Austin Hays is the leadoff hitter tonight and Anthony Santander makes his seventh start at first base as the Orioles try to clinch the division.

The magic number is down to two. The Rays play the Red Sox at 6:10 p.m.

Gunnar Henderson moves down to fifth against left-hander Patrick Corbin. He has 65 extra-base hits to tie Cal Ripken Jr.’s club rookie record. Last night’s leadoff home run was his 100^th career RBI.

Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter. Aaron Hicks is in right field and batting cleanup. Jordan Westburg gets the start at second base, with Adam Frazier on the bench.

Frazier’s 11 stolen bases equal his career high.

The Orioles haven’t clinched the American League East, and that’s the item on manager Brandon Hyde’s mind. That’s where his focus lies this week. The unfinished business before the playoffs begin.

Has he thought about specific roles for players during the postseason?

“No,” he said.

Short and to the point.

I’m sure that the club has considered various options regarding the roster, who might be added depending on health, how the rotation could line up. But Hyde, while trying to be accommodating to the media, doesn’t want to get too far ahead of himself.

Gunnar Henderson swung at the seventh pitch thrown to him tonight and moved closer to ranking first on more Orioles all-time rookie lists. Kyle Bradish was handed the ball and demonstrated again why he should be the first starter in the playoffs.

Henderson’s home run over the center field fence, a 400-foot shot leading off the bottom of the first inning, provided an immediate lead for the Orioles, and Bradish shut out the Nationals through the eighth in a 1-0 victory before an announced crowd of 20,823 at Camden Yards.

Their division lead is 2 1/2 games with the Rays defeating the Red Sox 9-7, and the magic number is two to clinch it.

The 98 wins are the most since 1997.

The champagne celebrations could reach two as early as Wednesday.

Amid the excitement of the Orioles making the playoffs for the first time in seven years came the sad news that Baltimore had lost one of its legends.

Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson passed away today at the age of 86. And nothing else seemed important.

A statement from the team and Robinson’s family read:

“We are deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of Brooks Robinson. An integral part of our Orioles Family since 1955, he will continue to leave a lasting impact on our club, our community, and the sport of baseball.”

Nicknamed “The Human Vacuum Cleaner,” Robinson won 16 consecutive Gold Glove Awards in a 23-year major league career spent entirely with the Orioles. He also made 18 All-Star teams – chosen Most Valuable Player in 1966 – was named MVP in the American League in 1964 and was selected MVP of the 1970 World Series, when everyone learned of his defensive prowess.

Ryan Mountcastle hit on the field today for the first time since he went on the 10-day injured list with left AC joint inflammation, making hard contact on many of his swings.

Mountcastle is eligible to be reinstated on Wednesday. He’s been working out at first base.

“We’ll see how that goes, see how he feels,” manager Brandon Hyde said this afternoon, before Mountcastle stepped in the cage. “There’s a chance tomorrow, but I would think if all goes well, more than likely in a couple days.”

The Orioles want to see how he responds to another round of batting practice.

“Hopefully next couple days,” Hyde said.

Félix Bautista threw 25 pitches this afternoon to minor league catcher Ramón Rodríguez in his first time facing a hitter. And he didn’t go strictly with fastballs.

Bautista has had a few bullpen sessions and today was another step in the right direction.

The Orioles begin their final homestand of the regular season with their magic number at three to clinch their first division title since 2014.

A win tonight would be the 98^th of the season, the most since 1997.

Gunnar Henderson is the shortstop. He needs one more triple to become the eighth player in major league history with at least 25 home runs and 10 triples in their age 22 or younger season, per STATS. The others are Jimmie Fox, Joe DiMaggio (twice), Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Al Kaline and Dick Allen.

A scout who was tracking the Orioles in Cleveland, likely in case of a possible playoff matchup, didn’t begin his impromptu report in the media dining room with observations about the hitters or pitching staff. He didn’t talk about the club’s defense that’s produced one of the lowest error totals in the majors.

He went straight to the enthusiasm and effort.

“They’re a lot of fun,” he said. “I love watching them play. I show up early to watch them get ready. Those guys come to play.”

They were allowed to stop for one day after 17 games in a row without a break. They have six more, on the last homestand of the regular season, while awaiting their opponent in the Division Series.

The wild card round is mathematically possible but would require a thunderous collapse with the magic number down to three. The earliest they can clinch is Wednesday night.

CLEVELAND – Three days after the Orioles optioned outfielder Ryan McKenna to Triple-A Norfolk, they clinched their first playoff berth since 2016 and celebrated with gusto.

