OAKLAND – An analytics department that’s grown exponentially since the Orioles revamped their front office, and the entire operation, following the 2018 season can’t measure every aspect of a young player. What’s inside isn’t as easy to decipher, dissect and quantify as the tools. Advanced data and modernized techniques – gasp - have their limits.

This is where the Orioles fall back on more traditional methods to grade makeup. To determine the right fits and find potential red flags.

A sport that keeps evolving, to the chagrin of many traditionalists, hasn’t dismissed all of the old school ways.

The organization is proud of the high-character young players woven through each level. How they blend, how the veterans with spotless clubhouse reputations accept and embrace.

What’s the vetting process when setting up the draft board, looking beyond skill sets and projections for physical growth?

SAN DIEGO – No team is going to keep an Opening Day roster intact for 162 games. The first month is dicey. The first half is virtually impossible.

The Orioles have used 47 players this season and are 121 games into their schedule. They are expected to reinstate left-hander John Means from the 60-day injured list next month. They’d likely provide major league debuts to a few more prospects under different circumstances, but expanded rosters capped at 28 players and the improved depth make it much harder.

Means, catcher James McCann and relievers Mychal Givens and Dillon Tate began the season on the injured list. McCann is the only one on the active roster. Givens is out of the organization after the Orioles designated him for assignment this week.

Givens is expected to become a free agent. The reunion lasted six games before its cancellation.

Tate hasn’t thrown a pitch for the Orioles since Oct. 5, 2022 against the Blue Jays, when he allowed two runs and walked three batters in two-thirds of an inning. He was pulled from his injury rehab assignment after a June 21 appearance with Triple-A Norfolk, his 13^th game overall among three affiliates.

SAN DIEGO – Be careful with the soft spots in the schedule.

The footing can get slippery.

The Orioles are playing teams below .500 in four out of the next five series, beginning with the Padres and including a trip to Oakland. A reprieve on paper. A trap on the field the past two nights.

Left-hander Blake Snell held the Orioles to two runs over six innings, the bullpen was sturdy, and the Padres won again 5-2 before an announced sellout crowd of 42,318 at Petco Park.

The Orioles have gone 3-3 on their West Coast excursion, and their lead over the second-place Rays is down to two games going into the off-day.

SAN DIEGO – The Orioles are keeping their rotation in line for the series in Oakland that begins Friday night.

Kyle Gibson starts the opening game, followed by Cole Irvin and Kyle Bradish. The six-man arrangement isn't changing.

The club didn’t make a roster move today to bring in a fresh bullpen arm. The off-day on Thursday influenced its decision after Jack Flaherty worked only three innings last night and Nick Vespi threw 34 pitches in two innings.

"It's always helpful," said manager Brandon Hyde. "We're not in great shape, but if worse comes to worse, probably could throw a couple guys that I normally wouldn't throw."

Outfielder Aaron Hicks is out of the lineup again due to back soreness. He might be available off the bench.

SAN DIEGO – Aaron Hicks is out of tonight’s lineup as the Orioles attempt to win their 24^th series.

Hicks didn’t play last night after leaving Monday’s game with back soreness.

Adley Rutschman is serving as the designated hitter. Gunnar Henderson is the cleanup hitter and third baseman. Jordan Westburg is playing second base.

Austin Hays is in left field. Hays homered last night in the ninth inning but is batting .192 since the break.

Ryan Mountcastle has reached base in 22 consecutive games, the longest Orioles streak since Trey Mancini’s 23 from Sept. 5, 2019 to April 2, 2021, and the longest in a single season since Mancini reached in the last 22 games in 2019.

SAN DIEGO – Orioles reliever Jacob Webb achieved two milestones yesterday.

Webb turned 30-years-old, and he reached three years of major league service time. Both round and crooked numbers that made him smile.

“It’s a little bit more special today,” he said. “Kind of a cool little birthday present.”

Webb has been an unexpected gift for the Orioles, getting crucial outs since his arrival a week ago.

Claimed on waivers from the Angels, Webb has appeared in four games and tossed four scoreless innings with only an infield single, one walk and six strikeouts. He set a club record by striking out his first five batters.

SAN DIEGO – Jack Flaherty recorded the last out in the first inning tonight, glanced twice at plate umpire Laz Diaz on his way to the dugout and didn’t break stride.

Diaz didn’t check Flaherty’s hands for a sticky substance until the Orioles were done batting in the top of the second. After Gary Sánchez hit a grand slam as part of a five-run outburst. After Flaherty walked three consecutive batters and threw 34 pitches.  

The Orioles didn’t hold any advantages tonight.

Diaz forgot to do it or yielded to the absurdity.  

Flaherty couldn’t find his command early in his third start since the trade deadline, and the Padres evened the series with a 10-3 victory at Petco Park.

SAN DIEG0 - Orioles outfielder Aaron Hicks returned to the club yesterday after injuring his left hamstring, started in left and exited in the eighth inning with discomfort in his back.

