The Orioles need a reset, which makes the timing ideal for today’s break in the schedule.

They’ve fallen three games below .500 for the first time since being 41-44 on July 8, 2022. Top two starters Zach Eflin and Grayson Rodriguez are on the 15-day injured list. Reliever Albert Suárez is on the 60-day injured list. Shortstop Gunnar Henderson has returned, but outfielder Colton Cowser could miss a few months with a fractured left thumb. Jordan Westburg was out of the lineup yesterday for a second time due to being “banged up” in the upper body - some “minor, nagging things,” per manager Brandon Hyde.

The health issues won’t totally fade during an off-day, but the Orioles overcame them in 2024 to make the playoffs again. They need to clear their heads, hopefully stay away from social media and remember that no one is running away with the division. They’re 13 games into 162.

The lineup looks better on paper than what’s happening on the field. They’ve scored 12, nine, eight, eight and five runs in five wins, but two, one, zero, four, two, one, three and zero in eight losses. They were held to four hits yesterday and their .373 slugging percentage and .682 OPS ranked 17^th in the majors.

Henderson will get hot. He’s only 4-for-25 with 10 strikeouts in six games. But should the Orioles keep cranking out different versions of the lineup or should regulars be planted in the same spots to see whether the consistency enables them to flourish?

The mysterious uptick in Charlie Morton’s velocity didn’t return in the first inning today. His four-seam fastball was 93.3 to 94.6 mph against leadoff hitter Jarren Duran and topped at 94.7. And his third strikeout came on a curveball to Trevor Story, a pitch that produced only one out in his Orioles debut in Toronto.

If Morton was getting back to normal, he couldn’t enjoy it. Rafael Devers walked with one out in the first and Alex Bregman hit the next pitch, a sinker, to deep left field for a quick Red Sox lead.

Wilyer Abreu led off the second with a full-count walk, Kristian Campbell also worked the count full, and Morton hung a curveball that was launched to left at a distance of 389 feet.

The new dimensions in left aided Campbell. Bregman’s ball traveled 397 feet and didn’t need the benefit of a drawn-in wall. But both swings stung the Orioles in an 8-4 loss to the Red Sox before an announced crowd of 16,656 at Camden Yards that dropped them below .500 heading into their next road trip.

Morton struck out 10 batters in five innings, four short of his career high and the 28^th time that he’s reached double digits, and he exited with his pitch count at 98. He allowed five runs and six hits and walked two batters, and his ERA is 9.72 in two starts with the Orioles.

Tyler O’Neill knew that he’d move around the outfield after signing his three-year, $49.5 million deal with the Orioles. He won two Gold Gloves in left with the Cardinals but has made four of his five starts in right this season.

Last night’s original lineup had O’Neill in left and Ramón Laureano in right, the same setup as Monday for home Opening Day, but they switched positions in the updated lineup less than an hour later.

Left field is up for grabs after Colton Cowser fractured his left thumb Sunday in Toronto. He’s expected to be out six-to-eight weeks at a minimum. But the Orioles have the same flexibility in their outfield as they do in the infield.

Long gone are the days of Don Buford in left, Paul Blair in center and Frank Robinson in right. Or two-thirds of the outfield consisting of Al Bumbry in center and Ken Singleton in right, or Adam Jones in center and Nick Markakis in right.

O’Neill is most likely to play where Markakis used to roam.

TORONTO – Orioles reliever Albert Suárez went on the 15-day injured list this afternoon with right shoulder inflammation, a move that’s backdated to yesterday.

Matt Bowman’s contract was selected from Triple-A Norfolk. He’s wearing No. 51.

The 40-man roster is full.

Suárez allowed one earned run and two total with five hits in 2 2/3 innings Friday night, and his fastball velocity was about two mph lower than his average in 2024. Bowman gives the bullpen a fresh arm and one capable of providing length.

The Orioles selected Bowman’s contract last Sunday on his opt-out date, designated him for assignment before Opening Day and outrighted him to Norfolk. He made 15 appearances with the Orioles last season and posted a 3.45 ERA in 15 2/3 innings.

The Orioles couldn’t play baseball yesterday because of the rain in D.C. In hindsight, it wasn’t worth rushing out of North Port on Sunday.

