The Orioles intended to start veteran Jordan Lyles in Game 1 of today’s doubleheader against the Blue Jays, with Mike Baumann making his first major league start in Game 2. However, Lyles woke up feeling a little under the weather and was pushed back.

Manager Brandon Hyde called executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias early this morning to pass along the news.

“We decided to give him a few extra hours and we flip-flopped,” Hyde said.

There’s the obvious concern that Lyles will be scratched later today. The Orioles must cover at least 18 innings.

“I’m fairly confident that he’ll be able to start Game 2,” Hyde said, “but we’re keeping our fingers crossed. We’re hopeful.”

The Orioles optioned reliever Rico Garcia after yesterday’s 5-0 loss to the Athletics and recalled Beau Sulser from Triple-A Norfolk. A new arm for the bullpen in today’s makeup doubleheader with the Blue Jays at Camden Yards.

Garcia pitched yesterday and retired all four batters he faced.

Mike Baumann is on the mound for Game 1, his first major league start and 12^th appearance.  He faced the Blue Jays on Sept. 12, 2021 in Baltimore and allowed six runs in three innings. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a two-run homer.

In Baumann’s last three starts with Norfolk, he held opponents to two earned runs and three total over 16 innings.

Gunnar Henderson is playing second base again in Game 1. Jesús Aguilar is the designated hitter.

The Orioles aren’t in a place in their collective lives when they can take an opponent lightly. Consecutive 100-loss seasons ruin that privilege.

However, they were vulnerable to a letdown after winning back-to-back series in Houston and Cleveland, and with the Blue Jays in town starting today for a huge four-game series.

In the middle were the lowly Oakland Athletics, who won three of four against the Orioles in April but are a disaster. This is a bad team because it was constructed that way. The sympathy runs deep in Baltimore.

“This is a young team that we’re playing against,” said manager Brandon Hyde, choosing more delicate words. “We’ve been in that situation before, also.”

Hyde emphasized the importance of winning yesterday, saying it was “extremely important” to finish what they started.

The writing seemed to appear on the wall early today. Not the one in left field that robs home runs. The proverbial wall with clues to the game’s outcome.

Gunnar Henderson registered the first two outs by charging a bunt and throwing across his body, and diving to his left to corral a ground ball. Two batters, two more reasons to believe that Henderson is going to be special.

That part was accurate.

The Orioles immediately staged a rally in the bottom of the first inning but failed to score. And they failed to take a lead today or complete the series sweep against a team with the worst record in the American League.

Don’t always trust the wall.

The Orioles are handing Mike Baumann the ball in Monday’s doubleheader against the Blue Jays at Camden Yards, whether in the first or second game, allowing the right-hander to make his first appearance in the majors since June 19 and his first career start.

Baumann has pitched in relief in 11 games, including seven this year after breaking camp with the Orioles. He allowed six earned runs and seven total, with 13 hits, six walks and nine strikeouts, over 12 innings in 2022.

The stay is expected to be brief, with Baumann on the taxi squad today and serving as the 29^th man on Monday.

“It’s a good feeling,” he said today. “Coming up here and seeing the guys, it’s always awesome, and they’re playing well. The energy in the clubhouse is great, so to be able to be part of it for the next couple days is going to be awesome.”

Baumann’s season has been inconsistent, with a 4.20 ERA and 1.317 WHIP in 20 games (nine starts) with Norfolk. He’s walked 25 batters and struck out 81 in 60 innings.

The Orioles will go for the sweep of the Athletics today with Gunnar Henderson starting at second base for the second time in the majors.

Henderson is 6-for-15 with two doubles, one home run, one RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in his four major league games. His four-game hitting streak is the longest by an Oriole to begin his career since Joey Rickard (seven) from April 4-12, 2016.

Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter. Ramón Urías is playing third base.

Cedric Mullins hit his 50^th career home run last night. He’s in center field again today.

Anthony Santander, starting in right field, is the first Orioles switch-hitter with 25 home runs in a season since Bobby Bonilla hit 28 in 1996.

The Orioles are hatching their plan for Tyler Wells, arranging a bullpen session for him in Baltimore and sending him out again for another minor league start. Maybe just one. Maybe two.

The reports came back from high Single-A Aberdeen that Wells looked and felt good Friday night, with no lingering issues related to his strained left oblique. He threw 31 pitches in 2 1/3 innings, the only run against him scoring after he left.

“He looked outstanding,” said Aberdeen manager Roberto Mercado. “Commanded all of his pitches really well, put any pitch where he wanted. I know he talked about wanting to command the fastball on the outside part of the plate, and he’s dotting it right there on the black. Pitched really, really well. Retired the first seven guys and was in complete control the whole time.”

The Orioles had pitch counts in mind for Wells and Grayson Rodriguez, who started the previous night on his rehab assignment and also threw 31.

