While the Orioles opened a three-game series last night in Detroit on the backend of their two-city road trip, I returned home from St. Louis, checked the top of my head, ignored the gel and jotted down a few observations.

Jorge López is the closer, but Félix Bautista is the trusted backup

López rejoined the team yesterday in Detroit after three days on the bereavement list. In his absence, Bautista recorded two saves in the St. Louis series and fired nine fastballs Thursday afternoon in triple digits. A few others were clocked at 99 mph.

Bautista is a rookie who turns 27 next month and came to the organization as a free-agent signing in August 2016, one year after the Marlins released him. He made 11 appearances at Single-A Aberdeen last summer, reached two other levels in the system and landed on the 40-man roster to protect him in a Rule 5 draft that never materialized due to the lockout.

A high walk rate raised some red flags. Bautista figured to go back to Triple-A Norfolk and sharpen his command, but the Orioles broke camp with him and now he’s pitching in high leverage situations.

The Orioles are down another position player with Ryan Mountcastle going on the 10-day injured list this afternoon with a left wrist/forearm strain. The move is retroactive to Wednesday.

Reliever Jorge López has been reinstated from the bereavement list after missing the three-game series in St. Louis, giving the club a much-needed fresh arm.

Mountcastle was scratched from Wednesday’s lineup and unavailable to play yesterday. He’s batting .268/.299/.402 with three doubles, four home runs and 16 RBIs in 117 plate appearances.

Tonight’s lineup in Detroit doesn’t include outfielder Austin Hays, who sustained lacerations on the back of his left hand yesterday after Cardinals reliever Genesis Cabrera cleated him. Chris Owings is playing left field.

Ramón Urías also is on the bench again. He was scratched from Tuesday’s lineup with abdominal discomfort, but so far has avoided the injured list.

ST. LOUIS - Richie Martin is used to waiting.

Through the injury rehab process. While on the Triple-A roster. And now, as a member of the Orioles taxi squad on the current road trip.

The Orioles decided against selecting Martin’s contract yesterday, choosing to recall Rylan Bannon and giving him the start at third base. Martin boarded the charter to Detroit following a 3-2 win over the Cardinals, unsure if he’d appear in his first major league game since Oct. 3, 2021 or eventually return to the Norfolk Tides.

The only information coming to Martin was the 12:30 a.m. phone call Wednesday morning instructing him to join the Orioles in St. Louis, where he’d be placed on the taxi squad. Something about a few injury concerns, but nothing else.

Infielder Ramón Urías and first baseman Ryan Mountcastle were day-to-day and a three-man bench was down to one healthy player. They expanded it to four yesterday and still only had catcher Robinson Chirinos available.

ST. LOUIS – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said the club needs to find out about its players on the 40-man roster, part of a 2022 itinerary that also includes development in the farm system, prospect promotions and trying to win games and move closer to competitive status.

There’s some serious multi-tasking happening from top to bottom in the organization, with plenty of hands trying to keep it balanced.

Rylan Bannon earned his first major league promotion and start this afternoon, one of those guys the club wants to get its eyes on, and the moment wasn’t too big for him.

Bannon made a diving backhand stop along the third base line and threw out Nolan Arenado to end the first inning. He lined a single into left field on the first pitch thrown to him in the second following Jorge Mateo’s home run.

A bullpen game for the Orioles to close out the series produced an unlikely result, Bannon’s favorable first impression one highlight in a 3-2 victory over the Cardinals.

ST. LOUIS - The Orioles made multiple adjustments to their health-challenged roster this morning, with Rylan Bannon recalled from Triple-A Norfolk and given his first start in the series finale against the Cardinals.

Bannon is playing third base in his major league debut. He joined the taxi squad yesterday.

Left-hander Paul Fry was optioned to Norfolk.

Ryan Mountcastle and Ramón Urías are day-to-day with a sore wrist and abdomen, respectively. Urías said this morning that he felt better, but “not great, great.”

“Urías and Mountcastle both trending better, still not available today,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “Hopefully, they’ll be available off the bench, but not sure. They’re still getting treatment right now. We felt like we needed an extra body.”

ST. LOUIS – Bryan Baker makes his first career start in the majors as the Orioles commit to a bullpen game to close out their series against the Cardinals.

Baker has made 12 relief appearances, including 11 this season with the Orioles. He’s allowed six runs and 11 hits with 11 strikeouts in 10 innings in 2022.

Baker started 13 times in 174 minor league games.