Grayson Rodriguez did some long tossing in the outfield at Nationals Park. Cade Povich told the assembled media that he hasn’t decided between Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” and Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady” for his walk-in song. The roster held at 41 players after the Orioles selected Matt Bowman’s contract over the weekend and put Tyler Wells on the 60-day injured list, then shrank to 36 after Kyle Gibson was optioned to minor league camp yesterday and Maverick Handley, Vimael Machín, Emmanuel Rivera and Luis Vázquez were reassigned.

The two questions hanging heavy in the damp air remained whether Jorge Mateo replaces Gunnar Henderson and which reliever replaces Andrew Kittredge.

Mateo went from a “no” to “pretty doubtful” to a real possibility for Opening Day. The Orioles won’t bring him to Toronto if they think he needs more swings in Sarasota or if he isn’t ready physically, but the fact that they’re giving him heavy doses of at-bats the next two days is a positive sign. Of course, they’re doing the same with Henderson, but that’s more about limiting how much time he spends on the IL.

Livan Soto remained the favorite if Mateo isn’t on the roster. Machín and Vázquez also were exceptional in camp and they’d have guaranteed jobs in past years when the Orioles weren’t as deep and talented.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Three more days and the Orioles break camp, play the Nationals in D.C., fly to Toronto, work out and begin a season that could deliver their first playoff win since 2014. Congratulations, it's an oh boy!

Tucked somewhere within this stretch is a finalized roster for March 27, with media curious whether it’s safe to report by Sunday’s game against the Braves in North Port or if the Orioles could wait until Monday.

Two years ago, they announced the Danny Coulombe trade with the Twins on the last day in camp. Colton Cowser broke the news of his inclusion on the Opening Day roster last spring after Orioles played the Twins in Fort Myers. He stood in the hallway outside the visiting clubhouse, revealed that he had just received confirmation from executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias and manager Brandon Hyde, and wondered if he committed a faux pas.

“I was just informed that I made the club. I’m excited,” he said.

Cowser stopped, turned to a team official and asked, “Was I supposed to say that?”

SARASOTA, Fla. – The Orioles made more roster cuts heading into their second off-day of the spring, getting down to 41 players. Six of them are non-roster invitees

None of the players in that latter group were expected to break camp with the team. Catcher Samuel Basallo is a high-profile prospect, tops in the organization, who had no chance at age 20 and with only 86 plate appearances at the Triple-A level. But he was fun while he lasted.

Who’s left?

Reliever Matt Bowman

The Orioles re-signed Bowman to a minor league contract on Dec. 23 after he declined an outright assignment a month earlier and elected free agency. He pitched for four teams last season. For a brief time he had none.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Jorge Mateo felt great physically. He was better emotionally.

Mateo finally made it back into the lineup this afternoon after undergoing reconstructive-elbow surgery on Aug. 29. A meaningless exhibition game was ultra-important to him. He needed it.

“It was amazing,” he said. “I was so excited. Just to be there on the field with my teammates, that was unbelievable to me.”

Mateo saw one pitch in the second inning and bounced to third baseman Edmundo Sosa. He struck out on three pitches in the fourth.

In the field, Mateo handled every ball hit his way and had back-to-back assists in the fourth. He started a 6-4-3 double play to end the first inning and covered the bag for a force in the fifth, throwing late on an attempted DP.

BRADENTON, Fla. – The Orioles remain hopeful that Gunnar Henderson is on their Opening Day roster, but they know the importance of a good contingency plan.

Jackson Holliday made his first spring start at shortstop tonight against the Pirates, hitting a double and single to left field and committing an error on his first and only chance.

“With Gunnar out right now, unsure of the timetable, but he’s doing really well,” manager Brandon Hyde said this afternoon. “He’s progressing well, but we’re not sure when we can get him back into game action. Jackson’s going to be playing shortstop here periodically the rest of camp.”

Henderson’s strained rib cage muscle led the Orioles down an alternate path with Holliday. They wanted him to get more comfortable at second base. Guest instructor Brian Roberts corrected his footwork, trying to strip him of a shortstop’s approach to fielding the ball and making feeds. But he could do more switching to the left side.