“We had to pull him there,” Mercado said of Wells. “Trust me, I’d love to keep him in. Similar to Grayson. I wish I had the chance to leave him in a little longer. He’s got electric stuff and it was great to see him back on the mound after being out since June.”

The Orioles wouldn’t take the field tonight until everyone gathered in the clubhouse to celebrate backup catcher Robinson Chirinos reaching 10 years of major league service time. They gave him a cake, a signed bat and custom-made sneakers. Manager Brandon Hyde hugged Chirinos twice, called him “brother.”

Chirinos propped the bat on his shoulder while expressing his appreciation and thanked them for the memories.

“And the ones coming,” he said, “because we’re not done yet.”

No, they aren’t.

Ryan Mountcastle pulled further away from his slump with a pair of two-run homers in his first two at-bats, Cedric Mullins and Anthony Santander reached the flag court and center field seats, respectively, in the fourth, five relievers combined for 5 2/3 scoreless innings, and the Orioles locked up their fifth series win in a row with an 8-1 victory over the Athletics before an announced crowd of 30,853 at Camden Yards.

Tyler Wells is slated to throw a bullpen session in Baltimore within the next few days before the Orioles decide his next steps toward a return to their active roster.

Wells began his injury rehab assignment last night at High-A Aberdeen and was charged with one run in 2 1/3 innings. An inherited runner scored after he departed.

The Orioles will give him at least one more start in the minors.

Wells allowed one hit, walked none, struck out three and threw 23 of 31 pitches for strikes. Most important, he felt good afterward.

Manager Brandon Hyde said the organization hasn’t decided on Wells’ role when he’s activated from the injured list.

Gunnar Henderson’s fourth major league game won’t put him at a fourth different position.

Henderson is starting at third base and batting fifth tonight against the Athletics at Camden Yards.

Kyle Stowers is in right field. Anthony Santander is the designated hitter.

Adley Rutschman is catching after his pinch-hit, bases-loaded walk last night that broke a 2-2 tie in the eighth inning.

Rutschman, Henderson and Stowers were the first three Orioles draft selections in 2019.

DL Hall sat at his locker yesterday and couldn’t draw a crowd. He wasn’t asking for one, but the solitude seemed a bit unusual considering that his major league debut came at Tropicana Field before the Orioles optioned him, and he returned to the majors this week while they were in Cleveland.

Hall hadn’t been inside the home clubhouse until yesterday. He came to the ballpark to sign his contract after the Orioles selected him in the first round of the 2017 draft, and he returned for an event inside the warehouse. That’s it.

The fuss over him sort of fizzling because the media was staking out Gunnar Henderson’s locker across the room. Baseball’s No. 1 prospect arriving in town after homering against the Guardians Wednesday for his first major league hit and singling twice in the series.

Henderson finally walked through the door and spent about six minutes fielding questions, the media arc thickened by multiple layers. Hall eventually got up and left the clubhouse, waiting to take a seat in the bullpen with the other relievers.

“It’s definitely a little bit different feeling than being on the road,” he said. “Being here in front of our home crowd, it’s going to be an unreal experience, something that, ever since I came here to sign my contract, it’s been my dream to get to play on this field, so I’m excited.

The Orioles’ streak of scoreless innings ended tonight at 25 after Oakland’s Tony Kemp lined a two-out, bases-loaded single into right field in the fifth to bring home two runs and tie the game.

There was more important work to be done.

Among the wild card tiebreakers, there’s no mention of shutouts or the succession of them.

Adley Rutschman came off the bench with one out in the eighth and coaxed a bases-loaded walk out of Domingo Acevedo, Jorge Mateo singled to left field on the next pitch to plate two more runs, and the Orioles kept rolling with a 5-2 win over the Athletics to begin a 10-game homestand.

Dean Kremer allowed two runs in six innings for his sixth quality start, and the Orioles reached the 70-win mark and moved nine games above .500 for the first time since May 20, 2017.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde knew that he wanted Gunnar Henderson’s major league debut to come at third base, and he intended to rest shortstop Jorge Mateo last night. However, he didn’t plan ahead for tonight’s start at second base. It just unfolded this way, with Hyde having more desirable options that in past years.

“I didn’t know the Oakland rotation until a couple days ago, so then it kind of fell into place from that standpoint,” Hyde said today. “Like we talked about when he got here, I’m going to be moving him around. He’s playing great.”

Henderson is facing a left-hander tonight in rookie JP Sears, which lowered him to eighth in the order but didn’t exclude him. The Athletics are starting right-handers Adam Oller and Adrián Martínez in the last two games of the series.

“I think it’s just going to be a day-to-day thing,” Hyde said. “We’re trying to win every game we can the rest of the way. I’m just going to be matching up the best way I can.”

Hyde takes the same approach with center fielder Cedric Mullins, who’s batting .201/.266/.289 against left-handers this season and is on the bench tonight.