Manager Brandon Hyde hasn’t used Baker for more than 1 2/3 innings or 24 pitches. Left-hander Keegan Akin could provide bulk innings behind him.

Baker’s last appearance was May 5.

ST. LOUIS – The moment has arrived when the Orioles must announce their starting pitcher for today’s game and determine whether Ryan Mountcastle or Ramón Urías is available to play. And if not, whether they want to close out their series with a one-man bench, this time catcher Robinson Chirinos, who started last night.

By “moment,” of course, I’m referring to later today. They won’t do anything at this ungodly hour.

Keegan Akin could be pried from the relief role he’s thriving in or work in bulk behind a short-inning guy. Akin hasn’t pitched since the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader.

Marcos Diplán and Denyi Reyes are on the taxi squad.

The Orioles reached their maximum of five players for the taxi squad with infielders Rylan Bannon and Richie Martin arriving yesterday from Triple-A Norfolk.

ST. LOUIS – The Orioles know how easily momentum in baseball can be lost. How it’s defined as the next day’s starting pitcher.

Injuries also can wreck it. They're like black ice for a team attempting to speed toward respectability.

A recent surge left the Orioles only four games below .500 heading into tonight, where they ran into Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas after scratching another player from their lineup.

It proved to be too much for them.

The Cardinals packed a home run and three doubles into the second inning against Spenser Watkins, piled on in the fourth and led throughout in a 10-1 win over the Orioles at Busch Stadium.

ST. LOUIS - The Orioles apparently will avoid making a roster move prior to tonight’s game, but they might not have a choice by the 12:15 p.m. CST series finale.

Ryan Mountcastle was scratched from the lineup due to soreness in his left wrist. Ramón Urías remains day-to-day with some discomfort in his abdomen, leaving catcher Anthony Bemboom as the only healthy reserve on the Orioles’ three-man bench.

The original lineup included Mountcastle as the designated hitter. He made a brief appearance in one of the doorways in the visiting clubhouse during media access and had his wrist taped.

“Ramón’s feeling better,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “They’re still doing some rehab, some tests on it right now, but he is feeling better today, so that’s a good sign.

“Mounty’s been dealing with a sore wrist the last few days, just kind of battling through it. Woke up with it a little bit more sore today, so out of precaution took him out of the lineup. Trying to get that to feel better, and hopefully he’s ready in the next day or two.”

ST. LOUIS – Ramón Urías is out of the Orioles lineup for tonight’s game against the Cardinals.

Urías was a late scratch last night due to discomfort in his abdomen, which he noticed in batting practice.

Chris Owings is the shortstop, with Rougned Odor at second base and Tyler Nevin at third.

Jorge Mateo also is on the bench.

Cedric Mullins recorded his 100^th career RBI last night and had a season-high four hits. He has three home runs in his last six games and six extra-base hits in his last seven.

ST. LOUIS - Getting seven innings last night from rookie Kyle Bradish kept manager Brandon Hyde from tearing through his bullpen. A three-run lead made it necessary to consider closer options with Jorge López on the bereavement list.

Dillon Tate took the ball in the ninth, confirming that he was the first choice – as Hyde indicated in the dugout during batting practice. Félix Bautista inherited a bit of a mess with two runners on base, two outs and the Orioles clinging to a 5-3 lead.

Bautista struck out Tyler O’Neill for his first major league save in his first opportunity.

It probably won’t be his last.

Bautista will get more chances as Hyde’s confidence in him increases. Bautista has allowed three runs in 12 2/3 innings, struck out 16 batters and surrendered only one home run.

ST. LOUIS – Temperatures in the 90s, an unexpected change to the lineup, and umpire Ángel Hernández calling balls and strikes.

This wasn’t the sweetest welcome for a team that went 19 years between visits to St. Louis, but the Orioles sure made the best of it.

Kyle Bradish struck out 11 batters over seven innings in his third major league start, Cedric Mullins and Tyler Nevin hit home runs, and the Orioles hung on to defeat the Cardinals 5-3 in their first game at the newest Busch Stadium.

Bradish carried a shutout into the sixth before Harrison Bader’s two-run inside-the-park homer. He earned his first major league win.

Brendan Donovan began the ninth with a home run off Dillon Tate and two more batters reached, but Félix Bautista struck out Tyler O'Neill for his first major league save and the Orioles improved to 13-17. They’ve won three in a row, five of six and seven of 10.

ST. LOUIS – Ramón Urías has been scratched from tonight’s lineup for an undisclosed reason. The Orioles will provide more information later.