Hicks singled twice but didn’t appear to be running at full speed.

Austin Hays replaced Hicks last night and is starting in left tonight.

“He feels better today,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “Just came out with some back soreness. I don’t know if it was maybe just a little more intensity in these types of games, or maybe locked up on him a little bit. But feels much better today.”

Hicks played two games on his rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk. He hadn’t appeared with the Orioles since July 24 in Philadelphia.

SAN DIEGO – Aaron Hicks is out of the Orioles lineup tonight after returning from the injured list yesterday and collecting two singles.

Austin Hays replaced Hicks in left field in the eighth inning, and he’s batting seventh tonight.

Ryan O’Hearn hit his 10^th home run last night and stays in the cleanup spot. Ryan Mountcastle is the designated hitter.

Cedric Mullins is batting sixth. Adam Frazier is starting at second base and Ramón Urías is at third.

Jack Flaherty is making his third start with the Orioles after allowing four runs with 16 strikeouts in 11 innings. He’s 2-0 with a 2.01 ERA in four career starts against the Padres.

SAN DIEGO – Manny Machado dug in against Orioles closer Félix Bautista last night with two Padres on base and one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, back-to-back walks allowing him to represent the potential tying run. Machado took a 101.2 mph fastball out of the strike zone, missed a 100.4 mph fastball, offered at a splitter and grounded it to third baseman Ramón Urías for the game-ending double play.

One team moved a season-high 29 games above .500. The other kept spiraling downward.

The Orioles hadn’t played the Padres since 2019, a year after former executive Dan Duquette began the complete teardown of the club by trading Machado to the Dodgers for five players, including starter Dean Kremer.

Closer Zack Britton was gone a week later, followed by relievers Brad Brach and Darren O’Day, starter Kevin Gausman and second baseman Jonathan Schoop.  

The competitive window slammed shut, and the only sounds left were goodbyes and some tears.

SAN DIEGO – Juan Soto swung the bat with every ounce of strength in his body, almost jumping out of his spikes, and let his momentum carry toward the Padres dugout before regaining his balance. Stumbling out of the box as Grayson Rodriguez’s third strikeout victim. His feet having a mind of their own.

Manny Machado followed with a towering popup and threw back his head in frustration.

Rodriguez was controlling the Padres tonight as if holding a joystick rather than a baseball.

Rodriguez lasted a career-high seven innings, Gunnar Henderson plated three runs with a bases-loaded double in the fifth and the Orioles defeated the Padres 4-1 before an announced crowd of 38,176 at Petco Park.

Ryan O’Hearn homered off Yu Darvish in the second inning, and the Orioles won their third game in a row to improve their record to 74-45 overall, 37-23 on the road and 26-13 in series openers. They also are 44-11 when scoring first, the best record in the majors.

SAN DIEGO – Outfielder Colton Cowser is taking his turn at a minor league reset.

The Orioles optioned Cowser today after he went 7-for-61, creating a spot for Aaron Hicks’ return to the active roster.

“We talked a lot about that with certain guys this year, about how it’s not always a terrible thing to have a guy come up here and experience what major league pitching’s like and what big league life is like,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “Understand how to go through some adjustments when you go back down to Triple-A. It’s like, we saw Grayson (Rodriguez) do that earlier this year, he came back a different guy.

“Colton’s going to be a really good major league player. Got off to a pretty good start, and then he just kind of got caught in between a little bit in his at-bats. I just want him to go down there and free his mind up. Kind of reset a little bit, relax and breathe and go take some at-bats, and don’t worry about trying to produce up here. And maybe we’ll see him soon.”

Hyde noticed that the league got a little more aggressive early in the zone, and Cowser wasn’t able to adjust to it.

SAN DIEGO – Aaron Hicks is starting in left field and batting eighth tonight after his reinstatement from the injured list earlier today.

Cedric Mullins is in center field and batting sixth. Austin Hays sits against Padres right-hander Yu Darvish.

Adley Rutschman stays in the leadoff spot, followed by shortstop Gunnar Henderson.

Jordan Westburg is playing second base and batting ninth.

Ryan Mountcastle, the designated hitter tonight, is slashing .418/.488/.672 with four home runs and 13 RBIs during his 20-game on-base streak.

SAN DIEGO – The Orioles made the anticipated outfield switch today, reinstating Aaron Hicks from the 10-day injured list and optioning rookie Colton Cowser to Triple-A Norfolk.

Hicks strained his left hamstring July 24 while diving for a fly ball in Philadelphia – incorrectly ruled a catch – and returns after two rehab games with Norfolk.

Cowser is 7-for-61 with two doubles, four RBIs, 13 walks, 22 strikeouts and 15 runs scored in 26 games.

Cedric Mullins returned over the weekend in Seattle and won yesterday’s game by robbing Ty France of a home run in the bottom of the ninth inning and delivering a two-run shot in the top of the 10^th. His return cost Ryan McKenna a spot on the roster.