The Orioles can climb nine games above .500 tonight for the first time since May 20, 2017. They’re 1 ½ behind the Blue Jays for third place in the division and for the third spot in the wild card chase.

The latest surge is led by a rotation that posted back-to-back shutouts and registered three during a six-game road trip to Houston and Cleveland. The Orioles allowed nine runs and currently have a scoreless streak of 21 innings.

Last night marked the 13^th shutout of the season. It also produced Brandon Hyde’s 200^th career win, making him the ninth manager in club history to reach the milestone.

Dean Kremer has allowed four runs in his last three starts over 20 innings, with three walks and 13 strikeouts, to lower his ERA to 3.24. He’s never faced the Athletics.

Gunnar Henderson is starting at his third position in three nights, getting the assignment at second base and batting eighth. He’s the first Oriole to collect three hits in his first two major league games since Cedric Mullins in August 2018.

CLEVELAND - The enormous amount of turnover in personnel within the Orioles’ organization since the rebuild began, departments reshaped or created with a definite slant toward youth and modernized thinking, never reached Dave Schmidt.  

He’s a survivor who turned 65 in April and shows no signs of slowing down.

It’s 25 years and counting for the former pitcher, who jokes about the number of jobs he’s held with the Orioles during that span.

Asked earlier this week about his current responsibilities, Schmidt replied, “My title, if you’re into titles, is ‘Florida rehab pitching coordinator.’”

Schmidt paused to laugh halfway through that sentence. He knows it’s a lot of changes following his retirement as a player, with his last major league season in 1992. He didn’t start after the 1989 “Why Not?” season with the Orioles.

CLEVELAND – The question made manager Brandon Hyde pause for a few seconds this afternoon, only to smile and load up the obvious response.

How big of a challenge does Shane Bieber present to the Orioles?

“It’s a challenge,” he said. “For me, he’s one of the best pitchers in the American League, if not baseball, the last handful of years. We have not swung the bat well against him since I’ve been here.”

The past wasn’t given any respect tonight. A team with a short memory is in the wild card race for the long haul.

Cedric Mullins homered on the first pitch of the game and Anthony Santander homered on the first pitch thrown to him. Two runs on the board in the first inning. Ryan Mountcastle hit his 19^th homer in the fourth, the chain in the dugout placed around another neck.

CLEVELAND – Gunnar Henderson is playing shortstop tonight for the first time in the majors, with manager Brandon Hyde wanting to move him around the infield - mainly on the left side. But Hyde also wanted to provide some rest for Jorge Mateo, who hasn't been idle since July 30.

Mateo has appeared in 121 games in his first full season in the majors. He could use a breather.

“It’s just giving Jorgie a game off,” Hyde said this afternoon. “I can’t remember the last time he’s had a game off. We’ve got a long stretch ahead of us and just wanted to give Jorgie a day today.”

Same with outfielder Austin Hays, who joins Mateo on the bench. Nothing related to his health.

Henderson provided a jolt to the offense last night with his home run and single, but Hyde isn’t asking him to carry a heavy load.

CLEVELAND - Gunnar Henderson is starting at shortstop tonight as the Orioles conclude their road trip and try to win their series against the Guardians.

He stays on the left side of the infield.

Henderson is batting fifth behind Ramón Urías, who moves to third base.

Jorge Mateo and Austin Hays are on the bench. Jesús Aguilar is the designated hitter in his first game with the Orioles.

Terrin Vavra is in left field and batting ninth, and Anthony Santander is in right.

CLEVELAND – The Orioles designated infielder Richie Martin for assignment this afternoon to make room on the 40-man roster for first baseman Jesús Aguilar, whose contract was selected after he signed a minor league deal yesterday and joined the taxi squad.

Left-hander DL Hall was recalled today to give the Orioles 28 players in the new month, which begins with them only two games out of third place and two behind the last wild card spot.

Aguilar is the first Oriole to wear No. 99.

Martin, 27, was selected from the Athletics in the 2018 Rule 5 draft. He appeared in 120 games in 2019 as the primary shortstop, but only 50 between 2021-22 due to injuries and his struggles at the plate, where he hit .212/.261/.311.

At Triple-A Norfolk, Martin was batting .244/.338/.360 with 17 doubles, four triples, one home run, 21 RBIs and 20 stolen base in 24 attempts.

A nine-inning baseball game last night felt like the calmest moment that the Orioles experienced, even in the heat of a pennant race.

Roster moves were distributed to the media as if shot out of a T-shirt gun. The spring training schedule was released, minus report dates and times.

The pace figures to slow today, with just the corresponding 40-man roster move to accommodate first baseman Jesús Aguilar.

Active rosters grow from 26 to 28 players, and we already know that the Orioles are using those spots on Aguilar and left-hander DL Hall.

Rewinding to yesterday’s activity, the biggest surprise might have been the selection of Gunnar Henderson’s contract rather than his placement on the taxi squad, which was the plan Tuesday night.