Urías was supposed to bat sixth and play second base. Chris Owings has left a three-man bench to replace him.

Here’s the new lineup:

Cedric Mullins CF
Trey Mancini DH
Anthony Santander LF
Austin Hays RF
Ryan Mountcastle 1B
Tyler Nevin 3B
Jorge Mateo SS
Robinson Chirinos C
Chris Owings 2B

Kyle Bradish RHP

ST. LOUIS – Austin Hays remains the cleanup hitter and is playing right field tonight at Busch Stadium, where the Orioles open a three-game series against the Cardinals.

Per Orioles public relations, Hays ranks among major league leaders in the following categories since April 15:

* Tied for first in hits with 32
* Second in batting average at .386
* Fourth in OPS at 1.037
* Tied for fourth in total bases with 49
* Tied for fourth in on-base percentage at .447
* Tied for fifth in doubles with eight
* Seventh in slugging percentage at .590

Anthony Santander is in left field tonight.

Ramón Urías is the second baseman and Tyler Nevin is starting at third.

ST. LOUIS – Travis Lakins Sr. is back in the Orioles bullpen for their series against the Cardinals that begins tonight at Busch Stadium.

Reliever Jorge López has been placed on the bereavement list this afternoon due to the death of his grandfather. Lakins was on the taxi squad.

The Orioles optioned Lakins after Thursday’s game to create a roster spot for left-hander Logan Allen but kept him in Baltimore as the 27^th man for Sunday’s doubleheader.

López is allowed to be away from the team for three to seven games. The Orioles travel to Detroit after Thursday’s series finale against the Royals.

Lakins hasn’t pitched since May 1 against the Red Sox, when he tossed two scoreless innings, returned for the ninth and served up his second grand slam of the season.

The Orioles finally made it to St. Louis.

The charter wasn’t delayed, as far as I know. I’m referring to how they haven’t traveled there since 2003 and are getting their first look at New Busch Stadium, which opened three years later.

Games in April 2020 were canceled due to the pandemic, which led to regional travel and a missed opportunity.

Better much later than never.

Manager Brandon Hyde has experienced plenty of baseball in St. Louis while a coach on the Cubs staff. He enjoys the atmosphere and has described it to his players.

The Orioles have reached the end of their homestand. A makeup game today against the Royals, followed by their flight to St. Louis.

Tyler Nevin is starting at third base after playing right field yesterday in Game 2.

Trey Mancini is the first baseman and Ryan Mountcastle is the designated hitter.

Anthony Bemboom is catching.

Cedric Mullins is 13-for-36 (.361) with five doubles and two home runs during an eight-game hitting streak.

The Orioles were supposed to be off today, but Saturday’s rainout has forced a noon game onto their schedule.

I’m off anyway, but only when it comes to ballpark duty. The mailbag is filling up. I can’t ignore it any longer.

Time to take a letter dump.

You ask, I answer, etc. This is the latest sequel to the original. And as you know, sequels usually disappoint.

I’ll try my best to slow the trend.

The Orioles played two games today in first-pitch temperatures of 51 and 57 degrees.

They also heated up.

A disappointing, defense-deficient loss in the opener was followed by a 4-2 victory over the Royals before an announced doubleheader crowd of 19,893 at Camden Yards, with left-hander Bruce Zimmermann notching his second quality start.

The Orioles improved to 11-17 by winning for the third time in four games. They wrap up the series at noon tomorrow, their third game in 24 hours.

Zimmermann allowed two runs and five hits in six innings, with no walks and five strikeouts. He retired 14 of 16 batters before Salvador Perez doubled in the sixth and scored on Hunter Dozier’s single.

The left field wall can’t keep every baseball in front of it. The Orioles have cleared it a few times in defiance of the new measurements, but there are more denials than dugout celebrations.

Ryan Mountcastle thought he hit a game-tying, two-run homer off Kansas City’s Zack Greinke in the fifth inning of the opening game of today's doubleheader, but umpires held him at second base with a run-scoring double. The Orioles lost the challenge, took the lead, lost it and fell to the Royals 6-4 in Game 1 at Camden Yards.

Rougned Odor was a hero in the seventh with his go-ahead, two-run double, but he committed an error with two outs in the ninth by failing to backhand Nicky Lopez’s grounder, Jorge López threw the ball into right field on a pickoff attempt and Michael A. Taylor singled to left.

A dramatic swing in the game and Odor’s afternoon.

Cionel Pérez allowed back-to-back singles, with Salvador Perez bringing home Taylor with an insurance run.