LOS ANGELES – It's the Orioles' first trip to Dodger Stadium since 2016 as they begin a six-game road trip tonight versus the Dodgers. 

Los Angeles (78-53) took two of three over the weekend from Tampa Bay and has won six of seven, 12 of 16 and 15 of the last 21 games.

But the Dodgers' lead in the National League West is just three games over the Diamondbacks and four games over the Padres.

The Dodgers have won their division every year since 2013, except in 2021 when 106 wins only got them second place. They won 100 last year but lost three straight to the D-backs in the NL Division Series.

Chasing back-to-back American League East titles for the first time since 1973 and 1974, the Orioles (76-56) are coming off a four-game split with the Astros. They began play today two games behind the Yankees in the division. But with the Nationals 4-2 win over the Yankees, the O's would move to 1 game back with a win tonight. 

LOS ANGELES – As the Orioles get ready to play at Dodger Stadium for the first time since 2016 tonight, we can look back at a week of baseball and realize it’s not very dull around here.

Two walk-off losses at Citi Field against the Mets and two come-from-behind wins with huge bases-loaded hits versus Houston at Camden Yards.

Some big ups and downs in the last seven games as the Orioles went 3-4.

If the O’s can win this series against the club with the current best record in the majors and take two of three from the Dodgers, a 4-3 mark against Houston and L.A. would be quite solid.

And maybe mean the Orioles are getting back on track for the playoff push in the final weeks.

The World Series remains unsettled and free agency is on hold until five days after the conclusion of it. However, a mailbag can be sorted and shared at any time.

Let’s begin a new month with a fresh batch of questions.

Some of the responses might be stale. Some might prove inaccurate. I’m counting on short memories in these cases.

You should remember that I do minimal editing. Tampering with clarity is a rarity. I’d walk miles to maintain your unique styles.

Also, my mailbag hands out full-size candy bars at Halloween and yours gives out toothbrushes.

On an Orioles team that produced 101 wins, their first 100-win year since 1980, along with making the postseason for the first time since 2016 and winning the division for the first time since 2014, several veteran players made key contributions.

But the Orioles have five free agents and all five could be playing somewhere else in the 2024 season. Infielder Adam Frazier played in 141 games and had an OPS of just .696, but that number was .932 with runners in scoring position. Outfielder Aaron Hicks is a free agent also but his OPS was .806 in 65 O’s games.

On the pitching side, right-hander Kyle Gibson is a free agent after leading the team with 15 wins, 33 starts and 192 innings. He tied for third in the AL in wins and was sixth in innings. He was a leader in the clubhouse and outside of it as seen by his Roberto Clemente Award nomination. The guy sure gives back – within the clubhouse and outside of it.

I see value in having Gibson back on the team to provide pitching depth. I just have concerns of a price tag of $10 million or more for such depth. Hard to put a dollar figure on what his mentorship for young pitchers and leadership for all players meant. But the club might have to look somewhere else for the same thing next year if they decide to try and get what he brings at a lower price.

Pitchers Jack Flaherty and Shintaro Fujinami are also free agents. It’s hard to see a scenario where the club pursues Flaherty, but maybe there is one out there. Fuji was given every chance to hold down a spot in high-leverage relief and spent a few nights looking like a steal. And a few looking like much less than that. I say the O’s let him walk and look for more consistency elsewhere, even if it comes in a package that doesn’t feature a 100 mph fastball.

Adley Rutschman sat with a smile on his face for most of his 11 ½-minute session with the media yesterday. Happy to be in the playoffs. Able to enjoy the attention and focus that he usually tries to deflect. Thrilled to talk about his teammates and how they got here.

“I'm super excited,” he said. “This is a complete blessing to have an opportunity like this to play postseason baseball with a great group of guys in the stadium with an electric atmosphere. There's nothing more you can really ask for. The opportunity to do something like this is amazing. You kind of cherish it.”

