The Orioles found their starting pitcher less than 10 minutes before the trade deadline.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias acquired right-hander Jack Flaherty from the Cardinals in exchange for Triple-A left-hander Drew Rom and infielder César Prieto, and Single-A Delmarva pitcher Zack Showalter.

Flaherty, 27, is a pending free agent who’s 7-6 with a 4.43 ERA and 1.550 WHIP in 20 starts, with only 10 home runs surrendered in 109 2/3 innings. He registered a 3.30 ERA in five starts last month.

Elias made it a stated goal to find more pitching to strengthen the club’s bid for a deep run in the playoffs. Starters beyond Kyle Gibson are approaching or have bypassed their career highs in innings.

The decision to option Tyler Wells to Double-A Bowie, where he reported earlier today, increased the urgency.

Less than three hours before the trade deadline arrives, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde has posted a lineup that includes Adley Rutschman in the leadoff spot again and Gunnar Henderson moving down to fifth against Blue Jays left-hander Hyun Jin Ryu.

Henderson is the designated hitter. Jordan Westburg is playing second base, Ramón Urías is the third baseman, and Jorge Mateo is the shortstop.

Ryan Mountcastle is batting second for only the second time this season.

Ryan McKenna is the center fielder tonight.

The Orioles are 65-41, including 17-9 in July, and 1 ½ games ahead of the Rays. They’ve won 16 of their last 22.

The idea intrigued Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. He just needed to find the exact time to launch it.

Writing catcher Adley Rutschman’s name second in the lineup was steeped in logic. It made total sense. A hitter with tremendous bat control and skills, able to work a count and use every inch of the field, hitting behind the table setter.

The results were magnificent and predictable. Rutschman performed like a first-overall draft pick. The tools that drew the Orioles to him shined in the majors.

So, why mess with it?

Cedric Mullins is on the injured list again, leaving a hole atop the order. Gunnar Henderson was filling it against right-handed starters. Austin Hays was the choice against left-handers.

TORONTO – When the Orioles played in Toronto in May, they swept a three-game series at Rogers Centre. It was their first sweep at the place since April 22-24, 2005. They returned tonight to find out if they could win again at a ballpark where O’s wins over many years were scarce.

The Orioles were also looking to build on their series win over the weekend against the Yankees and see if they could take another American League East series. Since mid-April, they are 7-0-2 in nine series within the division.

And they got a nice headstart on winning another tonight with early offense and a Gunnar Henderson longball to lead 4-0. They beat Toronto 4-2 to improve to 65-51 with their eighth win in 12 games and 16^th in the past 22 contests.

The Orioles remain leading the AL East by 1 1/2 games over the Rays, who won against the Yankees. 

The Orioles are 24-11 in series-opening games and 14-4 in road series openers.

TORONTO – Japanese right-hander Shintaro Fujinami entered in the sixth inning last night and pitched two scoreless in the Orioles' win over the Yankees. His fastball again touched 100 mph and his splitter got swings and misses at 93 mph.

That is three straight scoreless with the Orioles for Fujinami, who will continue to get action in high-leverage spots.

“The way he is throwing the ball the last few times, it’s going to be in big spots,” manager Brandon Hyde said today in advance of the series opener at Toronto. “He’s got incredible stuff. A fantastic arm. He showed it again last night with two really good innings. If he can be kind of that bridge guy to Félix (Bautista) it would be fantastic. But his last few appearances, he’s shown great stuff and we’re excited about him.”

The 29-year-old Fujinami was scored on in his first two Baltimore appearances. But his last three have produced 4 1/3 scoreless innings on one hit with seven strikeouts and a .330 OPS against. Last night he got four whiffs on six swings against his splitter.

Would Hyde consider extending him to three innings in some games?

The Orioles begin a four-game series in Toronto tonight with Adley Rutschman settled in as the leadoff hitter and Gunnar Henderson behind him.

Rutschman has reached base six times in two games, including three singles and a walk last night.

Colton Cowser is in center field, flanked by Austin hays in left and Anthony Santander in right.

Ryan Mountcastle is the designated hitter. He’s a career .306/.368/.613 hitter with 15 home runs in 45 games against the Blue Jays.

Kyle Gibson is 9-6 with a 4.68 ERA and 1.323 WHIP in 22 games, and the one starter who isn’t an innings concern to the Orioles. He’s totaled 127 this season, with his career high 196 2/3 in 2018.

Trade deadlines in the Orioles’ rebuild kept players on edge, wondering if they were headed out the door or which teammates and friends might beat them to it. They checked social media posts and read the transaction scrolls on television, which alerted a few, like second baseman Jonathan Schoop, who hadn’t heard from the team or an agent after arriving in the visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium.

The teardown in 2018 wiped out the best players. Trey Mancini and Jorge López were dealt last summer with the Orioles in contention, the postseason odds much lower than in 2023.

Life on the buyer side isn’t as anxious.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias spoke last week of the balance between aggression and caution. Of the willingness to reach in the right trade, but the refusal to torch a farm system that is fueling the resurgence.

