After a 4-1 win Monday night and a 10-3 loss on Tuesday, the Orioles wrap up their series at San Diego tonight. The winner this evening will take this series.

The Orioles (74-46) ended play Tuesday three games ahead of Tampa Bay for the American League East lead.

The O's are 10-6 in rubber-match games. Should they win this game, they will improve to 24-12-3 in series play in 2023, and to 13-5-2 in road series. 

The Orioles, even after the loss yesterday, have won four of six, eight of 12, 11 of 16, 15 of 23 and 25 of their past 36 games. They are 38-23 on the road, 9-5 in August and 20-11 in the second half.

Heading into Tuesday's game, the Baltimore rotation had allowed three earned runs or fewer 16 times in the previous 17 games. The rotation ERA was 3.56 in that span. And if you took away Kyle Gibson allowing nine runs last Friday, the rotation ERA was 2.88 in the 16 games with three earned runs or fewer.

When the Orioles were in Seattle last weekend, several of their players and coaches watched intently the pregame ceremony on Saturday night when former team great Félix Hernández was inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame. 

A career winner of 169 games with 2,524 strikeouts – all with Seattle over a 15-year career – it was a special night at T-Mobile Park.

He’s known simply as the “King” in Seattle. He was a six-time All-Star who won the 2010 AL Cy Young Award and was a runner-up twice. He pitched a perfect game against Tampa Bay on Aug. 15, 2012.

When he took the mound at home, the “Kings Court” would fill the leftfield stands with gold shirts and K cards. 

Like Hernández, the Orioles’ Anthony Santander is a native of Venezuela. When Santander was tearing it up this spring in the WBC, Hernández was a visitor to the Team Venezuela clubhouse. When he was 13, scouts compared a young teenager pitcher Santander to Hernández. In the spring of 2021, Hernández signed a minor league deal with the Orioles and the two countrymen were briefly teammates.

Having allowed just four runs in the past three games, the Orioles have a three-game win streak on their West Coast road trip. The trip began with a 9-2 loss Friday at Seattle, but they have since won 1-0 and 5-3 over the Mariners, both in 10 innings, and by 4-1 last night at San Diego.

The Orioles (74-45) are a season-high 29 games over the .500 mark and lead the Tampa Bay Rays by three games atop the American League East.

Best records in MLB:

.644 - Atlanta (76-42)
.622 – Orioles (74-45)
.607 – Los Angeles Dodgers (71-46)
.597 – Texas (71-48)
.595 – Tampa Bay (72-49)

The Orioles improved to 26-13 in series-opening games with Monday's victory, and to 15-5 when the series opener is on the road.

Getting to play pro baseball has always been important to the Orioles Ryan Mountcastle. Even long before they drafted him No. 36 overall in the 2015 MLB Draft out of Paul J. Haggerty High School in Florida.

Back then he had designs on being a big league player and that dream came true for him for the first time in August of 2020.

But Mountcastle’s love for the sport perhaps grew even stronger recently when he dealt with vertigo and watched his stats suffer and then missed time on the injured list.

“New appreciation for baseball, life, everything,” he said during the Seattle series. “That was a tough three weeks for me mentally and just to be back I’m super grateful.”

When the Orioles beat Seattle 1-0 in 10 innings Saturday, it was Mountcastle who drove in the game’s only run. He hit a 101-mph pitch from Seattle’s Andres Munoz to center field. It left his bat at 109.5 mph.

The Orioles lost Friday night at Seattle but won back-to-back 10-inning games by 1-0 and 5-3 to take another series over the weekend and improve to 73-45. It was an outstanding start to a nine-game West Coast road trip that continues tonight at San Diego.

O’s batters scored just eight runs on 17 hits at T-Mobile Park against a Mariners club that Sunday was leading the American League in team ERA. But they still took two of three as their pitchers allowed just three runs on 10 hits the last two games.

Before the late-game heroics yesterday by Cedric Mullins and before Shintaro Fujinami got the last three outs for a save, starter Kyle Bradish delivered another quality start. He gave up two runs and five hits over six innings on 90 pitches. He lowered his ERA to 3.18. The Orioles are now 37-11 for the year when they get a quality start.

The O’s scored first on Sunday and are now 43-11 (.796) when scoring first – the best record in the majors.

The Orioles improved to 37-18 (.673) in games decided by one or two runs and to 48-25 (.659) in games decided by three or less. They lead the majors in both stats.

SEATTLE - After the Cedric Mullins heroics - the incredible catch to rob a homer in the ninth and the go-ahead two-run homer in the tenth - there was still work to do.

