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.

Coby Mayo finally got his first major league hit last night. Today, he’s optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.

The Orioles announced the move this afternoon, which includes recalling Liván Soto from the Tides.

Mayo was 0-for-16 before lining a single into left field leading off the fifth inning. He also walked and scored a run in a 4-1 win over the Nationals at Camden Yards.

MLB Pipeline’s No. 10 prospect in baseball finished his first major league stint 1-for-17 with three walks and 10 strikeouts. His contract was selected Aug. 2 with the team in Cleveland, and he drew his first two walks in his debut.

Soto offers infield versatility with his ability to play three positions. The Orioles optioned him on the same day that Mayo arrived.

Anthony Santander sheepishly made his confession yesterday, pleading ignorant but doing so with a big smile.

Santander knew about setting the club record for home runs by a switch-hitter after belting his 36^th the previous night against the Nationals. Outfielder Ken Singleton held it since 1979.

“I was aware,” Santander said yesterday. “Just happy and proud to be able to reach that number and be on the top as a switch-hitter. That’s pretty special.”

What about the player that he passed?

Singleton spent the last 10 of his 15 major league seasons with the Orioles and finished third in Most Valuable Player voting in the American League in 1977 and second in ’79, when he batted .295/.405/.533 with 29 doubles, 35 homers and 111 RBIs in 159 games. He hit 182 homers with the Orioles and registered a .284 average and .388 on-base percentage. He also made three All-Star teams and earned a World Series ring in 1983, the last championship in Baltimore.

Gunnar Henderson raised the bat above his head and looked toward right field as if calling his shot after making contact. This was his reaction to a blast that used to be more common in the first half. A power pose that he’d like to bring back more frequently.

Henderson demolished a first-pitch four-seamer from DJ Herz in the opening inning, his 30^th home run landing on Eutaw Street and staking the Orioles to an early lead.

Coby Mayo lined a single into left field leading off the fifth and ditched his bat as quickly as possible. No time to admire his first major league hit. Bolt out of the box, reach first base and soak in the standing ovation.

Dean Kremer had his own moments tonight with six innings of one-run ball, and the Orioles gained a split of the series with a 4-1 win over the Nationals before an announced crowd of 26,479 at Camden Yards.

Yennier Cano, Cionel Pérez and Seranthony Domínguez combined for three scoreless and hitless innings, and the Orioles improved to 71-50. They remain a half-game behind the Yankees.

Much of today’s pregame talk with the Orioles centered on their bullpen and the gains made by injured relievers.

Jacob Webb said he’s experiencing improvement in his right elbow and is encouraged with his progress since his placement on the 15-day injured list with inflammation.

Webb will begin playing catch this weekend.

“I’m feeling good,” he said. “I feel like it’s getting there. It’s toned down, which is definitely helpful.”

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias referred to the discomfort over the weekend as the elbow “barking.”

Austin Slater is leading off and playing left field tonight and Coby Mayo is at third base against a left-handed opposing starter.

Eloy Jiménez is the designated hitter. Colton Cowser is in center field.

Jackson Holliday stays at second base and is batting ninth.

Dean Kremer has made two career starts against the Nationals and is 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA in 11 2/3 innings.

Kremer has held opponents to a .523 OPS his first time through the order, compared to .817 for the rest of the game.

The Orioles conclude their short series against the Nationals tonight trying for a split after going 5-5 on their road trip. They’ve followed a 12-13 July with a 5-6 August.

They can’t run away from the field and they haven’t surrendered huge chunks of real estate. Playing .500 ball might be good enough to host a playoff series.

No one is recommending mediocrity as a game plan. “Win as many as you lose for the Gipper” is an entirely different speech.  Also makes for a less inspiring movie.

Suggestions to simplify life for the Orioles come across as painfully obvious, but don’t let that stop us.

* Resolve the late relief.

The home clubhouse at Camden Yards had new lockers for four players who joined the Orioles on the road trip. Among them was left-hander Trevor Rogers, who made his first career start tonight in Baltimore.

Anthony Santander was in his usual spot in the back row and on the field. He’s become a constant. And now he’s a record holder.

Santander tied the game in the third inning with his 36^th home run, the most by an Orioles switch-hitter. Ken Singleton had 35 in 1979.

The Orioles went to the World Series that year. Santander is swinging the bat like he’s trying to carry his team deep into the postseason. But he’ll need some cooperation. The offense can’t keep shutting down. More outs are needed from the rotation. More trust must be earned in the bullpen.

Rogers was removed at 78 pitches after James Wood’s leadoff single in the sixth, with four runs and seven hits on his line. Bryan Baker let an inherited runner score and two of his own, and the Orioles lost to the Nationals 9-3 before an announced crowd of 28,058 at Camden Yards.