“It’s definitely different,” Holliday said. “It’s one thing to practice it, but to play it in a game and read the ball off the bat, kind of the angle that it comes in, it’s obviously very different, but I should make that play every single time. But hopefully I don’t have to play both. Hopefully, Gunnar gets healthy real quick and I can just stick over at second until they tell me they need me. But if that is the case, I’m up to the challenge.”

BRADENTON, Fla. – Jackson Holliday is starting at shortstop tonight, as the Orioles head to LECOM Park for another game against the Pirates.

Manager Brandon Hyde indicated that Holliday could make a start at short with Gunnar Henderson unable to play since Feb. 27 due to a strained right intercostal. This is one of them.

Holliday made three appearances (one start) at short with the Orioles last season.

Jordan Westburg is playing third base. Ramón Urías sliders over to second base. Ryan O’Hearn is at first.

Samuel Basallo is catching. Heston Kjerstad is the right fielder.

MINNEAPOLIS – The Orioles are going with Matt Bowman as an opener for tonight’s game against the Twins at Target Field.

Bowman has made 210 appearances in the majors with zero starts. He’s started 71 games in the minors, most recently with Triple-A Las Vegas in 2015.

Bowman has registered a 3.77 ERA and 1.395 WHIP in 14 games this season. He’s allowed five runs and six hits in his last two appearances over 1 1/3 innings, surrendering a three-run homer to Aaron Judge and a solo shot to Alex Verdugo.

The Orioles selected left-hander Tucker Davidson’s contract from Triple-A Norfolk earlier today and he could provide bulk relief behind Bowman. He’s wearing No. 67.

Reliever Bryan Baker was optioned to the spring training complex, leaving him ineligible for the Wild Card and Division Series.

NEW YORK – The Orioles didn’t arrive in the Bronx today with a clinching hangover. They partied hard last night, drenching each other in champagne and beer, and sprayed singles all over Yankee Stadium.

Fill-in starter Marcus Stroman couldn’t record an out on his own in the first inning until facing his seventh batter, resulting in three runs and a wire-to-wire lead in the Orioles’ 9-7 victory before an announced crowd of 41,010.

They were ahead 9-3 in the ninth before Matt Bowman surrendered four runs, the last three on Aaron Judge's 57th homer. Keegan Akin registered his first save since 2022.

Zach Eflin battled unusual control problems, setting a career high with five walks, and he came out after 4 2/3 innings in his shortest start since June 5 in Miami. The bullpen registered 3 1/3 scoreless until Bowman entered, and the Orioles improved to 88-70.

The Tigers also won tonight, leaving the magic number at one for the Orioles to secure the home Wild Card in a series that begins Oct. 1. They moved to within four games of first place.

The Orioles can envision a pitching staff that returns Grayson Rodriguez to the rotation and Danny Coulombe and Jacob Webb to the bullpen. Like “trade deadline 2.0,” as pitching coach Drew French called it yesterday. An apt description.

“Acquisitions by reinstatement from the IL,” he said, maintaining his roll.

But the club can’t simply count on additions to subtract the entirety of its arm issues.

Craig Kimbrel retired the first two batters faced in the ninth inning Saturday afternoon and surrendered another run on Jonny DeLuca’s triple into left-center field and a wild pitch. He’s been scored upon in nine of his last 17 appearances, with 15 earned runs (17 total), 14 walks and 18 hits over 16 1/3 innings.

Kimbrel won’t close again unless other options are drained, and the pool of candidates deepens with Coulombe and Webb returning. But French offered some encouraging words yesterday regarding Kimbrel’s progress, which isn’t necessarily evident on the stat sheet.

The outs were coming more easily to Corbin Burnes. Early traffic on the bases had thinned. He was back on his familiar roll.

And then it stopped.

Even a brief pause can be costly for a team that can't offer much support.

Burnes hung a slider to Jonny DeLuca in the sixth inning, and the resulting two-run homer broke a scoreless tie. One pitch would decide the outcome because another day passed with the Orioles left searching for their offense and in recovery mode following a 2-0 loss to the Rays before an announced crowd of 29,519 at Camden Yards.

The Orioles are 82-62 overall, 24-24 since the break and 4-3 this month. They went 3-3 on a homestand that began with three games against the Rockies, owners of the second-worst record in the majors.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde plucked three relievers from his nine-man bullpen last night after Dean Kremer carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and didn’t record an out.