“That's why I'm smiling,” he added, “and I just crushed a cold brew, so …”

Catcher turned caffeinated comedian.

If the Orioles are nervous about playing in the Division Series, with Game 1 today at 1:07 p.m., they’re doing a marvelous job of hiding it.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde didn’t agree that Kyle Gibson’s start tonight could influence how the playoff rotation and bullpen are constructed for the Division Series that begins Saturday at Camden Yards. He wasn’t going to put that much emphasis on it.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a big start,” Hyde said, responding to a reporter’s question. “I think we know what Kyle can do, and if he doesn’t pitch well today it’s not really going to impact anything. A lot determines the postseason roster on who we play, where we’re playing and those types of things.”

The Orioles played the Red Sox again tonight, Gibson tossed five shutout innings, and they scored three times in the eighth in a 5-2 victory before a sellout crowd of 43,150.

Gibson scattered seven hits and left after 80 pitches. Baltimore native Bruce Zimmermann, recalled earlier today, made his first appearance in the majors since July 4, didn’t allow a run through two innings and earned the win.

"He did a great job of minimizing damage," Hyde said of Gibson. "I thought it was actually a perfect workload for him heading into the playoffs."

As the Orioles get ready to play in the MLB postseason for the first time since 2016 and in the American League Division Series for the first time since 2014, experience in the playoffs is one of the few attributes this team is missing.

The only position players who have played past Game 162 are Aaron Hicks, Adam Frazier and James McCann, and Kyle Gibson and Jack Flaherty are the only pitchers with a combined 26 1/3 playoff innings.

The Orioles have played in many close games and many late-season high-pressure games this year. That should help prep them. But the postseason could prove to be something different and even more challenging.

“Just think that there will be a lot more adrenaline than they’ve ever felt before,” Hicks, who has played in five different postseasons, said. “They’re going to be a lot more nervous pregame and what it pretty much comes down to is who can calm down the fastest and just play baseball. That is what it comes down to. Little things win games in the postseason.”

Hicks has played in playoff games with the Yankees in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and last season, when he went 0-for-3 versus Cleveland in the ALDS.

CLEVELAND - The Orioles must make it through the last three games of this road trip and the six that await them at home before their first playoff exposure since 2016. They don’t know whether they’re beginning at Camden Yards in the Division Series or as the top wild card.

Those are the two possibilities.

I’ve got three more questions as the club focuses on the present but also considers how to construct a postseason roster.

What’s the plan for Tyler Wells?

Or, is there a plan for Tyler Wells beyond monitoring his progress in the minors?

HOUSTON – The Orioles couldn’t wait any longer on Ryan Mountcastle.

The latest attempt to hit in the cage this morning didn’t show any improvement in his shoulder, and Mountcastle is going on the 10-day injured list with left AC joint inflammation.

Outfielder Ryan McKenna is flying to Houston as the corresponding roster move. He will be on the bench this afternoon.

Mountcastle was injured after fouling off a pitch in the first inning of last Wednesday’s game against the Cardinals at Camden Yards. He was removed in the third.

The move can be backdated three days, making Mountcastle eligible to return on Sept. 27 in Baltimore.

HOUSTON – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said he doesn’t have a player in the clubhouse who’s in completely good health. He can’t even find anyone who registers at 90 percent.

The usual wear and tear as the season inches toward fall. As the body begins to rebel.

“All of these guys are playing with stuff right now,” Hyde said.

Ryan O’Hearn isn’t slowing down. He's got the right stuff.

O'Hearn was 8-for-13 in his last three games before last night and 19-for-51 (.373) this month with five doubles, two home runs and 12 RBIs.

HOUSTON – The homer hose is curled up like a snake on the Orioles’ bench, retaining its name and purpose. Only water is poured into it unless the celebration is tied to a clinching. And it can strike at any moment.