Mullins became the first player to rob a home run and hit one in the ninth inning or later of the same game over the last 10 seasons, per ESPN Stats & Info.

SAN DIEGO – Be truthful and admit if a sense of panic or doubt began to creep in after the Orioles lost two of three games to the Astros at home and the opener in Seattle. And when the teams were scoreless Saturday heading to the top of the 10^th inning at T-Mobile Park.

The retractable sky was falling.

The Mariners won eight in a row and 13 of 15. No one was hotter. But the Orioles prevailed 1-0 in 10 innings and followed yesterday by breaking a 2-2 tie in the top of the ninth, surrendering the tying run with two outs in the bottom half on Dominic Canzone’s homer off Mike Baumann, and responding with a two-run shot from Cedric Mullins in the 10^th to claim their 23rd series.

Mullins took a home run away from Ty France with a remarkable catch right before Canzone’s blast, then pulled a fastball into right field seats for his first homer since July 14, due to a second trip to the injured list.

Félix Bautista wasn’t available after working two innings Saturday. Baumann couldn’t secure his first major league save, but Shintaro Fujinami did. He didn’t have one in Japan, either.

Last night’s 1-0, 10-inning win in Seattle guaranteed that the Orioles wouldn’t be swept in 77 consecutive series.

The Orioles ended the Mariners’ winning streak at eight games. A victory today would seal their 23^rd series.

Cedric Mullins is on the bench today, with Austin Hays playing center field and Ryan O’Hearn in left.

Jordan Westburg is the third baseman and Gunnar Henderson is at shortstop. Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter.

Ryan Mountcastle had a go-ahead RBI single last night in the 10^th and has reached base in a career-high 19 games in a row. He’s batting fifth and playing first base.

Recaps of the 2023 season should include mention of two Orioles who fell off the major league landscape.

Outfielder Kyle Stowers and infielder Terrin Vavra broke camp with the team. Made the Opening Day roster. Figured to be key contributors as extras coming off the bench.

Stowers was assumed to be lined up for extensive at-bats based on his prospect status and a designated hitter spot that unclogged. Put him in the outfield, use him at DH to keep his bat in the lineup.

Well, Stowers had two stints with the club, went 2-for-30 with 12 strikeouts and hasn’t played for them since May 14. He was batting .243/.370/.493 in 46 games with Triple-A Norfolk before last night, with six doubles, a triple, 10 home runs, 33 RBIs, 29 walks and 46 strikeouts in 189 plate appearances.

Right shoulder inflammation forced Stowers on the injured list May 23 and he didn’t begin an injury rehab assignment until June 29 in the Florida Complex League. He played four games with High-A Aberdeen and returned to Norfolk July 14.

The Orioles will attempt to rebound from last night’s 9-2 loss, their third in the last four games, by sending left-hander Cole Irvin to the mound for his first start since July 7 in Minnesota.

Irvin has made six relief appearances in a row. He’s inserted into a rotation now designed to provide more rest for the younger starters.

Irvin is 0-6 with an 8.42 ERA and 2.065 WHIP in six career games against the Mariners. He’s allowed 24 earned runs and 25 total with 41 hits in 25 2/3 innings.

Cedric Mullins is batting second tonight behind catcher Adley Rutschman. Gunnar Henderson is on the bench.

Ryan Mountcastle is the cleanup hitter, bumping first baseman Ryan O’Hearn to fifth. Mountcastle’s hitting streak ended last night at 12 games, but he’s reached base in 18 straight to set a career high.

As the Orioles monitor innings and workloads, they also formulate plans for pitchers on injury rehab assignments or resets in the minors.

Tyler Wells falls into the latter category, after the Orioles optioned him to Double-A Bowie on July 30. He isn’t hurt but easily can be mistaken for a rehab guy because he’s off the major league roster and his appearances are spread out to provide more rest.

Wells tossed 3 1/3 innings with Double-A Bowie last Saturday and allowed one run and two hits. He’s starting again tonight in Richmond, and his pitch count will be extended at least slightly “to keep him ready,” said manager Brandon Hyde.

Hyde exchanged text messages with Wells Thursday morning.

“He feels really good,” Hyde said. “I think this break was huge for him. … He’s doing a lot of mechanical work, backing off this throwing, things like that. Hopefully, he’s a big part of our team down the stretch.”

The Orioles are in Seattle tonight to begin their three-city West Coast road trip, and they’re trying to cool off a Mariners team that’s won seven games in a row and 12 of 14.

Cedric Mullins came off the injured list today and is playing center field, but manager Brandon Hyde is batting him fifth behind right fielder Ryan O’Hearn. Mullins is slotted fifth for the fifth time this season.

Adley Rutschman holds onto the leadoff spot, with shortstop Gunnar Henderson batting second.

Colton Cowser is in left field. Adam Frazier returns to Seattle and is starting at second base.

Ryan Mountcastle will attempt to extend his hitting streak to 13 games and his on-base streak to a career-high 18. He’s batting sixth and playing first base.