But without McKenna.

He can work on his timing at the plate but has no control over the timing of his demotions.

“Yeah, it was tough not being there with the guys, but it was also a happy moment, you know?” McKenna said, after the Orioles recalled him Wednesday and placed Ryan Mountcastle on the injured list.

“Everybody worked so hard. It was a good celebration, and nothing taken away from that moment for them. And for us, being a part of the team. But we’re looking forward to more, and it’s going to be exciting coming down to the wire. It’s going to be fun baseball to watch. But yeah, it’s always good to be able to celebrate.

CLEVELAND – The Orioles are done with the road until the playoffs, finishing their last regular season trip today by splitting a four-game series against the Guardians.

They only way they’d stay off the team charter next month would be to lose the wild card series at Camden Yards.

They want the division and the bye that comes with it. They need it.

Their magic number for clinching is down to three following a 5-1 victory before an announced crowd of 20,287 at Progressive Field. The Rays lost 9-5 to the Blue Jays.

The Orioles pushed their division lead to 2 ½ games and they own the tiebreaker.

CLEVELAND – The Orioles play their last road game of the regular season today with Heston Kjerstad serving as designated hitter and Jordan Westburg playing second base.

Gunnar Henderson is starting at third base. The outfield is Austin Hays in left, Cedric Mullins in center and Anthony Santander in right.

Kyle Gibson is 14-9 with a 5.00 ERA in 31 starts. He faced Cleveland on May 30 and allowed three runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings in an 8-5 win. He’s 4-10 lifetime against the Guardians with a 5.55 ERA and 1.647 WHIP in 22 games.

Ramón Laureano is 9-for-18 with two doubles, a triple and two home runs against Gibson. José Ramírez is 13-for-36 with three doubles and a homer.

The magic number is five to clinch the division, which can’t happen before Wednesday.

CLEVELAND – Gunnar Henderson led off last night’s game with a walk, his mature approach at the plate enabling him to see eight pitches before tossing his bat toward the dugout. He singled in the fourth inning, pulling a splitter into right field at 103.9 mph off the bat.

The stolen base that followed made him the first rookie in Orioles history and the 20^th in the majors with at least 20 doubles, five triples, 20 home runs and 10 steals.

What didn’t Henderson do in a much-needed 2-1 win over the Guardians?

Strikeouts in his last two at-bats left Henderson one extra-base hit short of Cal Ripken Jr.’s club rookie record of 65 in 1982.

The Orioles have seven games left before the playoffs. Time and talent are on his side.

CLEVELAND – The five-pitch first inning dared manager Brandon Hyde to imagine the possibilities. The hitless innings did more poking. John Means was dealing with efficiency. Almost too good to be true for a team with a gassed bullpen.

The Orioles kept stranding runners, 11 of them through the sixth, but Means was practically untouchable. The starter who went 17 months between major league games and was appearing in only his third since reconstructive elbow surgery would be the stopper and rescuer.

He would satisfy the team’s craving for length out of its rotation. Perhaps the least likely candidate due to the circumstances.

Means didn’t allow a hit until Andrés Giménez’s two-out solo home run in the seventh inning on the 89^th pitch. The next batter fouled out on the 90^th.

Hyde had Yennier Cano warming but let the lefty return for the eighth to face José Tena, who grounded out. Means was at 96 pitches, and he walked to the dugout with his usual stride, his glove held in his right hand. Teammates stood at the railing and applauded him.

CLEVELAND – The Orioles are holding onto their optimism regarding Ryan Mountcastle’s return from the injured list.

Mountcastle is performing some baseball activities to test his left shoulder and stay sharp. He’s eligible to return on Wednesday at Camden Yards.

During Félix Bautista’s bullpen session yesterday, Mountcastle stood at the plate to simulate an at-bat and work on his timing. He didn’t swing the bat.

Mountcastle is also taking ground balls at first base.

“I think he’s going to be ready when the IL date’s up,” said manager Brandon Hyde.

CLEVELAND – The Orioles haven’t won a season series against Cleveland since 2016 and are hoping for a split this weekend after losing the first two games.

Gunnar Henderson is playing shortstop. He needs one more extra-base hit to reach 65 and tie Cal Ripken Jr.’s record for most by an Orioles rookie.

Since Sept. 8, Henderson is batting .324 (22-for-68) with four doubles, three triples, four home runs and 11 RBIs.

Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter. Aaron Hicks is in left field.

The bench includes Austin Hays, Heston Kjerstad and Jordan Westburg.

