NEW YORK – Former major league reliever Andrew Miller visited the Orioles clubhouse this afternoon at Citi Field. He isn’t making a comeback. He was here on business with the players’ union.

Miller’s career with the Orioles was brief, a mere 23 games in the regular season in 2014 and five more in the playoffs that resulted in 7 1/3 scoreless innings. He’s a reminder of much better bullpen days with Miller, Zack Britton, Darren O’Day, Brad Brach and Tommy Hunter.

Craig Kimbrel spent a portion of his pregame this afternoon throwing in the 'pen, doing more tinkering with his delivery and hoping to figure out why he can’t regain a first-half form that made him an All-Star candidate.

“I think it’s a little bit mechanical, so he’s just out there trying to work on some things. And it sounds like it really went well,” said manager Brandon Hyde.

“With where we are with our bullpen here, we’re gonna need guys to step up, and we need him to, as well.”

NEW YORK – Austin Slater is leading off tonight at Citi Field and Eloy Jiménez is the designated hitter, as the Orioles go right-handed heavy with their lineup against the Mets.

Colton Cowser is in center field, one of three left-handers to avoid the bench, and Anthony Santander is in right.

Trevor Rogers is making his fourth start with the Orioles. He’s 0-2 with a 7.53 ERA and 1.884 WHIP in only 14 1/3 innings.

Overall, Rogers is 2-11 this season with a 4.89 ERA and 1.571 WHIP in 24 starts. He faced the Mets on July 21 and allowed one earned run and two total in 4 2/3 innings. He has a 3.35 ERA in nine career starts against them and a 2.73 ERA in six starts at Citi Field.

Pete Alonso is 3-for-20 with two home runs.

The Orioles honored Corbin Burnes on Friday with his own bobblehead night. He appreciated the gesture and took one home.

It just wasn’t anything new to him.

Teams have come up with the idea to doll up Burnes pretty much at every level after Little League.

“I’ve had a bunch of bobbleheads,” he said. “I had two or three in Milwaukee, I’ve had a couple in the minor leagues. My college (St. Mary’s of California) did one this year at the basketball game they had. I have quite a few Corbin Burnes bobbleheads in the office.”

Burnes isn’t a rabid collector, one hint being that he isn’t exactly sure of the number while pitching for the Brewers.

The first Red Sox batter to put a ball in play this afternoon lined it directly into Albert Suárez’s glove. It wasn’t a screamer at 64 mph. It was, however, a good indicator of what the Orioles were getting again from their rotation replacement.

Suárez would keep denying Boston’s hitters and he’d do so in his usual quiet fashion.

The Orioles’ offense was every bit as quiet again until Adley Rutschman, returning to the lineup after being scratched Friday, hit his first home run since July 19.

The former first-overall draft pick coming to the aid of the journeyman with seven years between major league appearances and eight between starts.

Suárez increased his career-high scoreless streak to 17 2/3 innings with six more today, Gunnar Henderson homered for the fourth time in five games, and the Orioles gained a split of the series with a 4-2 victory before an announced crowd of 27,104 at Camden Yards.

The Orioles elevated Eloy Jiménez to the cleanup spot for this afternoon’s series finale against the Red Sox.

Jarren Duran robbed Jiménez of a home run last night with a leaping catch at the center field fence in the ninth inning. Jiménez is 14-for-33 (.424) with the Orioles.

Adley Rutschman returns to the lineup after pinch-hitting last night. He began the past two games on the bench due to lower back discomfort.

Ryan O’Hearn is in right field and batting second. Anthony Santander isn’t in the lineup.

Gunnar Henderson, in the third slot again today, is batting .346 against fastballs this month compared to his .262 mark in July.

The Orioles recalled reliever Colin Selby this morning from Triple-A Norfolk as the replacement for Cade Povich, who was optioned following last night’s 5-1 loss to the Red Sox.

Selby was acquired from the Royals for cash considerations on July 11. He’s allowed six earned runs and seven total with 10 hits in nine innings.

Selby, 26, appeared in two games with the Royals this season and allowed two earned runs and three total in three innings. His last appearance was May 4 against the Rangers, which came after a scoreless inning the previous night. He posted a 9.00 ERA in 21 games (five starts) with the Pirates in 2023.

His last appearance with the Tides was Thursday. He didn't allow an earned run in four straight outings before surrendering three in two-thirds of an inning.

Povich’s latest stay in Baltimore was destined to be brief. He was charged with two earned runs last night in a career-high 6 1/3 innings and left to a standing ovation, but the Orioles recalled him only to make the one start and push back everyone else in the rotation.

The Orioles’ approach to fixing Craig Kimbrel isn’t working. A second reset hasn’t landed him back in the closer’s role. Fresh ideas aren’t in abundance.

Manager Brandon Hyde intends to keep going down the same lower-leverage path with Kimbrel and hope for improved results. He can’t avoid using the nine-time All-Star and play shorthanded in the bullpen. He can’t hold out for blowouts.

This is it.