Elias didn’t dismiss the possibility of trading from the 26-man roster but wasn’t enthused about it. He doesn’t want to mess with a good thing – a group that’s responsible for the best record in the American League and wants to stay together.

Three forearm smashes and a hand slap. That’s what awaited Adam Frazier tonight after he crossed home plate in the first inning. Before he reached the top step of the dugout.

In the middle of the latest beating administered to Yankees starter Luis Severino.

The Orioles sent 11 batters to the plate, scored seven runs and turned ESPN’s first Camden Yards broadcast in five years into a challenge to avoid using every note and anecdote before the top of the second.

Frazier drove a fastball onto the flag court in right field for a three-run homer, the sixth consecutive Oriole to reach base in a 9-3 rout of the Yankees before an announced crowd of 37,429.

The three-game series drew 114,816.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde isn’t ready to name a starter for Thursday afternoon’s series finale in Toronto.

“This is an unusual week,” he said, smiling, “so we’ll see what happens.”

The trade deadline could influence the choice after the Orioles optioned Tyler Wells to Double-A Bowie.

Jordan Montgomery is the latest starter to tumble off the board. He was dealt earlier today to the Rangers.

The urgency to address the rotation via trade seems to have increased after Wells’ demotion. His ERA has grown from 3.18 in the first half to 3.80, and his 1.021 WHIP removes him from the top spot in the majors.

The Orioles are hosting an ESPN game tonight for the first time in five years and trying to win their 20^th series following last night’s 8-3 loss to the Yankees before the second sellout crowd of the season.

Adley Rutschman is leading off again after going 0-for-2 last night with a walk and hit-by-pitch. His on-base streak has reached a career-high 14 games.

James McCann is catching, with Rutschman serving as designated hitter.

Adam Frazier is in left field and Jordan Westburg is the second baseman.

Gunnar Henderson is batting second and playing shortstop. His double last night snapped an 0-for-15 streak.

Unable to exhibit the same patience displayed during their rebuild period, the Orioles optioned struggling starter Tyler Wells to Double-A Bowie after last night’s game. They made the announcement this afternoon.

Reliever Joey Krehbiel had his contract selected from Triple-A Norfolk, and reliever Eduard Bazardo was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.

Wells produced a first half worthy of All-Star consideration, with a 3.18 ERA in 18 games and a 0.927 WHIP that led the majors. He’s made three starts after the break and allowed 11 runs and 10 hits with nine walks and three hit batters in only nine innings.

The final straw came last night, with Wells working only 2 2/3 innings and leaving after 63 pitches in an 8-3 loss to the Yankees. He was charged with three runs and three hits, walked three batters and hit another.

Manager Brandon Hyde said afterward that trust remained in Wells based on the first half, “but I’m also trying to win the game.”

We’re down to two days before the trade deadline and the Orioles have made one deal, with the Athletics for reliever Shintaro Fujinami on July 19. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias is in contact with everyone, whether due diligence or doing it with legitimate hopes of reaching an agreement.

Elias’ 26-minute media session Friday afternoon, in the auxiliary clubhouse rather than the stifling dugout heat, provided confirmation on his plans.

Find pitching.

Elias mentioned middle relief, which also came as no surprise. Fortify the bullpen, shorten games, and ease some of the strain on other relievers and the rotation.

The club also has engaged in talks for starting pitchers, though it isn’t clear how a newcomer would fit. A six-man rotation? A current starter sent to the ‘pen?

Heading into the All-Star break, right-hander Tyler Wells was an O’s pitcher on a roll. His ERA for the year was 3.18 and it was 2.83 in his most recent eight starts. He had pitched 18 times for the Orioles, going five innings or more every time and going six or more 10 times.

But he has been a different pitcher coming out of the break with three outings now and none over 4 1/3 innings.

He had another poor one tonight as the New York Yankees took an early lead and later added on to beat the Orioles 8-3. The crowd was 42,829 and the second sellout of the year in addition to the April 7 home opener.

The best news of the night for the Birds was Tampa Bay's 17-4 loss at Houston. That means the O's AL East lead remains 1.5 games. 

The second batter of the game against Wells tonight, Aaron Judge bashed a fly ball deep to center field. He hit that ball 108.2 mph and it went 367 feet but it stayed in the park. But three pitches later Giancarlo Stanton lined one to left that didn’t stay in the yard and it didn’t get much better after that for the right-hander.

He is in the top five of the American League in walks and ranks top 10 in on-base percentage. And those are two big reasons O’s catcher Adley Rutschman will bat leadoff for the first time in his career tonight.

In 98 games this season he is batting .268/.368/.426/.794 and he ranks tied for third in the AL with 60 walks and is tied for eighth in OBP.

“Something I’ve been thinking about doing for a while,” manager Brandon Hyde said this afternoon. “It’s just because he is such a high on-base guy and just have him hit in front of Gunnar (Henderson) and (Anthony) Santander and (Ryan) O’Hearn. I’ve been thinking about it for a while and playing with it a little bit. Just give it a try.”

Could it become more permanent?

“Maybe. Not really sure. Against righties right now, but I could switch it in a couple of days too. We’ll see when Ced (Cedric Mullins) gets back also, what I’m going to do there. But we’re just giving it a try right now. Feel like with Adley’s on base numbers, he’s on base all the time. I like the idea of him hitting in front of Gunnar,” said Hyde.

