ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Félix Bautista sat in the visiting bullpen last night, knowing the phone wasn’t ringing for him.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde needed Bautista to close out Wednesday afternoon’s game at Camden Yards. He needed Bautista Thursday night to cover the ninth and 10^th innings in a 4-3 win over the Rays that catapulted his club into sole possession of first place.

A save situation last night was going to be someone else’s responsibility.

Let the Mountain rest.

The Orioles were shut out 3-0. The entire offense went into a slumber.

A familiar spot isn’t where the Orioles want to hunker down. They don’t find comfort on the wrong side of the score. The struggle to keep fighting back is real.

Harold Ramírez singled off Kyle Bradish tonight in the second inning, Brandon Lowe raced home, and the Orioles fell behind again. With their offense on mute.

Did they have a 36^th comeback victory in them?

They didn’t have a run.

Zach Elfin tossed seven scoreless innings to outduel Kyle Bradish, and the Orioles relinquished sole possession of first place in the division with a 3-0 loss to the Rays before an announced crowd of 19,703 at Tropicana Field.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Manager Brandon Hyde met with new reliever Shintaro Fujinami this afternoon and shared the club’s expectations for him.  

Nothing too detailed. Nothing about a specific role. Keep it simple and relaxed.

“They said, ‘We’re going to put you in a good spot, so do your best,’” Fujinami said today, sitting next to interpreter Issei Kamada in the visiting dugout at Tropicana Field.

The Orioles want Fujinami to feel comfortable and they’d like to reduce the initial pressure on him, with low-leverage spots if the circumstances allow it.

They rarely do on this club.

The Orioles completed their roster move today by welcoming reliever Shintaro Fujinami to the club and optioning Logan Gillaspie to Triple-A Norfolk.

Fujinami was acquired from the Athletics on Wednesday for Triple-A left-hander Easton Lucas. He goes into the bullpen, where Gillaspie sat for two games without pitching.

Fujinami was given No. 14, last worn by infielder Rio Ruiz in 2021.

Alone in first place for the first time since August 2016, the Orioles will try to build on their one-game lead with Kyle Bradish back on the mound and on his own roll.

Bradish has lowered is ERA to 3.05, with no runs allowed in his last two starts over 13 1/3 innings and one run in his last three over 19 1/3. He’s surrendered three runs in his last four starts spanning 26 1/3 innings.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Adam Frazier squared to bunt twice last night against Tampa Bay reliever Robert Stephenson and didn’t make contact, both cutters missing outside the strike zone. His next attempt produced a foul ball, and finally, the sacrifice that moved automatic runner Aaron Hicks to third base.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde was playing for one run. Get a sacrifice fly from rookie Colton Cowser to take the lead and send closer Félix Bautista back out for the bottom of the 10^th inning.

Hyde might not try it with any other reliever, but Bautista isn’t any other reliever.

Call him “Mountain,” and watch his ERA shrink to a mole hill.

Bautista got six outs in the Orioles’ 4-3 win over the Rays at Tropicana Field. They won’t be swept in 71 consecutive series. They’ll try to win their 19^th this season.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Gunnar Henderson thought he drew a leadoff walk in the top of the first inning tonight, chucking his bat and taking a couple steps toward first base. Plate umpire Junior Valentine called him out on strikes, and Henderson reluctantly made the walk of shame to retrieve it.

This isn’t how the Orioles wanted to begin an important four-game series. Unable to trust their eyes or get a baserunner for three innings. An early deficit challenging them to post a 35^th comeback win.

Inside a ballpark with fake grass and real advantages for the Rays.

A three-run fourth inning, which began with Henderson’s leadoff triple, had the Orioles poised to get it done again, but Yandy Díaz tied the game in the seventh with a two-run double off Yennier Cano. Too much intensity for either team to go quietly.

The 35th happened anyway. With a veteran laying down a sacrifice bunt and a rookie playing in his 11th major league game driving in the go-ahead run.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – New Orioles reliever Shintaro Fujinami is traveling from the West Coast and could report to the club on Friday.

“We’ll see,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “We’re not quite there yet.”

Fujinami was acquired from the Athletics last night for minor league pitcher Easton Lucas. The Orioles will make a corresponding roster move after he arrives.

Logan Gillaspie was recalled yesterday and could be optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. The decision could hinge on tonight’s bullpen usage.