Kimbrel had three scoreless outings in a row July 31-Aug. 6, but traffic in each appearance raised the possibility of further trouble ahead. It wasn’t a false reading. He entered a tie game in the eighth inning last Sunday at Tropicana Field and allowed the go-ahead run, pitched in the seventh inning on Friday with the Red Sox leading 8-6 and surrendered a two-run homer to David Hamilton and solo shot to Jarren Duran.

To his credit, Kimbrel is a pro who doesn’t duck the media and who offers an accurate assessment of his work. The scoreless streak didn’t fool him.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde was asked before tonight’s game whether rookie Cade Povich could stay in the rotation or perhaps move to the bullpen.

“I think we’ve got 40 games to go, and it’s 40 of day-to-day right now,” Hyde said. “Just kind of never know. And we’ve got rosters expanding. A lot of things can happen.”

A quick return to Triple-A Norfolk also was possible, or more like probable with no plans for a six-man setup. How much of the decision was really in the rookie’s hands?

The left one gave the Orioles lots to ponder.

Recalled earlier today to make his ninth major league start, Povich retired 15 of the first 17 batters and carried a shutout into the sixth inning before allowing a run. He lasted a career-high 6 1/3 in the Orioles’ 5-1 loss to the Red Sox before an announced crowd of 38,921 at Camden Yards.

Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman is trending in a direction that moves him further away from the injured list.

Rutschman was scratched from last night’s lineup with lower back discomfort that flared as he hit in the cage. He’s receiving treatment and remains on the active roster.

“He’s a little better,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “Hoping in the next day or two he can get back in there, and he should be available off the bench tonight, too, in a big spot. Definitely improved from last night. Back feels a little bit better.”

Triple-A Norfolk catcher Blake Hunt is at Camden Yards as the taxi squad catcher. The Orioles might have recalled him if Rutschman’s condition worsened.

“I think we were waiting to see what he was like today,” Hyde said. “If it went backward, I think that was definitely a possibility. That’s one position you can’t be short.  We felt like it was probably going to improve by this afternoon, and it has.”

The Orioles can move back into a first-place tie if they win tonight. The Yankees lost to the Tigers this afternoon 4-0 in Detroit.

Adley Rutschman is out of the lineup after being a late scratch last night with lower back discomfort.

Colton Cowser is leading off and playing left field. Anthony Santander is the designated hitter.

Ryan O’Hearn is in right field.

For the Orioles

The Orioles recalled left-hander Cade Povich, who was on their taxi squad, and he’s starting tonight against the Red Sox at Camden Yards. Manager Brandon  Hyde confirmed last night that Povich would get the ball.

Reliever Bryan Baker was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk as the corresponding move. That one was anticipated but not revealed until this afternoon.

Povich registered a 6.27 ERA and 1.688 WHIP in eight starts with the Orioles and is 6-1 with a 3.48 ERA and 1.107 WHIP in 15 games (14 starts) with Norfolk. He's averaging 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings with the Tides.

MLB Pipeline ranks Povich as the organization’s No. 5 prospect.

Albert Suárez is expected to be pushed back to Sunday. Hyde said yesterday that the club wanted to provide some extra rest for the rotation and downplayed the possibility of a six-man setup.

Orioles reliever Danny Coulombe is beyond the beginning stages of his throwing progression.

Coulombe smiles as he provides the latest update, which includes playing catch from 90 feet.

“I’ve been revving up my throwing,” he said yesterday. “I’m on track, so hopefully it just keeps going well. And as long as it keeps going well, we’ll keep going.”

Coulombe was shut down and underwent surgery on June 18 to remove bone chips from his left elbow. He knew that he hadn’t torn his ulnar collateral ligament again. The pain was in a different spot, but it cost the Orioles a top high-leverage reliever who held right-handers to a .130 average and .490 OPS and left-handers to a .171 average and .400 OPS.

The Orioles could have Coulombe increase the distance on his throwing. That’s how it usually works.

Corbin Burnes lost his catcher tonight shortly before the national anthem. He warmed and then paused while a member of the grounds crew ran onto the field with a rubber cleat cleaner and hammer, using spikes to secure it behind the mound. Burnes got the green light to pitch and surrendered multiple runs in the first inning for the only time in his 25 outings with the Orioles.

Typical wasn’t part of the game plan. Nothing around him seemed right.

A 20^th quality start would elude Burnes after Rafael Devers' two-run homer in the third. Two Red Sox batters already were halfway to the cycle. The Orioles were careening toward a loss on Burnes’ bobblehead night.

The heads nodded but also shook at the absurdity that unfolded at Camden Yards.

Burnes allowed a career-high eight runs and 10 hits in four innings, the tie provided to him unraveling in a flash, and the Red Sox hung on for a 12-10 victory before an announced crowd of 34,541.

The Orioles made a change to their lineup about 10 minutes before first pitch.

Adley Rutschman was scratched due to lower back discomfort. He was supposed to lead off for the third time this season.

Colton Cowser returns to the top spot against Red Sox left-hander Brennan Bernardino, an opener who is expected to be replaced by right-hander Cooper Criswell.

