Rodriguez recalled and Bazardo optioned (plus game notes)

The Orioles recalled Grayson Rodriguez from Triple-A Norfolk today and optioned reliever Eduard Bazardo.

Rodriguez is making his 11^th start tonight and his first since May 26 against the Rangers. He went 4-0 with a 1.96 ERA in eight starts with Triple-A Norfolk, striking out 56 batters in 41 1/3 innings.

Rodriguez posted a 7.35 ERA and 1.743 WHIP in 45 1/3 innings with the Orioles before they optioned him. He walked 21 batters and struck out 56. He also surrendered 13 home runs.

Bazardo was sent down following yesterday’s 5-4 win over the Marlins. He was charged with three runs and retired only one batter in the ninth inning.

The roster still holds 14 position players and 12 pitchers. Outfielder Cedric Mullins is day-to-day with a sore right quadriceps muscle, and outfielder Aaron Hicks was scratched from yesterday’s lineup with lower-back discomfort.

The Orioles are one game out of first place in the American League East, and they have one fewer loss than the Rays. They’ve gone 31-23 against teams with winning records for the third-best winning percentage in the majors at .574.

The winning streak reached a season-high eight games yesterday, when the Orioles completed their sixth sweep of the year. The rotation has registered seven quality starts in the last eight games with a 2.12 ERA.

Yesterday’s bottom of the first inning began with two doubles and Anthony Santander’s 100^th career home run, the first time that the Orioles started a game with three straight extra-base hits since May 10, 2018 against the Royals.

Left-hander Danny Coulombe registered his first career save in his 233^rd appearance.

Santander is the 29th player to hit 100 home runs as an Oriole. He’s totaled 50 over the past two seasons, the most among major league switch-hitters.

Adley Rutschman collected his 50th career double yesterday in his 202^nd game, becoming the second-fastest Oriole by appearances to reach that total behind Manny Machado (166).

The Dodgers are starting rookie right-hander Emmet Sheehan, a sixth-round pick in the 2021 draft out of Boston College. He’s made four starts and allowed 10 runs and 14 hits in 20 2/3 innings.

Sheehan’s major league debut was June 16 against the Giants, and he didn’t allow a run or hit in six innings. The Dodgers promoted Sheehan after he posted a 1.86 ERA and 0.881 WHIP in 12 games with Double-A Tulsa, striking out 88 batters in 53 1/3 innings.

MLB Pipeline ranks Sheehan as the Dodgers’ No. 6 prospect. His fastball can touch 99 mph.

J.D. Martinez is a career .300 hitter with a 1.073 OPS in 47 games at Camden Yards. He has 13 doubles, 18 home runs and 43 RBIs in 180 at-bats.

Los Angeles has won six of its last seven games and is in first place in the National League West with a 53-39 record.

The Orioles lost two of three games to the Dodgers at Camden Yards in 2019. They were 47-99 when the series ended on Sept. 12.