in the Cardinals series at Camden Yards. Dean Kremer is listed for Monday night, with Means likely to follow Tuesday. But the Orioles aren’t listing their starters beyond Kremer.

Means threw a bullpen session on Saturday and apparently has passed the tests that determine whether he’s ready to join the active roster for the first time since April 2022. He’s happy with his stuff, how his ball is moving and the reactions to it.

BOSTON – The Orioles have reached the end of their three-city road trip with a chance today to register their 10^th sweep.

The club has won seven games in a row and 16 of 20. The magic number for clinching a postseason berth is down to five. The lead over the second-place Rays is four.

Jordan Westburg is out of the lineup today after leaving last night’s game in the seventh inning. Manager Brandon Hyde hinted that Westburg is dealing with some soreness but didn’t specify.

Aaron Hicks is in right field. Adam Frazier is the second baseman. Ramón Urías is at third base.

His brother, Luis, is playing second base for the Red Sox.

BOSTON – A locker was set up yesterday for pitcher John Means. With clothes and equipment. The real deal.

Means has made trips in the past and his locker remains in the same location at Camden Yards. But it felt different.

The left-hander joined the team in Boston after finishing his injury rehab assignment at Triple-A Norfolk. He hung out with teammates on Friday, got his locker yesterday and walked to the bullpen for a side session that could determine whether he pitches for the Orioles later this week.

And keeps pitching for them through the postseason.

The medical staff and pitching coaches will confer with Means today, before the flight to Baltimore. He’s expected to enter the rotation for the Cardinals series and make his return on Tuesday, but the Orioles need to check at least one more box before deciding.

BOSTON – Jack Flaherty walked to the bullpen for his pre-start warm-up this afternoon, reversed his tracks and headed back to the clubhouse. The claps of thunder, bolts of lightning and a warning for fans to leave the lower seating area and seek cover told Flaherty that he wasn’t going to throw his first pitch at the allotted time.

Any disruption could be unsettling for a guy with an 8.35 ERA in his previous four outings since an impressive debut with the Orioles. He was seeking calm, not the storm.

Justin Turner hit a two-run homer in the first inning, the damage lessened by Ryan Mountcastle’s diving stop and throw to rob Alex Verdugo. Flaherty got a new ball and stood halfway between the mound and second base to collect himself, tossing it in the air and catching it with his bare hand. He pounded his fist into his glove after Trevor Story’s fly ball to right field, the last out in a 26-pitch frame.

There’s more going on with Flaherty than the weather.

The Orioles scored five runs in the third, the last three on Aaron Hicks’ first homer since July 9, and two more in the fourth. They hit five home runs. They picked up their teammate, who was done after 3 1/3 innings. They wobbled but found their legs again.

BOSTON – Aaron Hicks is in center field this afternoon against the Red Sox and James McCann is catching. Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter.

Austin Hays is the cleanup hitter. Jordan Westburg is at second base and Gunnar Henderson is at third.

Jack Flaherty has posted a 6.66 ERA and 1.521 WHIP in five starts with the Orioles. He struck out seven batters in 4 2/3 innings in Arizona but gave up four runs and six hits.

Flaherty has never faced the Red Sox.

The Orioles have won six games in a row and 12 of 15 and are 89-51 overall, 47-25 on the road. They’ve scored 34 runs this season in four games at Fenway Park.

BOSTON - Kyle Bradish must want to keep his ERA at 3.03. Must like the whiff of a palindrome.

Bradish allowed two runs in six innings last night for the third start in a row and fourth out of five. He registered his 16^th quality start of the season and raised the Orioles’ total to 61. They lead the majors with 44 since June 1.

Are they getting close to the club’s single-season record?

Not at all.

Starters don’t work as deep into games and must complete at least six innings with three runs or fewer allowed to meet the criteria.

BOSTON – Kyle Bradish wouldn’t set the bullpen into motion tonight until two outs in the sixth inning. Ryan O’Hearn had to do it.

Orioles relievers raised their arms and jumped in the air as O’Hearn’s fly ball sailed into the right field seats leading off the top of the fourth. They couldn’t catch it. May as well celebrate it.

O’Hearn’s 12^th homer of the season, Gunnar Henderson's latest Rookie of the Year push and Bradish’s latest quality start propelled the Orioles past the Red Sox 11-2 before an announced crowd of 33,852 at Fenway Park.

The Rays defeated the Mariners 7-4 to leave the Orioles with a four-game division lead.

Adley Rutschman curled a fly ball around the right field foul pole in the eighth for his 18^th home run, and the Orioles won their sixth game in a row and improved to 89-51 overall, 47-25 on the road and 31-15 in series openers. They will go 85 series of multiple games in a row without being swept.