The off-day enabled the Orioles to freshen their bullpen heading into the Nationals series after left-hander Cionel Pérez worked back-to-back games at Tropicana Field following an earlier stretch in the month of four appearances in five days. Yennier Cano and Seranthony Domínguez weren’t available Sunday after pitching in the previous two games.

Craig Kimbrel and left-hander Gregory Soto are working under different conditions.

Kimbrel has appeared in three games this month, with four days’ rest before Sunday’s outing that resulted in the tie-breaking run scoring against him in the eighth inning. Soto has pitched four times – with his most recent outing on Thursday. He entered in the sixth inning in his first three games with the Orioles and twice surrendered four runs.

Manager Brandon Hyde can’t always avoid using multiple relievers in high-leverage situations. He’s got to find innings that get them back on track but also help the Orioles win.

“We’re going to need both of them, so I’m going to have to find a way,” he said. “Craig had that All-Star first half and when he had a little blip we found a way to kind of get him back rolling again. I’ve tried to do that again here the second half. I thought he threw better in Toronto. That inning looked more like him. The way we were in the ‘pen a couple days ago, wanted to give him that eighth inning and his command just wasn’t very good that day, unfortunately. So hopefully he can rebound from that. But we’re going to need him in the last two months big-time.”

Coby Mayo is out of the Orioles lineup for tonight’s series opener against the Nationals at Camden Yards.

Ramón Urías gets the start at third base. Ryan O’Hearn is serving as the designated hitter.

Colton Cowser is in left field, Cedric Mullins is in center and Anthony Santander is in right.

Left-hander Trevor Rogers is making his third start with the Orioles after allowing seven earned runs and eight total in 9 1/3 innings. He’s faced the Nationals twice this season with the Marlins and allowed five runs in 12 innings.

Rogers has made 10 career starts against Washington and posted a 3.35 ERA and 1.283 WHIP in 48 1/3 innings. He’s never allowed more than three earned runs.

The Orioles are home tonight for the first time since July 31, one day past the trade deadline. They split four games in Cleveland, lost two of three in Toronto and won two of three in St. Petersburg, Fla., though the finale made it appear much worse. Strange how that works. Win a series and eat and dress in a quiet clubhouse.

The roster has changed. The knack for handling adversity, whether injuries or performance based, is the same. Let’s see how far that goes.  

Let’s also hit the pause button again coming out of the off-day and collect some thoughts.

* The Craig Kimbrel reset lasted longer than expected.

It’s still happening.

What do my mailbag and mimosas have in common? They both can be bottomless.

Next question: Anyone surprised that I chose to use mimosas as a comparison? The options were plentiful.

I had some extras from the last mailbag, which led us to the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original.

Also, my leftovers stay fresh for days and yours change colors overnight.

Is Jackson Holliday here to stay forever?
In the majors? Yeah, he’s planted like a redwood. With the Orioles? Well, stay tuned.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Orioles bullpen couldn’t match the starting pitching today. Perhaps the bar was raised too high. Whatever the reason, the differences between the two were striking.

Albert Suárez didn’t allow a run in a career-high 6 2/3 innings, but Cionel Pérez lost a 1-0 lead in rapid fashion. Pinch-hitters José Caballero and Dylan Carlson had a double and single, respectively, to level the score. The sequence lasted three pitches.

Used again in a non-save situation, Craig Kimbrel walked three batters in the eighth – one of them intentionally – the Rays stole four bases, and Curtis Mead lifted a sacrifice fly to hand the Orioles a 2-1 loss before an announced crowd of 16,848 at Tropicana Field.

Brandon Lowe, Christopher Morel and Josh Lowe walked, the last intentionally, before Mead flied to right field and the Orioles failed to complete the sweep. They fell to 70-49 overall, 8-2 against the Rays and 6-1 in St. Petersburg.

They went 5-5 on a road trip that began in Cleveland. And they're back in a first-place tie with the Yankees.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Orioles infielder Jorge Mateo remains with the club on its road trip that concludes today. He’s on the 60-day injured list with a left elbow subluxation.

Mateo hasn’t undergone surgery at this point. He’s got another medical appointment that the club says will determine the plan.

Mateo wears a brace on his arm occasionally and is allowed to remove it.

The Orioles go for another Tropicana Field sweep this afternoon with Coby Mayo making his first start in his home state.

Mayo is 0-for-13 with two walks and eight strikeouts since his promotion.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The number of injuries to hit the Orioles this season has reached a point where yesterday’s media session with executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias came across as largely positive.

Grayson Rodriguez should return to the rotation in the later portion of September after his diagnosis of a mild strain of the teres major muscle – or the shoulder region. It isn’t identical to the 2022 lat/teres strain that cost him exactly three months at Triple-A Norfolk.

Three months with the Orioles in 2024 would have kept him from pitching until next year.