Yennier Cano inherited a bases-loaded, no-out mess and retired three batters without a run scoring. Cionel Pérez retired two batters and left a runner for Seranthony Domínguez, who recorded the four-out save.

They are three sure things to keep pitching for the Orioles, if healthy, through September and the playoffs.  

Switching out arms is a common practice but the Orioles could take it to another level this month.

Jacob Webb had made two injury rehab appearances in the minors and is nearing a return from right elbow inflammation. The Orioles’ medical staff checked him yesterday and a decision is pending. One more game with an affiliate or reinstatement.

Albert Suárez watched his second pitch tonight, a fastball to White Sox leadoff hitter Nicky Lopez, sail into the right field seats.

Gunnar Henderson took it as a challenge, hitting his 10^th leadoff homer in the bottom of the first inning and his 35^th overall to set the club record for a shortstop.

The back-and-forth would stop, with Suárez producing a rare clunker. He wouldn’t get the last word or last through fifth. And the Orioles wouldn't score again.

Andrew Vaughn led off the fourth with a homer and Dominic Fletcher hit a two-run shot later in the inning, his first of the season, to guide the White Sox toward an 8-1 victory before an announced crowd of 17,843 at Camden Yards.

Chicago had lost 12 in a row and an astounding 42 of 46. They were outscored 22-3 in the first two games of the series.

Orioles reliever Matt Bowman has made a nice first impression with the Orioles in his first few games with the team. As it turns out, they made a real nice first impression on him too.

Bowman has thrown 20 1/3 innings this year, but for four different major league teams. The Maryland native knows something about starting over with a new club, and he really likes the way the O’s pitching coaches basically have let him do his thing so far.

The results are quite good. He got five big outs in Tuesday’s win at Los Angeles and was not scored on with the Orioles until his fifth outing, on Thursday at Dodger Stadium.

In 5 1/3 innings with the club he’s allowed two hits and one run with a 0.94 WHIP and .111 batting average against. He’s also stranded three inherited runners.

His wild ride this year began when he signed with the Twins in January. Arizona picked him up in a cash deal May 2. He was granted free agency several times this year through various opt-outs. In late May he refused a minors assignment with Arizona and wound up with Seattle. They released him, and on July 4 Minnesota signed him again, then released him on Aug. 12. The O’s got him three days later.

LOS ANGELES – In front of a sellout crowd on the road, with a chance to gain a game on the Yankees, against a hot team with the best record in baseball, the Orioles pitching made three runs stand up. 

The Orioles bullpen – the much-maligned O’s bullpen – stood tall.

They had repeated chances to give up the big hit, the soul-crushing hit, the hit to blow the game. But they did not.

The same bullpen that had struggled so badly in recent weeks? Yes, that bullpen.

In what had to qualify as one of the O’s best and most impressive wins of the year, they beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 Tuesday to open a big three-game series.

LOS ANGELES – Beginning a series against the team with the best record in Major League Baseball on the road was going to be a real challenge for the Orioles.

They had just completed a 2-2 series with the Astros but had lost three of five and six of their last 10. Now they faced Shoehei Ohtani and the Dodgers at a time when they had won six of seven and 15 of their last 21. They were 43-23 this year at home and 9-3 against American League East teams.

A sellout crowd of 52,382 came to see two of baseball’s best match up.

On a night when they got another big home run from Ramón Urías and some heavy lifting from their beleaguered bullpen, the Orioles won the series opener 3-2 to move to within a game of the Yankees, who lost earlier in Washington.

The Orioles (77-56) have gone 3-2 against two hot clubs in the Astros and Dodgers.

The Orioles just can’t seem to get rolling again. On a night where their bullpen allowed no runs or hits, they still lost 6-0 in the Houston series opener. Their offense has produced six hits the last two games.

Right now, they look like a second-division club with a lack of runs, hits and unfortunately fire and passion too.

Maybe the next win and a night of fire and passion is right around the corner. But right ahead of this club is six straight games versus Houston and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In the last six games, the Birds have scored 20 runs, but nine of them came in one game. In those games they have five hits or less four times and three hits or less three times.

During the six games the O’s are batting .167/.245/.323/.568 as a team and have gone 2-for-27 with runners in scoring position.