There was the matter of getting three more big outs in the bottom of the tenth to produce perhaps the O's best series win of the year. Félix Bautista was unavailable, the O's had already used four other relievers and the Orioles called on Japanese right-hander Shintaro Fujinami.

His brief O's career has produced both lights out outings and a few with command meltdowns as well.

This was not going to be boring.

Fuji, with a placed runner at second and the O's leading 5-3, fell behind Dylan Moore 3-0, before he came back to strike him out and then get the next two outs. He came up big. It was his first career save - Japan or MLB.

SEATTLE – He entered the game in the last of the sixth today. The Orioles were thrilled Cedric Mullins was there - especially in the ninth and 10th this afternoon at Seattle.

Mullins made a remarkable catch to rob a homer in the ninth and then hit the go-ahead two-run homer in the 10th as the Orioles beat Seattle 5-3 in 10 innings front of 44,818 at T-Mobile Park.

The O's (73-45) won a series from a club that had an eight-game win streak after Friday's series-opening win. They found a way against the top ERA club in the American League and they expanded their American League East lead to three games over Tampa Bay.

Adley Rutschman’s grounder to the first base side of the side of the mound scored speedy pinch-runner Jorge Mateo from third base as the O’s broke a 2-2 tie in the ninth and led 3-2.

Immediately after Mullins made what at the time appeared to be a game-saving robbery of a Ty France drive to deep center in the ninth inning for the second out, Dominic Canzone homered to right off Mike Baumann to tie the contest 3-3.

SEATTLE - After their thrilling 1-0 win in 10 innings at T-Mobile Park on Saturday night, the Orioles return today with a chance to win this series against a red-hot Mariners club.

A club that had an eight-game win streak snapped last night. Despite the loss, the Mariners (63-53) have still won 10 of 12 and 16 of the last 21 games. Seattle is 25-11 since July 1.

The Orioles (72-45) needed to win to end last night with a two-game lead atop the American League East and they did. They are now 7-5 in extra-inning games while Seattle is 5-10.

The Orioles are 18-10 in the second half and 36-22 on the road.

They have won six of nine, nine of 13, 13 of 20 and 23 of their past 33 games.

SEATTLE – The Orioles today reinstated reliever Mychal Givens from the 60-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation and then designated him for assignment.

Signed as a free agent on Dec. 21, Givens pitched in just four games this year for Orioles. He gave up five earned runs over four innings for an ERA of 11.25. He has not pitched for the Orioles since May 31.

“Well, it’s this time of year," manager Brandon Hyde said of Givens' designation. "We’re trying to win every game we can and we are coming down the stretch and we need guys that are durable, and able to win some games down the stretch. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out for Mike, but we have some other guys here that have thrown the ball extremely well and just want to finish the season strong."

Givens had a 6.60 ERA in 15 minor league games, and just last night allowed three runs while getting just one out for Triple-A Norfolk.

More on the six-man rotation: The Orioles have embarked, at least for now, on a six-man rotation, with Cole Irvin entering the mix last night. Kyle Gibson and Irvin pitched in this series, and Kyle Bradish goes today.

SEATTLE – The Orioles will go sweepless in Seattle. They got hammered on Friday night but, even when shutout over nine innings Saturday night, they pulled out a 1-0 win in 10 innings.

The Orioles ended Seattle’s eight-game win streak, maintained a two-game lead atop the AL East and stretched their series run without being swept to 77.

Seattle right-hander George Kirby held Baltimore to three hits over a career-high nine innings on a season-high 103 pitches. The O’s have scored three runs in two days, yet they can win this series this afternoon.

“That was the best-pitched game against us all season. That was four pitches, elite command. They’ve got a really good rotation,” O’s manager Brandon Hyde said of Kirby and the M’s staff.

The last time a Mariners pitcher threw nine or more innings in a team loss was Félix Hernández on July 26, 2013 against Minnesota in a 3-2 loss in 13 innings. And it was Hernández’s Mariners Hall of Fame Induction Night Saturday in front of a sellout crowd at T-Mobile Park.

SEATTLE – Locked in a remarkable pitcher's duel for nine innings and held to just three hits in nine innings by Seattle starter George Kirby, the Orioles still pulled out a win tonight to end the Mariners' eight-game win streak.

Ryan Mountcastle's single to center broke the 0-0 tie in the top of the 10th and O's closer Félix Bautista pitched two innings and struck out the side in the last of the 10th to get the win.

The Orioles (72-45) improved to 7-5 in extra innings and remained two games ahead of Tampa Bay atop the American League East.

Placed runner Cedric Mullins stole third base in the 10th and scored on Mountcastle's single to center that produced the lead along with an exit velocity of 109.5 mph. 