James McCann is batting ninth and catching Corbin Burnes, as he’s done in 10 starts.

Rutschman posted a .132 average in August but he’s batting .300 (12-for-40) this month.

Left-hander Cade Povich is with the Orioles and expected to start Saturday night against the Red Sox. He’s spending tonight on the taxi squad with no indication from the club that he’s staying beyond the weekend.

Manager Brandon Hyde explained in his media session that Povich “potentially” would join the active roster and pitch Saturday and Albert Súarez would get pushed back to Sunday. Trevor Rogers would start Monday night against the Mets at Citi Field.

No one in the rotation is being skipped and the long-term plan isn’t for a the same six-man rotation that the Orioles used down the stretch last year.

“Probably not,” Hyde said. “We’d like to give these guys as much of a break as possible. We’ll see what happens. But we feel like, especially Al, Al threw more than he’s ever thrown before the last start. We’re kind of getting in a spot in the schedule where a lot of guys are getting up there in innings and aren’t used to it, so anytime we can give a guy a break or an extra day or two, we’re going to.”

Suárez has offered back-to-back scoreless outings since replacing Grayson Rodriguez in the rotation. He threw 94 pitches on Sunday at Tropicana Field, and his 6 2/3 innings were a career high, exceeding the 6 1/3 he logged on June 7, 2016 with the Giants.

Adley Rutschman is leading off tonight against Red Sox left-hander Brennan Bernardino, who’s only made two starts among his 44 appearances and will serve as an opener.

Colton Cowser moves down to fifth in the order. Eloy Jiménez is the designated hitter.

Ramón Urías makes another start at third base.

Corbin Burnes makes his 25^th start for the Orioles. Nineteen of the first 24 are quality, and he’s gone 12-4 with a 2.71 ERA and 1.049 WHIP.

Burnes has made two starts against the Red Sox this year and held them to a combined two runs (one earned) and five hits in 14 innings. He’s faced them three times in his career and allowed five runs (three earned) and 10 hits in 19 innings.

Tracking Liván Soto with the Orioles is becoming a full-time job.

They claimed him twice on waivers and lost him twice. They traded for him at the deadline, optioned him immediately, recalled him Aug. 1 and optioned him the next day while selecting Coby Mayo’s contract, and recalled him again yesterday while optioning Mayo.

The circle of baseball life can make you dizzy.

Soto could stick around a while or just pass through town. Predicting his next move is a dangerous little game.

“It’s been a little difficult, but it’s part of the process and all I can do is learn from it, get mentally tougher, mentally strong and just learn from this experience and be ready to go,” he said yesterday via interpreter Brandon Quinones.

Zach Eflin made one mistake pitch, and it wasn’t egregious. Gunnar Henderson corrected it with one swing.

Henderson lined a two-run homer onto the flag court in right field in the fourth inning to give the Orioles a lead, Cedric Mullins padded it in the fifth, and Eflin registered another quality start with his new team in a 5-1 victory over the Red Sox before an announced crowd of 25,445 at Camden Yards.

The Orioles are 72-50 overall, 6-1 against the Red Sox and 20-35 when the opponent scores first. They moved into a first-place tie with the idle Yankees.

Eflin was removed after 87 pitches and only one run allowed in six innings with a season-high eight strikeouts. He’s made four starts since the Orioles traded for him and all are quality by definition, with six total runs allowed in 25 1/3 innings. The four wins in his first four Orioles starts without a relief appearance are a club record, breaking a tie with Kyle Gibson in 2023.

The 12 starts without a walk this season are most in the majors.

Jackson Holliday played in 10 games in his first stop in the majors before the Orioles sent him down. Coby Mayo made it to seven.

They hit .059, with Holliday going 2-for-34 and Mayo 1-for-17. The Orioles want to see other similarities.

Holliday was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk, hit a grand slam in his first game and homered five times in 10. He strung together three consecutive multi-hit games. The at-bats and the confidence were improved.

Now it’s Mayo’s turn after the Orioles optioned him early this afternoon and recalled infielder Liván Soto, who was batting .355/.412/.581 (11-for-31) in nine games.

Young prospects who return to the minors take with them valuable information and experience, Holliday, Colton Cowser and Grayson Rodriguez just a few of the examples.

Zach Eflin makes his fourth Orioles start tonight to kick off a four-game series against the Red Sox.

Eflin is 3-0 with a 2.33 ERA since joining the Orioles. He’s allowed five runs in 19 1/3 innings.

In his only start against the Red Sox this season, Eflin allowed three runs and six hits over five innings at Fenway Park. He’s faced them five times and gone 2-0 with a 6.00 ERA and 1.417 WHIP in 24 innings.

Rafael Devers is 6-for-13 with three doubles and two home runs against Eflin. Dominic Smith is 7-for-21 with four doubles.

Eflin and Kyle Gibson are the only Orioles to win their first three starts with their new team in their first three appearances, per STATS. Ben McDonald won his first five starts beginning July 21, 1990 after 12 relief appearances.