An adjustment to the Orioles’ bullpen seemed inevitable.

The move came early this afternoon.

Dillon Tate was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk and right-handed reliever Burch Smith had his contract selected from the Tides.

Smith will wear No. 40. Tate will try to fix whatever’s wrong.

Tate has made three appearances this month and given up runs in each game – four over two innings against the Athletics and two over two innings in back-to-back outings against the Cubs. He surrendered 11 hits. His ERA has climbed from 3.38 to 4.59.

The latest heat advisory mentions how mailbags could go up in flames and to keep them indoors. I’m not taking any chances.

It’s my responsibility to empty mine and save the neighborhood from total destruction.

You ask, I answer, and yada, yada, yada.

If you ever catch me editing for clarity, length or style, drag me in an alley and have me beaten.

Also, my mailbag competes in the Home Run Derby and yours just has the runs.

Jordan Westburg knew that the local media was hovering around his locker after last night’s game. Notepads, recorders, cameras, microphones. All of them waiting for the player who found out about his All-Star selection earlier in the day and homered in his first at-bat. He was an obvious interview.

The scrum moved on from starting pitcher Dean Kremer, but Westburg first had to attend an All-Star meeting with teammates joining him in Arlington, Texas. It couldn’t be avoided.

All part of a whirlwind day that included phone calls to wife Anna Claire and his parents.

Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson, the first two draft picks under executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias, are starting at catcher and shortstop, respectively, for the American League. Corbin Burnes could be the starting pitcher working on an extra day of rest. That announcement is pending.

Rutschman was the backup catcher in last year’s Midsummer Classic in Seattle and participated in the Home Run Derby. He’s the veteran among the position players.

Jordan Westburg took the high road earlier today. Then, he put a fastball on a flight to the seats near the bullpen area.

This is how you celebrate your selection to the All-Star Game. By hitting like one again.

The Orioles didn’t exhibit the same timing. They followed the news of Westburg’s late inclusion as an injury replacement by committing two errors in the third inning that led to a pair of unearned runs against Dean Kremer, who walked three batters by the third, surrendered two homers by the fourth and lacked the sharpness of his previous start.

The Cubs scored in each of the first four innings, Kremer was gone by the fifth and the Orioles lost the series opener 9-2 before an announced crowd of 30,373 at Camden Yards.

The Yankees still trail the Orioles (57-34) by three games after losing to the Rays.

Orioles ace Corbin Burnes could have started tonight on regular rest and faced the Yankees Sunday in the last game before the All-Star break. Instead, he follows Dean Kremer on Wednesday and is available to pitch Tuesday for the American League.

The Orioles hold a three-game lead over the Yankees going into tonight, adding to the importance of the weekend series.

“We put a lot into it and got input from everybody,” manager Brandon Hyde said this afternoon. “We just came down to the conclusion of let’s keep him on regular rest. It’s going to be so important for us to have him in the second half.

“Hopefully, he’s going to start the All-Star Game. We’ll see what happens there. But we need him for the second half, so we decided to keep him on regular (turn).”

Burnes hasn’t confirmed whether he’s attending the All-Star Game following the birth of twin daughters. He wanted to discuss it with his wife Brooke.

Heston Kjerstad is starting again in left field tonight as the Orioles begin their three-game home series against the Cubs.

Cedric Mullins is in center field and Anthony Santander is in right.

Ramón Urías is the third baseman, with Jordan Westburg at second.

Per STATS, the Orioles have three of the 20 qualified major league hitters with a .500-plus slugging percentage – Westburg, Santander and Gunnar Henderson. This would be the fifth time the Orioles have had three qualified players slug .500 or better at the All-Star break, including four in 1996 and 2005 and three in 1969 and 2016.

Henderson is the fourth shortstop to reach 50 extra-base hits before the All-Star break, joining Francisco Lindor (55) in 2018, Miguel Tejada (53) in 2005 and Trevor Story (52) in 2018.

Refresh my memory, please. Is the All-Star break the official or unofficial halfway point of the season? Because you also have the 81-game mark, which is mathematically halfway. It’s so confusing.

But not as much as Craig Kimbrel’s exclusion from the Midsummer Classic.

Yeah, we’re going back to that topic before tonight’s series opener against the Cubs at Camden Yards.

The commissioner’s office and player balloting are responsible for selecting pitchers and reserves for the American League and National League.

If we’re ranking snubs, Kimbrel is No. 1. No one else in the home clubhouse tonight has a bigger beef. Maybe he’s OK with it after nine previous selections. More time at home with the family, a chance to rest up before resuming the season July 19 in the same location as the All-Star Game.