CLEVELAND – Tyler Wells’ teammates missed his pitching while he was gone, and also his personality.

A plus changeup to the pressure of a division race.

“He’s a nice, loud guy. You know when he’s in the room,” said John Means, smiling at the description.

“It’s fun having him back and we’re all happy to have him here.”

Manager Brandon Hyde was asked about Wells during his pregame media scrum in the visiting dugout. He also went where Means had gone.

CLEVELAND – Dean Kremer struck out Kole Calhoun tonight to leave the bases loaded in the second inning and shouted as he began his walk to the visiting dugout. Maybe frustrated with himself for allowing 13 batters to reach base and surrendering an early lead. Maybe reacting to the importance of the pitch and how it kept the game from getting away from him.

Maybe right on both counts.

The Orioles responded by scoring three runs against Shane Bieber in the top of the third inning, but two errors in the fourth led to three unearned runs and another Guardians advantage. Kremer didn’t scream at the top of his lungs, but he would have been justified.

The game was filled with frustrations that could have led to a group vent, culminating in David Fry's two-run walk-off double against Yennier Cano in the Guardians' 9-8 win over the Orioles before an announced crowd of 22,567 at Progressive Field.

Despite suffering their third straight defeat, the Orioles (95-59) saw their magic number for clinching the American League East shrink to six as the the Blue Jays beat the Rays 6-2 in St. Petersburg.

CLEVELAND – Tyler Wells watched the Orioles’ playoff-clinching celebration from a distance. From the roster at Triple-A Norfolk. More enjoyment than envy.

He has a chance to be in the middle of Part 2 if the Orioles win the division for the first time since 2014.

The magic number is seven, and Wells is in the bullpen after the Orioles recalled him this afternoon.

“It feels great,” he said. “Missed the guys a lot. Excited to come back and contribute. I’m just really focused on enjoying my time with the guys, and then once it gets between the lines, take care of business.”

“Great to see him,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “He’s all smiles, he’s happy to be here, he’s talking. I know we’re excited to have him back and he’s a big part of our club.”

CLEVELAND – Heston Kjerstad is the Orioles' designated hitter tonight and Aaron Hicks is starting in center field.

Cedric Mullins is on the bench.

Gunnar Henderson is the shortstop and stays atop the order. Jordan Westburg is playing second base and Ramón Urías is at third.

Tyler Wells is in the bullpen tonight after the Orioles recalled him from Triple-A Norfolk. His four-seam fastball averaged 92.5 mph in the majors this season but topped at 95.7 mph while he pitched in relief with the Tides.

The Orioles bullpen has registered a 3.65 ERA in the eighth inning and later since Félix Bautista’s last appearance on Aug. 25, when it was 2.99.

CLEVELAND – Tyler Wells is back with the Orioles.

Wells was recalled this afternoon from Triple-A Norfolk, with the club optioning Mike Baumann.

Baumann must stay down a minimum 15 days unless he replaces an injured player. Joey Krehbiel was optioned on Sept. 12, Cole Irvin on Sept. 13, Nick Vespi on Sept. 14 and Bryan Baker on Saturday.

Manager Brandon Hyde has used 26 relievers in five days, including five in last night's 5-2 loss.

Wells hasn’t pitched for the Orioles since they sent him down July 30, a day after he allowed three runs and three hits with three walks in 2 2/3 innings against the Yankees. He surrendered 11 runs and walked nine batters in nine innings in his three starts following the All-Star break.

CLEVELAND – Nine Orioles minor league players and one coach are included on the Mesa Solar Sox roster in the Arizona Fall League, which begins Oct. 2.

The organization is sending pitchers Carter Baumler, Zack Peek, Trey McGough, Carlos Tavera and Peter Van Loon, catcher Connor Pavolony, infielders TT Bowens and Billy Cook, and outfielder John Rhodes to Mesa. Double-A Bowie pitching coach Forrest Herrmann is on the coaching staff.

MLB Pipeline ranks Rhodes as the organization’s No. 20 prospect, Baumler No. 22 and Cook No. 27.

Rhodes was the 76^th-overall pick in the 2021 draft who appeared in 108 games at Double-A Bowie this season and batted .228/.323/.422 with 22 doubles, three triples, 17 home runs and 69 RBIs in 108 games.

Baumler, a fifth-round pick in the 2020 draft, has undergone Tommy John and right shoulder surgeries. He appeared in seven games between the Florida Complex League and Single-A Delmarva and allowed six earned runs with nine walks and 21 strikeouts in 17 innings.