Fujinami is the second Japanese-born player in Orioles history, joining Koji Uehara from 2009-11. He’s the latest plus fastball, plus splitter pitcher to join the bullpen, his four-seamer increasing in velocity and touching triple digits after the Athletics pulled him from the rotation.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles are sticking with the same 26-man roster tonight as they begin a four-game series against the Rays, who trail them by percentage points in the American League East.

This is the latest that the Orioles have sat atop the division since Aug. 12, 2016.

Japanese right-hander Shintaro Fujinami, acquired from the Athletics last night for left-hander Easton Lucas, hasn’t reported to the team.

Gunnar Henderson is leading off and playing third base. Henderson has a 15-game on-base streak.

Anthony Santander is playing first base. He’s reached base in 16 straight games.

The Orioles don’t need a closer at the trade deadline. And I mention it only to link to the title of this article.

The bullpen must get stronger, and not in the eighth and ninth innings. The club has prioritized middle-to-setup territory to shorten games for its rotation, which led to last night’s acquisition of Japanese right-hander Shintaro Fujinami from the Athletics. A plan steeped in logic.

Fujinami can audition over the 11-12 days or however many times he's told to get warm and pitch. The blazing fastball and the splitter could make him a weapon. The Orioles have a track record in this area. And it's low risk with Fujinami signed only through 2023.

Cole Irvin’s switch back to long relief could pay big dividends, at least judging by the four innings he covered Tuesday night against the Dodgers.

Austin Voth is trying to begin an injury rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League, but his start Tuesday was rained out and the club didn’t play yesterday. He also could provide length with a healthy elbow.

The Orioles made a move tonight aimed at improving their bullpen.

The team announce that it has acquired right-hander Shintaro Fujinami from the Athletics for minor league pitcher Easton Lucas.

Triple-A Norfolk infielder Josh Lester was designated for assignment to create room for Fujinami on the 40-man roster.

Fujinami, a 29-year-old native of Sakai, Japan, made 34 appearances in his first major league season and posted an 8.57 ERA and 1.662 WHIP in 49 1/3 innings. He walked 30 batters and struck out 51.

Seven of those outings were starts, but the Orioles plan on using him in a relief role.

Dean Kremer didn’t view today’s start as some sort of revenge game. His goal was to give the Orioles a chance to win and avoid their first series sweep in 14 months. The opponent presented an opportunity to visit with friends from his former organization. Don’t read more into it.

Tyler Wells threw 40 pitches in the second inning last night and was done. Kremer threw 37 in the first and tried to rework the script.

The Orioles fell behind by two runs, answered back with four in the bottom of the first as a sudden rain shower sent fans scrambling for cover, and produced their 34^th comeback win to lead the majors. But Kremer fell one out short of qualifying for the decision.

Ramón Urías doubled twice and drove in three runs and Gunnar Henderson hit his 15^th home run in an 8-5 victory over the Dodgers before an announced crowd of 22,248 at Camden Yards. The bullpen covered the last 4 1/3 innings after Kremer was charged with five runs in 4 2/3.

The Rays lost in Texas and are percentage points behind the Orioles for first place as the teams begin a four-game series Thursday night at Tropicana Field.

Cedric Mullins’ latest trip to the injured list appears related to his previous stop, which lasted almost a month.

Mullins was shut down with a strained right groin. He exited Saturday’s game with tightness in his right quadriceps and returned to the IL this morning with a right adductor groin strain.

“It’s just his upper leg, so groin, quad,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “Felt it in his quad, originally. The soreness is moving around in that upper leg area. It’s a lower-body injury that we’re just going to take a little more time with.

“It has been progressing, but it’s not progressing at the rate that we were hoping, and so the right thing to do is make sure he’s all the way healthy and running well before we activate him.”

Mullins is eligible to return on Wednesday, which might be an overly ambitious goal.

The Orioles needed length out of their bullpen today and recalled Logan Gillaspie from Triple-A Norfork. Cedric Mullins has gone on the 10-day injured list with a right adductor groin strain, a move that’s retroactive to Sunday.

Mullins hasn’t played since Saturday night, when the club announced that he felt tightness in his right quadriceps. He missed almost a month with a groin injury before returning on June 24.

The roster is back to 13 pitchers and 13 position players.

Gillaspie has appeared in 11 games with the Orioles and posted a 6.00 ERA and 2.111 WHIP in nine innings. He’s made 21 appearances with Norfolk and registered a 3.91 ERA and 1.478 WHIP in 23 innings.