Ryan O’Hearn chugged from it in the first inning tonight, and Austin Hays took his turn in the third. Hays guzzled again in the seventh, as did rookie Heston Kjerstad. Hydrating in Houston and hoisting the Orioles closer to a division title.

O’Hearn and Hays accounted for five early runs, twice providing leads, and the Orioles kept mashing in a 9-5 victory over the Astros before an announced crowd of 35,050 at Minute Maid Park.

The magic number is eight to claim the first American League East title since 2014. The Rays also won and remain 2 ½ games behind the Orioles.

The bullpen covered 4 1/3 innings, including two by Jack Flaherty, and the Orioles won their 95^th game and 31^st series. They’ll attempt to record their 10^th sweep before flying to Cleveland.

HOUSTON – Jack Flaherty is moving to the bullpen.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde is starting Kyle Bradish in Wednesday afternoon’s series finale in Houston, and rookie Grayson Rodriguez gets the ball Thursday night in Cleveland.

In a six-man rotation, Flaherty would have taken his next turn Thursday in his eighth game with the Orioles since the deadline trade. He’s carrying a 7.11 ERA and 1.674 WHIP in 31 2/3 innings since leaving the Cardinals.

Flaherty hasn’t worked more than 4 2/3 innings in three starts this month, and he hasn’t reached the same level of effectiveness as in his debut in Toronto, when he allowed one run in six frames.

The switch to relief isn’t necessarily a permanent assignment.

The same organization that preaches the importance of never looking too far ahead happily spun its attention to the past before tonight’s game against the Rays.

The division race came with a pause button.

To honor Adam Jones on his official retirement after signing a one-day contract, the Orioles brought back former teammates who have experienced postseason baseball. Fan favorites from previous years.

An emotional distraction before the 2023 Orioles were stung by reality again.

The division lead is down to two percentage points. The losing streak has reached four games to match a season high. The reunion was special, but they need a reset.

Now working on just their third losing streak of the year of three games or more, the Orioles (91-55) host the Tampa Bay Rays (91-57) tonight. It’s the second game of this critical series to impact first place in the American League East. 

The Orioles lost 4-3 last night in the series opener and are now 26-14 in one-run games, 32-16 in series-opening games and 53-17 when they score first. They are now 6-4 versus Tampa Bay for the year and 28-17 in AL East games.

The Orioles have been so consistent this year that they have no long losing streaks, having dropped a season-high four straight from June 27-July 1. They lost three in a row twice – from May 6-8 and now.

The Orioles lead now is down to just one game atop the division. The O’s and Rays have been tied for first two times this year, on July 19 and July 21, and tonight would be a third occasion with a Tampa Bay victory.

After their 13-12 win over Boston on Saturday at Fenway Park, the O’s held a four-game lead atop the AL East.

BOSTON – Jack Flaherty walked to the bullpen for his pre-start warm-up this afternoon, reversed his tracks and headed back to the clubhouse. The claps of thunder, bolts of lightning and a warning for fans to leave the lower seating area and seek cover told Flaherty that he wasn’t going to throw his first pitch at the allotted time.

Any disruption could be unsettling for a guy with an 8.35 ERA in his previous four outings since an impressive debut with the Orioles. He was seeking calm, not the storm.

Justin Turner hit a two-run homer in the first inning, the damage lessened by Ryan Mountcastle’s diving stop and throw to rob Alex Verdugo. Flaherty got a new ball and stood halfway between the mound and second base to collect himself, tossing it in the air and catching it with his bare hand. He pounded his fist into his glove after Trevor Story’s fly ball to right field, the last out in a 26-pitch frame.

There’s more going on with Flaherty than the weather.

The Orioles scored five runs in the third, the last three on Aaron Hicks’ first homer since July 9, and two more in the fourth. They hit five home runs. They picked up their teammate, who was done after 3 1/3 innings. They wobbled but found their legs again.