Bautista got the game to extras with a scoreless last of the ninth.

SEATTLE – After Friday’s 9-2 loss in the series and road trip opener, the Orioles have lost three of four games, allowing 28 runs. Seattle hit three homers in opening a 7-1 lead after four innings and posted an eighth straight win.

The O’s (71-45) will try to even this series and slow the hot Mariners in Game 2 of this three-game set tonight at T-Mobile Park.

It’s a big night for the Mariners, who are inducting right-hander Félix Hernández into their team Hall of Fame. He is one of five pitchers with 2,500+ strikeouts and 2,500+ innings with the same team. He joins Hall of Famers Walter Johnson (Washington), Bob Gibson (St. Louis), Bob Feller (Cleveland) and likely future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw (Los Angeles Dodgers).

Friday’s O’s starter Kyle Gibson allowed a career-high nine runs in 5 1/3 innings in the series opener. He had allowed five or six runs in just four of his 2023 starts before the Mariners hit him hard last night. In two starts against Seattle this year, he has allowed 14 runs in 8 1/3 innings.

The Orioles are now 25-13 in series-opening games and 14-5 in road series openers.

SEATTLE – The Orioles will be on hand tonight for a big night in Seattle as former Mariners pitcher Félix Hernández goes into the team’s Hall of Fame. He was a six-time All-Star and the 2010 American League Cy Young Award winner. He pitched a perfect game for Seattle against Tampa Bay on Aug. 15, 2012.

He tried to make it back to the bigs with the Orioles in the spring of 2021, but arm issues kept that from happening. He eventually opted out of his O's minor league deal and was officially released by the club in late March.

“We came here in 2011 and they were down the stretch, and he pitched a game that was sold out and we saw the King’s Court (fans section in the stands) when he was in his prime,” O’s manager Brandon Hyde recalled today. “He punched out, like, 15 and he was great in his prime. This place was absolutely going bananas. We saw at that time what he meant to the city and how big a deal he was.

“Being able to meet him (in spring of 2021) and spend some time with him, really enjoyed that. I’m excited to watch the (pregame) ceremony tonight.”

The Orioles have transitioned into a six-man rotation, at least temporarily, as left-hander Cole Irvin (1-3, 5.44 ERA) re-enters the rotation tonight. Hyde said that Irvin would likely be expected to go just four or five innings after his last five appearances were two innings or less.

SEATTLE – After being held to one run on two hits over six innings by right-hander Luis Castillo last night, the O’s face another tough righty tonight. George Kirby (10-8, 3.32 ERA) will make his 23^rd start for Seattle.

The Mariners hit three homers off Kyle Gibson in last night’s 9-2 win. Seattle (63-52) is now just half a game out of the final wild card spot in the American League.

Adley Rutschman, batting .314 in 13 games atop the batting order, is batting leadoff again tonight. Cedric Mullins, who hit fifth last night, bats second tonight. Jorge Mateo is starting at shortstop and Gunnar Henderson is not starting. 

Kirby ranks ninth in the American League in ERA and first in walks per nine innings (0.9) and first in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 8.86. On June 25 he gave up three runs (two earned) in 6 1/3 versus the Orioles.

Seattle has won eight in a row and 10 of 11 games and is 16-4 in the last 20. The M’s pitching has given up just seven runs the last five games, and 20 in the past eight.

SEATTLE – The story of the first game of an important O’s road trip was not hard to put a finger on. Right-hander Kyle Gibson, who had been on a six-start roll, hit a brick wall and that roll was stopped.

As the Seattle Mariners hit three homers off him and extended their winning streak to eight, Gibson and the Orioles got beat 9-2 in Seattle. Their AL East lead is now down to two games over Tampa Bay.

“First game of a long road trip, an important road trip for us. And I just didn’t give the team a chance to win,” said Gibson, who had an ERA of 3.86 in his previous six games with five quality starts.

He pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed 12 hits to tie his career high. Gibson gave up nine runs to set a career high. He had only given up five runs or more four times this year out of 24 games. And for his career, he had never given up more than eight runs in any of his previous 285 career starts.

But a five-run fourth gave Seattle a 7-1 lead and they were on their way to a comfortable win. Gibson allowed a two-run homer in the first to Cal Raleigh, a three-run shot in the fourth to Julio Rodríguez and a solo blast in the fifth by Ty France. Each homer was hit 100 mph+ with Raleigh’s shot having a 112.6 mph exit velocity.

SEATTLE – When O’s right-hander Kyle Gibson faced the Seattle Mariners on June 23 in Baltimore, he had one of his toughest nights of the year. He had another tough one against the same team on Friday night.