BOSTON – Orioles closer Félix Bautista played catch again today, increasing the distance on flat ground during his second session after a brief pause.

The club is downplaying the significance of it.

Bautista also threw in Anaheim while on the injured list with discomfort in his right elbow, described only as a “right UCL injury.”

“We’re going to see how he feels,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “We’re just kind of monitoring it day-to-day. It was just kind of a see how he feels, play a little catch today.”

Asked if Bautista throwing is a good sign, Hyde said, “I wouldn’t put any emphasis positive or negative about it. He was playing a little bit of catch, kind of seeing how he feels today.

BOSTON – The Orioles are a season-high 37 games above .500 and four games ahead of the Rays in the American League East as they reach the final stage of their road trip at Fenway Park.

They’ve won five in a row, seven of nine, 11 of 14, 14 of 18 and 25 of 35. On the line this weekend is a streak of 84 consecutive multi-game series without being swept.

Gunnar Henderson is the shortstop tonight against the Red Sox. Ryan O’Hearn is batting cleanup as the designated hitter, followed by first baseman Ryan Mountcastle.

Austin Hays is in left field. In 18 games since Aug. 15, Hays is batting .338/.413/.646/1.059 with eight doubles, four homers and 13 RBIs.

Adam Frazier is playing second base and Ramón Urías is at third.

The Orioles are in Boston for the final series of their penultimate road trip in 2023. Three games at Fenway Park, seven at Camden Yards – including four against the Rays that could influence the division race – followed by visits to Houston and Cleveland.

The latest quirk to the schedule has the Orioles engaged in a trio of four-game series this month, versus the Rays, Guardians and Red Sox. They’ve won six consecutive series while building an 88-51 record, including 34-16 in the second half, that’s the second best in baseball.

The organization’s hesitancy to look too far ahead is softening. Adjustments are being made to the rotation as if prepping it for the postseason. Back down to five starters, with the possibility of weaving in a sixth here and there. A clearer read on innings totals and how to proceed.

Making the playoffs is a formality. The goal now is winning the American League East, with a first-round bye and home field advantage.

They haven’t won 100 games since 1980 and are on pace to blow past it. Also blowing the minds of the oddsmakers who put them below .500.

The comeback that unfolded for the Orioles in the ninth inning Tuesday night, before the Angels rallied to tie and lost in the 10^th, began with Adam Frazier and Ryan O’Hearn producing clutch hits in reserve. Frazier doubles with one out and scores on O’Hearn’s line drive single. Depth again playing its role in defining the 2023 club.

The Orioles keep finding ways. Many times, they only have to look as far as their bench.

Manager Brandon Hyde has done a nice job rotating players to multiple positions and out of the lineup. Frazier made 90 starts at second base and seven in the outfield. O’Hearn made 44 starts at first base, 16 in the outfield and 10 as the designated hitter.

“We’ve got really talented hitters up and down the lineup, and depth like that helps,” O’Hearn told reporters.

“We care a lot. We want to win. We want to win the division. We love each other. We play for each other. We trust each other. It’s not just me down there practicing and trying to get ready for every inning. It’s every guy on the bench, all (five) guys on the bench down there are getting ready to hit to potentially impact the game.”

The Orioles will try for their ninth sweep of the season tonight with Adley Rutschman serving as the designated hitter, Ramón Urías playing second base, and Jordan Westburg moving back to the bench.

Aaron Hicks is in center field, putting Cedric Mullins in a reserve role.

Gunnar Henderson is slugging .727 against Angels' fastballs this season and .362 against other opponents’ fastballs, per STATS. He’s the third baseman tonight.

The Orioles registered their 44^th comeback win last night, tied with the Reds for most in the majors. They’ve won four games in a row and 10 of 13 to improve their record to 87-51, and they maintain a 3 ½ game lead over the Rays.

Kyle Gibson makes his 29^th start. He’s 13-8 with a 5.15 ERA and 1.340 WHIP in 162 2/3 innings. His 172 hits lead the American League.

The Orioles are down to their last 24 regular season games. The final West Coast trip wraps up tonight, followed by an off-day and weekend series in Boston.

An actual finish line is out of sight. The Orioles can’t break through the tape and veer toward the airport. That’s for non-playoff teams.

Where they stop, nobody knows.

At least one more roster move is pending, with John Means scheduled to make his last rehab start tonight at Triple-A Norfolk. Tyler Wells is expected to be recalled but first had to resume pitching. He was shut down with arm fatigue until last night.

Means is on the 60-day injured list, but there’s an opening on the 40-man roster. He can slide into it.