That’s positive news. It’s certainly above the worst-case scenario that we braced for earlier in the afternoon.

The challenge now is stay in the division race with projected starters Rodriguez, Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells missing from the rotation. Only Rodriguez is able to return and it’s gonna be a while with a minimum 10-day shutdown period and a re-imaging of the shoulder in about three weeks.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde knew that the Rays would use right-hander Drew Rasmussen as an opener tonight and left-hander Tyler Alexander was prepped to follow. He knows that ace Corbin Burnes gives his club a chance to win anytime the four-time All-Star is on the mound.

What couldn’t be predicted was the manner in which the rest of the game played out. How Ramón Urías, the ninth hitter in the lineup, would impact it.

The fifth inning bit Burnes again but he registered his 19^th quality start and the Orioles carried a slim lead into the seventh, where it disappeared on José Caballero’s game-tying home run off Burch Smith. Perhaps a situation fitted for Jacob Webb if he didn’t land on the injured list.

Jackson Holliday, who hit his first left-on-left homer in the majors earlier in the game, drew a leadoff walk against lefty Colin Poche in the eighth, Hyde stuck with Urías rather than going to his bench, and the infielder rewarded him with a two-run homer in the Orioles’ 7-5 win over the Rays before an announced crowd of 23,898 at Tropicana Field.

The Yankees split their doubleheader with the Rangers, leaving the Orioles (70-48) one game ahead in the division race. They’re the first team to 70 wins.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Grayson Rodriguez will be shut down for at least 10 days and undergo more imaging on his right shoulder in about three weeks after receiving the diagnosis of a strain that executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias described today as “pretty mild.”

Elias met with local media in the visiting dugout at Tropicana Field and provided an update on Rodriguez, who’s the No. 2 starter in the rotation with a 13-4 record, 3.86 ERA and 1.243 WHIP in 20 games.

Rodriguez was scratched from Tuesday night’s start in Toronto after experiencing discomfort in his right lat/teres while warming in the outfield. Albert Suárez replaced him and tossed five scoreless innings.

The immediate concern centered on the possibility of a similar absence to 2022 with Triple-A Norfolk. Rodriguez missed three months with a lat/teres strain, ruining the Orioles’ plans to promote him.

His current injury isn’t as serious and he’s expected back in the rotation by late September. The discomfort is centered more in the region of the teres major muscle but also involves his lat.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Coby Mayo is out of the Orioles’ lineup again tonight for the third consecutive game.

Austin Slater is in right field. Jackson Holliday moves down to eighth in the order.

Anthony Santander is the designated hitter. Colton Cowser, who had some wrist soreness last night, remains in left field and atop the order.

Corbin Burnes has made 23 starts and gone 12-4 with a 2.63 ERA and 1.058 WHIP in 143 2/3 innings. He has 18 quality starts but allowed a season-high five runs (four earned) in five innings in his most recent outing in Cleveland.

Burnes made his first career start against the Rays on June 10 at Tropicana Field and allowed two unearned runs in seven innings.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Coral Springs native Coby Mayo received only six ticket requests for his first major league game in his home state. His parents, two brothers and some friends comprised his most intimate cheering section last night.

They didn’t get to watch him play.

Mayo sat for the second straight game, but tonight offers the possibility of his fifth start and sixth appearance.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde won’t bury Mayo on the bench and he won’t write the rookie’s name on every lineup card. Hyde is searching for favorable matchups at the plate and third base.

Mayo is searching for his first hit. He’s 0-for-13 with two walks, both in his debut in Cleveland – and eight strikeouts. He’s simply the latest highly-rated prospect in the organization to make an entrance and stumble. Some of them figure it out without going back down and others, like Jackson Holliday this year and Colton Cowser in 2023, need a reset.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Zach Eflin didn’t receive a prolonged ovation as he walked out of the visiting dugout tonight at Tropicana Field. Rays fans didn’t get sentimental. They didn’t blow the roof off the joint in tribute to the guy they used to cheer. All they had to offer was a smattering of boos and then silence.

Eflin preferred to keep them quiet anyway, tossing seven shutout innings in the Orioles’ 4-1 victory over the Rays before an announced crowd of 20,673 inflated by a “flappy boi” zip-up hoodie giveaway.

The veteran right-hander was stingy, with only four hits allowed, one walk and seven strikeouts that tied his season high. He’s made three starts with the Orioles and they’ve been quality, with a combined five runs in 19 1/3 innings.

His seven innings tonight also matched his season high.

"That’s so good right there," said manager Brandon Hyde. "A little extra motivation pitching against a team that you were just with, and he’s made three outstanding starts for us. That was textbook pitching. He was ahead in the count, great sinker-cutter, changeup. He just really knows how to pitch and he was locating well all night."