OAKLAND – Former Orioles manager Buck Showalter used to warn that he didn’t want to hear about a problem unless you had a solution. The first part is easy. Don’t point it out and offer nothing more than the obvious.

The bullpen over the course of the entire 2024 season hasn’t qualified as a major issue, but losing left-hander Danny Coulombe increased the urgency to make at least one trade.

Craig Kimbrel burst past his slump and has allowed only one earned run in his last 21 innings. Save after save after save, some less dramatic than others. And he's an absolute All-Star snub.

Yennier Cano is a weapon on most nights but doesn’t seem quite like the All-Star model from 2023. No one was beating that drum this month, but he struck out two batters yesterday in a scoreless eighth and has a 2.89 ERA.

I think most teams would take that.

OAKLAND – The Orioles’ two All-Star starters made the first two outs today, with Gunnar Henderson grounding out and Adley Rutschman flying out. Anthony Santander followed with a home run. Ryan O’Hearn and Jordan Westburg singled, and they scored on Heston Kjerstad’s three-run shot.

A day after surrendering 19 runs in a blowout loss, the Orioles pounced and vented early, leading from the beginning in a 6-3 win over the Athletics in their final game at Oakland Coliseum. And a few All-Star omissions – some might say snubs - couldn’t be silenced.

Santander’s homer off Mitch Spence raised his total to 23, tied for fourth in the majors as the ball landed in the right field seats. He was a finalist in voting for American League outfielders, missed by one spot and didn’t get selected as a reserve.

O’Hearn was a finalist at designated hitter, missing election by four percent of the votes. Jordan Westburg was a finalist at third base. They’re also staying home barring a late substitution.

Corbin Burnes brought the total number of Orioles to three with his fourth selection in a row. That was the cutoff.

OAKLAND – The Orioles found out today that only one other player from the club that’s tied for the best record in the American League has been chosen for the All-Star Game.

If anyone else goes to Arlington, Texas, it will be as a late substitute.

Corbin Burnes made his fourth All-Star team in a row after going 9-3 with a 2.32 ERA, 1.021 WHIP and 14 quality starts in 18 outings. He didn’t appear in the last two games and must decide whether to leave his wife Brooke and their twin daughters. He rejoined the club in Seattle after going on the paternity list.

“Still going to have that conversation with my wife,” he said. “Obviously, just found out a little bit ago. She's already told me to go. So I'll see what the final decision is in the next day or so. But if I do go, definitely honored to be a part of it.

“It's a fun week. It's kind of one of those you never know when it's going to be your last. So I understand my wife's sentiments on me having to go to the game. We'll see what happens, but definitely just an honor to be selected.”

OAKLAND – The Orioles will try to win the series this afternoon while they also complete their West Coast trip, saying goodbye to the Oakland Coliseum for the last time.

They also want to avoid a second series loss to the Athletics this season.

Heston Kjerstad is in left field and Cedric Mullins is in center. Colton Cowser is on the bench.

Ryan O’Hearn is playing first base. Ryan Mountcastle is the designated hitter, moving down to seventh in the order.

Ramón Urías is playing third base again, with Jordan Westburg at second.

OAKLAND – An opposing right-handed pitcher today will cause Orioles manager Brandon Hyde and his staff to dig through the stats packets and check the splits before posting the lineup. It isn’t as simple as loading up on left-handed hitters.

Hyde sat Colton Cowser and Heston Kjerstad yesterday against Athletics right-hander Luis Medina. Austin Hays played left field, as he did the previous night. But he was matched against left-hander Hogan Harris in the series opener.

Hays doubled twice and singled for his second three-hit game of the season. He singled and doubled yesterday and had a sacrifice fly.

Medina’s splits are pronounced and reversed, with right-handers before yesterday slashing .295/.357/.459 and left-handers slashing .214/.323/.286. Within all of the minuscule sample sizes, Hays was 1-for-1 with a double against him lifetime.

Managers love lineup questions a little less than media members love asking them, but Hyde offered a solid explanation before yesterday’s game.

OAKLAND – Cade Povich issued two walks in the first inning and took one of his own.

Brent Rooker, the third batter faced, made loud contact on a cutter that traveled 414 feet to the seats above the out-of-town scoreboard in left field. The ball was in flight as Povich drifted toward the third base line, his head turned in the direction of the landing spot.

The rookie had to watch. He didn’t have to stand on the mound to do it.

He’d leave it for good the next inning.

Max Schuemann also hit a three-run homer after the first two Oakland batters reached in the second. A walk and bloop single followed and Povich was removed from the game, his worst outing in the majors leading to the Orioles’ 19-8 loss before an announced crowd of 8,526 that witnessed five home runs from their team.