Gillaspie’s last appearance was Sunday, when he tossed one inning.

John Means has adjusted his target return date to Sept. 1, hoping that he’s experienced the last of his setbacks following Tommy John surgery.

The elbow is fine, but Means sustained a strain in his left teres major, a muscle in the scapula/upper back region, while participating in non-throwing activation drills in May during his rehab program.

The Orioles used to view Means as a potential in-house trade deadline acquisition, but the strain eliminated July as a possibility for reinstatement from the 60-day injured list.

Means threw his third bullpen session yesterday, mixing in his changeup for the first time. The other two were strictly fastballs.

“I should do a couple of these and a couple with all the pitches,” Means said, “and then should be back throwing to hitters pretty quickly.”

The nine days between starts didn’t freshen Tyler Wells. The break busted his roll.

The Dodgers sent 10 batters to the plate in the second inning, scored five runs and drained 40 pitches out of Wells, who didn’t return for the third in the Orioles’ 10-3 loss before an announced crowd of 22,775 at Camden Yards.

The Orioles will try Wednesday afternoon to avoid their first sweep since May 2022. A second straight loss lowered their record to 57-37.

Wells came close to duplicating the shortest start of his career, 1 2/3 innings against the Rays in April 2022. He lasted at least five in his first 18 appearances this season.

Jason Heyward hit a three-run homer with no outs in the second, lining a fastball over the center field fence for the 22^nd surrendered by Wells this season. The first five batters reached base, and Freddie Freeman and Will Smith had RBI singles.

Cedric Mullins remains confident that he can avoid the injured list as he recovers from tightness in his right quadriceps.

Mullins is out of the lineup for a third consecutive game. He sustained the injury Saturday night in the second inning while running from first to third base on Jordan Westburg’s fly ball down the right field line.

The ball sliced foul, and Mullins walked off the field with head athletic trainer Brian Ebel.

Asked how he’s progressing, Mullins replied, “I’d say pretty good.”

“It’s just one of those weird things where, as I’m getting work done to it, the soreness kind of accumulates from that,” he said. “Just continuing with the progression there. But I think it’s coming along pretty well.”

Orioles scout Trent Friedrich used the word multiple times today when describing outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr.

Different.

Friedrich watched Bradfield play at American Heritage High School in Plantation, Fla. in 2018. He tracked Bradfield at Vanderbilt University, with Tennessee part of his territory. And he knew.

“He impacted the game in so many ways,” Friedrich said. “It’s been really fun ever since he was a sophomore in high school, following him through high school, and then coming into my area at Vanderbilt and being able to watch him the last three years.

“He’s just been different every step of the way.”

The Orioles filed off the field last night with their first loss since July 4. The winning streak expired at eight games.

It didn’t influence their standing as the team with the third-best record in baseball.

The trade deadline arrives in two weeks. The club isn’t broken, so why fix it?

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias is intent on strengthening it. There’s a difference. He’s finally free to operate as a buyer, and he’s got the prospect resources to keep his phone ringing.

A partner is necessary to consummate a deal, and the Orioles will be active in the search. But what exactly do they need?

The first three pitches from Grayson Rodriguez tonight were clocked at 98.9, 99.2 and 99.8 mph, resulting in a fly ball from Dodgers leadoff hitter Mookie Betts.

That’s when he decided to turn up the heat.

Rodriguez concluded an eight-pitch at-bat against Freddie Freeman by getting him to ground a 101-mph fastball to third baseman Ramón Urías. Six of his pitches exceeded 100 mph in the inning. He didn’t top 99.3 during his first stint with the club.

This wasn’t the same version of Rodriguez. Not until he came back out for the sixth.

Twice handed three-run leads, Rodriguez couldn’t record an out in the sixth and watched from the dugout as Chris Taylor hit a grand slam off Bryan Baker in the Dodgers’ 6-4 victory over the Orioles before an announced crowd of 21,956 at Camden Yards.

Cole Irvin knew before the All-Star break that he was switching to a relief role. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde explained the left-hander’s removal from the rotation, and how rookie Grayson Rodriguez was returning from Triple-A Norfolk.

Irvin handled the situation like a professional.

“I’m throwing well,” he said today, “and I’m excited to have Grayson back.”

Two starts this month lowered Irvin’s ERA from 4.95 to 4.51. He allowed two runs over 11 1/3 innings and cleared the sixth for the first time with the Orioles.

He remained the odd man out with Rodriguez pitching himself back to Baltimore.