Orioles recall Knight, and other notes (and O's lineup)

BOSTON - The Orioles have subtracted an infielder and added a reliever as they begin a three-game series against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

A day after optioning Jahmai Jones, the club has recalled pitcher Dusten Knight from Triple-A Norfolk to provide another arm in their bullpen.

Knight has made five appearances with the Orioles and allowed six earned runs (seven total) and eight hits in 7 1/3 innings. He's walked four batters and struck out nine.

Knight's most recent appearance with Norfolk came on Wednesday, when he allowed two solo home runs in an inning and struck out two.

"The extra reliever was important just from the games that we played," said manager Brandon Hyde. "We need a fresh arm in here for tonight, We have some guys that I'd love to stay away from, just from the amount of use. We played two really close games against the Yankees and I used a lot of the same guys. I'd love to stay away or limit them and try to have them finish the season fresh and as healthy as possible."

Jones scored the winning run yesterday in the 10th inning after entering the game as the automatic runner at second base. He went 9-for-55 (.164) over 18 games with three doubles and a .425 OPS.

The Orioles delayed Jones' return to the majors because they wanted him to be ready defensively at second base. He made 15 starts and committed three errors.

Jorge Mateo is on the injured list and he's done for the season, but the Orioles are going with Ramón Urias, Richie Martin and Pat Valaika as their choices for the middle infield.

"With our infield mix right now, we've got Valaika here, we've got Martin here, we've got Urías, who's day-to-day at times," Hyde said. "Feeling better as of late, but I'd like to keep him off of shortstop as much as possible to try to help him out from a leg standpoint, which kind of points him toward second base. And with Val and Richie both being versatile there, being able to play a couple spots, we felt like Jam ... we want Jam to play every day.

"We like Jam a lot. There's a lot of upside. He had a nice little taste in the big leagues, but we want him to get everyday at-bats and we felt like that was the right move for him."

Hyde is waiting to post his lineup until checking on Trey Mancini and Pedro Severino.

Austin Hays recorded his first-career walk-off hit yesterday with a bases-loaded single in the 10th inning. It also was his second extra-inning hit, the other on Aug. 11, 2020.

Hays is 5-for-9 with 12 RBIs this year with the bases loaded. His 15 RBIs in September are the most in any month in his career.

Twenty-one of Ryan Mountcastle's 29 home runs this season are solo shots, including 16 of the last 18. Last night he broke Cal Ripken Jr.'s rookie record of 28 homers in a single season.

Rookie left-hander Keegan Akin makes his 16th start and 23rd appearance tonight. He no-hit the Blue Jays for six innings in the opening game of Saturday's doubleheader, but didn't get an out in the seventh, when he was charged with three runs and Toronto scored 11.

Akin made an Aug. 15 start in Boston and allowed three runs and six hits in four innings. J.D. Martinez hit a three-run homer.

Pitcher Thomas Eshelman and catcher Nick Ciuffo are on the taxi squad. Severino would have caught yesterday if the game had continued into the 11th inning.

Left-hander Chris Sale came off the injured list to make his 2021 debut Aug. 14 against the Orioles and allowed two runs with no walks and eight strikeouts in five innings in a 16-2 win. Mancini and Hays hit home runs.

Sale made five starts and was placed on the COVID-19 list.

In 21 career appearances against the Orioles, Sale is 9-2 with a 2.63 ERA and 1.073 WHIP with 26 walks and 141 strikeouts in 96 innings. Mancini is 11-for-28 (.393) with three doubles, one triple and one home run.

The Red Sox are clinging to the second wild card spot in the American League, with the Yankees a half-game behind them.

The Orioles are 4-9 against the Red Sox this year, including 3-3 at Fenway Park. They swept Boston in the opening series of the season.

The Red Sox are starting Nick Pivetta and Nathan Eovaldi in the last two games of the series. The Orioles are starting left-handers Zac Lowther and Alexander Wells.

Update: The Orioles lineup:

Cedric Mullins CF
Ryan Mountcastle 1B
Trey Mancini DH
Austin Hays RF
Ramón Urías 2B
Pedro Severino C
Ryan McKenna LF
Pat Valaika SS
Kelvin Gutiérrez 3B