OAKLAND – Austin Hays gets another start in left field this afternoon after collecting three hits last night on his 29^th birthday. He’s matched up against Athletics right-hander Luis Medina.

Colton Cowser is on the bench. Cedric Mullins starts in center field, Ryan O’Hearn is in right and Anthony Santander is the designated hitter.

Ramón Urías starts at third base, with Jordan Westburg shifting to second and Jorge Mateo going to the bench.

Ryan Mountcastle moves down to sixth in the order.

Left-hander Cade Povich makes his sixth major league start. He’s allowed six runs in his last five outings to match the total in his debut.

OAKLAND – A home run and walk in the first inning last night and a leadoff single and an error in the second threatened to detonate Albert Suárez’s start.

A runner stood on third base with one out. With his typical calm demeanor, Suárez struck out the next two batters to escape the jam and retired 12 in a row and 17 of his last 20.

Suárez allowed two runs in six-plus innings, and Orioles starters have surrendered only four in the last 23 1/3.

The Orioles began the series ranked first in the American League and second in the majors with a 3.42 ERA. Their 3.28 rotation ERA also was first and second, respectively.

They held those spots after last night’s 3-2 win at Oakland Coliseum, the staff at 3.40 and rotation still 3.28. The starters have allowed two earned runs or fewer in eight of the last nine games.

OAKLAND – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde grew up in Santa Rosa, about an hour away from the Oakland Coliseum. He attended games with his father and friends, recounting those days as some of his fondest memories. Rickey Henderson stole bases at a record pace. Dennis Eckersley closed out games. The Bash Brothers hit tape-measure home runs and slammed their suspiciously massive forearms in celebration.

“There was some really good baseball being played here for a long time,” Hyde said, “and some great, great teams that played here.”

Not anymore.

The last-place Athletics are moving to Las Vegas but will relocate to Sacramento for the next three seasons until their new home is ready. The Orioles are making their final stop here. They might get a little sentimental during batting practice, but that’s it.

They’d like to put a bow on a sweep and offer it as a going-away present.

OAKLAND – The Orioles moved their West Coast trip to Oakland for a three-game series before the Athletics relocate to Sacramento next year.

Ryan Mountcastle is in the lineup tonight and batting third. Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter.

Colton Cowser is in center field, with Austin Hays in left and Anthony Santander in right. Jorge Mateo remains at second base, with Jordan Westburg at third.

Albert Suárez stays in the rotation while Cole Irvin moves to the bullpen. Suárez has registered a 2.43 ERA and 1.247 WHIP in 17 games (10 starts). He tossed four relief innings against the Athletics in April and allowed four runs and seven hits with six strikeouts. Seth Brown homered.

In three career appearances against Oakland, Suárez has allowed nine runs and 15 hits in 12 2/3 innings.

SEATTLE – Craig Kimbrel wasn’t available to pitch yesterday in Seattle after making back-to-back appearances. He walked a tightrope the first night and tied the Mariners in knots the next.

The results remain positive.

Kimbrel has surrendered only one earned run in his last 19 innings, a stretch that began after his horrendous outing in D.C. that cost him the closer’s job for a brief spell. He had eight saves at that point and earned his 21^st Wednesday after retiring the side in order with two strikeouts and a popup in foul territory.

The only blown save came in New York on June 19, but he struck out Gleyber Torres to carry the game into the 10^th inning and got the win.

What is behind the turnaround?

SEATTLE – The Orioles couldn’t let a sleeping offense lie.

Bryan Baker loaded the bases in the seventh inning with the score tied, Keegan Akin entered with two outs and the Mariners’ J.P. Crawford doubled to right-center field to plate three runs. Mitch Garver followed with a homer.

A crowd that kept verbalizing its annoyance with Seattle’s silent bats finally had reason to erupt.

Corbin Burnes’ latest quality start and Gunnar Henderson’s flirtation with the cycle were sidenotes to the Orioles’ failure to complete the sweep, losing a lead and ultimately the game, 7-3, before an announced crowd of 32,347 at T-Mobile Park

The Yankees lost again today to keep the Orioles (55-32) two games ahead in the division.

SEATTLE – Ryan Mountcastle is out of the Orioles lineup this afternoon in the series finale in Seattle after returning to it last night.

Adley Rutschman also is on the bench, as the Orioles go for the sweep.

Heston Kjerstad is batting second and serving as the designated hitter.

Colton Cowser is in left field. Jordan Westburg is at third base, with Jorge Mateo at second.

Corbin Burnes seeks his 14^th quality start. He faced the Mariners on May 19 and allowed an unearned run with 11 strikeouts in six innings.