The Orioles' latest win on their road trip allowed them to maintain a four-game lead atop the American League East with 22 to play. At 89-51 they are now closing in on a 90-win season and need to go 11-11 or better the rest of the way to record 100 wins or more for the first time since 1980.

Right-hander Kyle Bradish improved to 11-6 with a 3.03 ERA last night, giving up two runs over six innings. Bradish has an ERA of 2.08 in his past six starts and 2.33 in his last 15. The Orioles are now 18-8 in his outings this year.

The Orioles improved to 53-15 (.779) when scoring first this year, the best record in MLB and the 53 such wins are tied for fifth-most. Baltimore has recorded 10+ hits in six consecutive games, its longest such streak since Sept. 19 (G2)-24, 2011 (also six). The last time the Orioles did so in seven straight games was May 14-21, 2011.

Bradish is the third Orioles' pitcher with at least 11 wins this season along with Kyle Gibson (14) and Dean Kremer (12) and this marks the first time the Birds have had three pitchers with 11+ wins since Wei-Yin Chen (11), Ubaldo Jiménez (12), and Chris Tillman (11) in 2015. 

The Orioles are 6-1 on their road trip with six straight wins by a 47-20 score. In the six games, the team is batting .319 with an OPS of .883 and is 27-for-76 (.355) when hitting with runners in scoring position.

BOSTON – Aaron Hicks is in center field this afternoon against the Red Sox and James McCann is catching. Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter.

Austin Hays is the cleanup hitter. Jordan Westburg is at second base and Gunnar Henderson is at third.

Jack Flaherty has posted a 6.66 ERA and 1.521 WHIP in five starts with the Orioles. He struck out seven batters in 4 2/3 innings in Arizona but gave up four runs and six hits.

Flaherty has never faced the Red Sox.

The Orioles have won six games in a row and 12 of 15 and are 89-51 overall, 47-25 on the road. They’ve scored 34 runs this season in four games at Fenway Park.

PHOENIX - The Orioles have played four regular season series in Arizona and lost all four to the Diamondbacks. They lost series there in 2002, 2007, 2013 and 2019.

But after winning 7-3 Saturday night at Chase Field, the O's can take this series with a win this afternoon against Arizona (70-66).

The D-backs, who won 4-2 on Friday night, have won five of their last six series, and are 11-6 their past 17 games and 13-7 in the last 20. They are 36-33 at home and 18-18 versus American League clubs.

Right-hander Kyle Bradish, pitching for the first time in his home state as a big leaguer, got the win last night for the Orioles, allowing two runs and four hits over six innings on a career-high 107 pitches. 

He has allowed two earned runs or fewer for five consecutive starts, recording a 1.88 ERA in that span. In 14 games since mid-June he has gone 8-4 with a 2.28 ERA.

The Orioles are trying today to claim their 28^th series as they conclude their visit to Arizona.

Ryan Mountcastle has returned to the lineup after missing the past few games due to an illness. He’s batting cleanup and playing first base.

Anthony Santander was hit on the right hand last night in the ninth inning, left the game and underwent testing, and is serving today as designated hitter.

Two positive developments before the first pitch is thrown.

Aaron Hicks, reinstated from the injured list today, is in left field. Ryan O’Hearn is the right fielder. Austin Hays is on the bench.

The Orioles are off today, flying into Arizona after yesterday’s loss to spend more time enjoying the dry heat. Think of it as a pizza oven except there’s no melted mozzarella.

Their roster expands by a pitcher and a position player on Friday. They’d do it anyway, but teams don’t have the option of staying at 26.

The dog days of August are gone. We’ve moved onto September baseball as a contender, and it’s the home stretch no matter where the schedule takes you.

“This is definitely an exciting time right now for our club,” manager Brandon Hyde said yesterday. “Going back to the West Coast. I feel like we were just there. It’s an important road trip, every game matters right now, every game’s important. And it’s a lot of fun playing in games that matter.”

Can’t flip the pages of the calendar without finding more questions, which isn’t as enjoyable.