The Orioles remain 1 ½ games ahead of second-place Tampa Bay as their series continues tonight against the Yankees at Camden Yards.

Anthony Santander hit a walk-off home run last night in a 1-0 win, improving the Orioles’ record to 20-10 in one-run games. Santander stays in right field tonight.

Manager Brandon Hyde is putting another unique spin on his lineup, batting Adley Rutschman first for the first time in the catcher’s major league career.

Rutschman extended his on-base streak to 13 games last night, tying his career high. He leads the club and American League catchers with a .368 OBP.

Gunnar Henderson moves down to second. He’s starting at shortstop, with Ramón Urías at third base.

T.J. McFarland missed the brutality of the Orioles’ rebuild process.

He was a Rule 5 pick in the winter of 2012, after the Orioles snapped a streak of 14 consecutive losing seasons and defeated the Rangers in the wild card game. He appeared in 37 games in 2014, when they won the division and reached the American League Championship Series. He was released in February 2017 after their final playoff appearance, the wild card loss in Toronto.

The rhythm of McFarland’s career skipped him over the front office, managerial, coaching and philosophical changes in the organization. It brought him back this week, four teams later, after he agreed to a minor league contract and reported to Triple-A Norfolk.

“I missed all of that,” he said with a laugh during yesterday’s phone conversation. “I was here with the good years. It’s funny how everybody, even the young guys in Norfolk, they were asking me about Baltimore and I was like, ‘I don’t know anything about that. I was here when (Adam) Jones was here and (J.J.) Hardy was here and (Chris) Davis was here. We went to the playoffs three of the years I was here. It was like, I don’t remember any of the rebuild part.”

McFarland, 34, has tossed 2 1/3 scoreless and hitless innings in two games with the Tides, though he’s walked three batters. He gives the major league club a veteran left-handed option for the stretch run.

It was a matchup of two right-handers who can bring 100 mph heat. One with a big career resume and one with big hopes for a brilliant MLB career.

On this night, the Orioles’ Grayson Rodriguez, once ranked the top pitching prospect in baseball, was matching Gerrit Cole, a six-time All-Star and six-time top 10 finisher in the Cy Young vote.

This classic old school pitchers' duel was turned over late to the bullpens and both kept the zeroes going well into the night and early Saturday morning. 

Then suddenly with one swing of Anthony Santander's bat, it was over.

He drilled a Tommy Kahnle 2-0 changeup over the right field wall with one out in the ninth for a 1-0 walk-off win over New York. It was Santander's second career walk-off homer and the 425-foot blast was his 18th on the year.

Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias is confident that his club can play deep into October in its present state. However, the front office has targeted areas of improvement.The sellers from the rebuild years are now buyers in first place.

“I think if we are going to make additional acquisition trades, I would bet heavily that they’re going to be on the pitching side of things,” Elias said this afternoon. “I think it’s no secret that that would be the areas of the team that, A, we could use more depth, or B, look for upgrades, so we’re working on that right now.

“This stuff, I don’t have total control over it. It’s a two-party transaction and there’s a big market out there happening right now, and we’re participating in that market. We’ll see what comes to it, but those are obviously the conversations that are first and foremost.”

They may be exclusive, with Elias downplaying the need for a left-handed hitting center fielder following injuries to Cedric Mullins and Aaron Hicks.

The club can’t set firm dates for their returns until they reach some milestones in their recoveries.

It is only 11 at-bats, but in that small sample, the Orioles’ Ramón Urías is batting .455 with a slugging percentage of .909 against Yankees’ right-hander Gerrit Cole.

Cole (9-2, 2.78 ERA) will face the Orioles tonight for the second time this year and for the 12^th time in his career. On May 23 of this season he had one of his worst starts of the year against the Orioles, allowing five runs and six hits over five innings. Cedric Mullins and Gunnar Henderson hit solo homers that night.

But over 11 career games, Cole is 5-3 with a 2.80 ERA, a .600 OPS and a WHIP of 0.991 against the Orioles.

Urías is 5-for-11 against the six-time All-Star, who has twice finished second for the Cy Young Award. He has two doubles and a homer against Cole.

“I think for me it is about looking for something up in the zone,” he said this afternoon. “I know he is good at throwing his slider down in the zone and he can get chases with that. For me, looking up in the zone is important and look for mistakes. Every time I see the ball down, you try to lay off. And that is how I have had some success against him.”

During an interview session with media this afternoon that lasted almost 27 minutes, Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias confirmed that pitching is the top priority at the trade deadline.

Elias said that if a deal is made, bet heavily on it being on “the pitching side.” Whether it’s depth or an upgrade.

Middle relief is viewed as an area that still needs to be addressed.

Injuries to outfielders Cedric Mullins and Aaron Hicks are viewed as “temporary” and won’t prompt the club to expand their trade targets.

Elias also said the club won’t make a terrible trade and force it just to “say we did something.” He believes that the current roster is capable of making a deep playoff run, but the Orioles are trying to add to it in a seller’s market.