Seattle scored twice in the first and five times in the fourth and hit three homers off Gibson as they beat the Orioles 9-2 to start the three-game series and to start the O’s nine-game West Coast road trip.

Catcher Cal Raleigh hit a two-run shot in the first, 2022 American League Rookie of the Year Julio Rodríguez hit a three-run shot in the fourth and Ty France hit a solo blast in the fifth.

Gibson had another tough night facing Seattle. Over 5 1/3 innings he gave up 12 hits to tie his career-high and allowed a career-high nine runs. His previous most in a start was eight done five times. He had not allowed more than six runs in any start this year.

Seattle was hitting hard from the star tonight. Through five innings, the Mariners had hit seven balls in play over 100 mph and 10 balls at 99 mph or more.

SEATTLE – The Orioles begin a three-city, nine-game West Coast road trip tonight with the first of three games against the Seattle Mariners. The trip later takes them on to San Diego and Oakland before they return home on Aug. 22 versus Toronto.

The Orioles (71-44) began today leading the AL East by three games over Tampa Bay after they won Thursday while the Rays lost. The Orioles avoided being swept yet again with a 5-4 win over Houston.

It was the sixth time this year they lost the first two games of a three-game series but won the third game. They also did that versus Texas, at Milwaukee, at the Chicago Cubs, versus Minnesota and against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oriole Park.

So the Orioles have now gone 76 consecutive series without being swept since May 13-15, 2022 when they went 0-3 at Detroit. This is the fifth-longest streak in MLB history. The next team to catch on that list would be the New York Yankees from 1922-24, who went 83 consecutive series without being swept.

The Orioles have now won five of seven, eight of 11, 12 of 18 and 22 of their past 31 games. They are 17-9 in the second half.

SEATTLE – The Orioles got their center fielder back today. Limited to 69 games this year with two stints on the injured list, now they want to keep Cedric Mullins back on the field and in the lineup.

Mullins first went on the IL in late May with a right groin strain and returned June 24.  But on July 19 he was back on the 10-day IL with a right adductor groin strain. He played four rehab games this week for Double-A Bowie, going 3-for-20 and tonight rejoins the O’s batting fifth in center.

"We're excited to have him back," manager Brandon Hyde said. "He feels good and joined us on the trip last night. He's had a couple of stints on the IL and we are hoping to he can stay healthy for us the rest of the year. He's a big part of our club and makes a huge impact for us offensively and defensively." 

“I’m very ready,” Mullins said this afternoon in the visitor’s clubhouse. “During the rehab assignment was watching the guys do their thing out there. Just seeing a lot of guys have some fun and I’m ready to get back in it.

“Injuries are never fun to deal with, but this time around my confidence when it came to running when I started back up was a lot smoother than the first time. So I felt like in terms of the recovery, what we did this time has definitely been beneficial to keep me around.”

SEATTLE – Two right-handers that could prove very important for the Orioles will be pitching this weekend. But while right-hander Kyle Gibson will seek a fifth straight quality start tonight at Seattle, Tyler Wells will take the mound in Richmond tomorrow night, making his second start since he was optioned to Double-A Bowie.

Wells headed for the minors after matching and then exceeding his 2022 season innings total and going thru a three-start stretch for the Orioles where he gave up 11 runs over nine innings.

Earlier this year Gibson, the veteran leader of the O’s staff at age 35, had some words of wisdom for rookie Grayson Rodriguez when he was sent back to the minors. Gibson said he and Wells had a similar talk the day after Wells was optioned to the Baysox.

“Had a really good conversation with him,” said Gibson. “I think his head is in a really good place. I’ve been to the spot where I’ve reached a career-high in innings and I’ve been to the spot where I’ve thrown in September for the first time in my career. And I was tired.

“I know that this organization has a plan for him to be a big part of this team. Here toward the end or whatever it is. Not just Tyler, but some of these bullpen guys and our young starters, who have never played a six-month and now hopefully a seven-month season.

The Orioles have not been swept in a series this year and will need a win this afternoon at Oriole Park to avoid that fate against the Houston Astros.

Houston rallied in the ninth to beat the Orioles 7-6 Tuesday night. Last night they scored three early runs and five late for an 8-2 win. 

In 18 innings this series, the Orioles staff has allowed 21 hits and 15 runs with nine walks and 20 strikeouts.

Coming into this series the O's team ERA was 2.15 during a 7-1 run. And it was 3.23 as they had won 21 of the previous 28 games.

But Houston has put up seven runs and eight runs in winning the first two games, and the Astros scored 10 runs in seven innings of work by the Baltimore bullpen.