Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman has advanced to the second-phase of voting for the 2023 All-Star Game, as he attempts to get the start for the AL in the game set for Tuesday, July 11 in Seattle.

The second phase of voting, which begins this Monday at 12:00 p.m. (ET), features the top two vote-getters at each position (and the top six outfielders in the AL; next four outfielders in the NL after Ronald Acuña Jr.) in each league based on vote totals from Phase 1, which ran from May 31^st to June 22^nd.

Acuña and Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels will bypass the second phase of voting and have claimed automatic starting assignments at the All-Star Game after leading their respective leagues in voting during Phase 1.

Phase 2 voting will give fans the opportunity to vote among the finalists at each position during a four-day window that concludes at 12:00 p.m. (ET) next Thursday.

Rutschman got 1,291,399 votes, as he tries to become the first O’s catcher to win a fan election since Matt Wieters in 2014. The other catcher finalist in the American League is Jonah Heim of the Texas Rangers, the Orioles’ fourth-round draft pick in 2013. Heim got 969,250 votes. The voting starts anew on Monday and previous votes do not carry over.  

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The roster churn slowed yesterday for the Orioles, who stuck with the same 26 players to close out their road trip. They made it through nine innings without an injury. The flu-like symptoms that have swept through the clubhouse apparently didn’t claim a new victim.

A win achieved on a day that they lost.

At least four players were impacted – Austin Hays, Gunnar Henderson, Danny Coulombe and Keegan Akin – and others might have been ill. The Orioles don’t invite media into the trainers’ room or share dehydration data.

Seven players remain on the injured list, but Cedric Mullins and Ryan Mountcastle began their injury rehab assignments last night with Triple-A Norfolk after Tuesday’s rainout in Nashville. Reliever Mychal Givens and Dillon Tate pitched.

Mullins started in center field went 1-for-5 with a two-run homer, and Mountcastle played first base and went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts. Mountcastle also committed a fielding error.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Rays hurt Tyler Wells today in the second inning.

Wells also hurt himself.

Ganging up on the right-hander prevented the Orioles from sweeping the two-game series.

Randy Arozarena and Isaac Paredes hit back-to-back home runs to begin the inning, Wells committed two errors that led to a pair of unearned runs, and Tampa Bay defeated the Orioles 7-2 before an announced crowd of 19,493 at Tropicana Field.

The Orioles managed only three hits until Gunnar Henderson's leadoff homer in the ninth and fell to 45-28 with their third loss in five games and fourth in seven. They’re five games behind the Rays again in the American League East.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Adley Rutschman is catching a day game following a night game as the Orioles finish their two-game series against the Rays.

Ramón Urías starts at first base after moving across the diamond last night in the ninth inning.

Ryan O’Hearn stays in the cleanup spot, but as the designated hitter today. Gunnar Henderson is playing third base.

Tyler Wells has lowered his ERA to 3.20 in 14 games, and he continues to lead the majors with a 0.857 WHIP. His .183 average against is second behind Shohei Ohtani’s .178.

Wells has allowed seven runs in his last four starts covering 24 2/3 innings. He’s made eight career appearances (four starts) against the Rays and gone 0-2 with a 6.45 ERA and 1.209 WHIP in 22 1/3 innings.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The question didn’t have anything to do with Austin Hays.

A reporter used manager Brandon Hyde’s pregame media session yesterday to get an opinion on Adley Rutschman receiving the most votes among American League catchers for the All-Star Game. But Hyde was more interested in Hays’ status among the outfielders.

He’d get back to Rutschman shortly. The player who didn’t need hyping.

Told that Hays is 15^th in balloting, Hyde immediately responded with, “That’s terrible.”

“We got a campaign going of some sort?” he asked, the tone playful but the disappointment real.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Orioles couldn’t walk inside the dome today until they let the dust settle from the latest roster shakeup.

Make another change in the bullpen. Fiddle again with the backup catcher and 40-man roster.

Listen as the club creates beautiful music. Cover ears when it gets bad. Hold breath until it’s over.

The bats made loud sounds in the first two innings, with home runs by Aaron Hicks and Anthony Santander pushing the Orioles to a big early lead. It almost disappeared while the bullpen was rocked in the sixth, but Yennier Cano got three outs and Félix Bautista the last four for his 20^th save in an 8-6 victory over the Rays before an announced crowd of 20,906 at Tropicana Field that included sections of orange behind the visiting dugout.

They, too, were loud.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde isn’t certain when he can post a lineup with Cedric Mullins in center field and Ryan Mountcastle at first base or as designated hitter. He just knows that it’s getting closer.

That's good enough for now.

The duo is beginning an injury rehab assignment tonight with Triple-A Norfolk, which is playing in Nashville. Mullins is leading off and serving as DH, with Mountcastle right behind him in the order and starting at first base.

The rest of Norfolk’s lineup includes Colton Cowser in right field, followed by shortstop Jordan Westburg, left fielder Heston Kjerstad, second baseman Connor Norby, third baseman César Prieto, center fielder Hudson Haskin and catcher Maverick Handley.

Justin Armbruester, who joined Prieto from Double-A Bowie, is on the mound.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Gunnar Henderson returns to the Orioles lineup and the leadoff spot tonight against the Rays after being scratched Sunday with the stomach flu.

Henderson is the designated hitter.

Ryan O’Hearn is batting cleanup again and playing first base.  

O’Hearn is batting .349 with a 1.003 OPS in 29 games with the Orioles. Only five players have hit .350 or higher in their first 30 games with the Orioles, and seven have registered a 1.000 OPS or higher, per STATS.

Austin Hays is 9-for-17 in his last four games and 12-for-25 in his last six. He’s collected at least two hits in his last four games, the longest streak of multiple-hit games in his career.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Orioles made a series of roster moves before playing their first game tonight against the Rays at Tropicana Field.

The pitching staff and catchers are impacted again.

Spenser Watkins was designated for assignment this morning to create room for catcher Anthony Bemboom on the 40-man roster. The Orioles selected Bemboom’s contract from Triple-A Norfolk and optioned backup José Godoy. 

Right-hander Logan Gillaspie was recalled from Norfolk to work in a middle relief role.

Watkins joined the Orioles twice this season but didn’t pitch for them. He missed a month with a laceration on his right ring finger, an injury sustained with Norfolk.

The Orioles return to their division tonight having lost four of their last seven series. However, they’ve won seven of their last 10 games.

They began yesterday tied with the Rangers for the second-best record in the American League and are 5 ½ games ahead of the third-place Yankees, who have lost four in a row. However, they are constantly pressed to prove their resiliency in the face of more adversity, including inflammation of their injured list.

There’s always a back and forth with this team, like the number of wins but also the huge amount of tight margins.  

A two-game series against the Rays begins tonight at Tropicana Field with the Orioles having seven players on the injured list. Backup catcher James McCann is the latest after spraining his left ankle Saturday afternoon.

(Sliding and diving into first base are never recommended. Avoid at all costs.)

Scout David Jennings was on edge long before the Orioles were on the clock again.

The 2019 draft began with the selection of catcher Adley Rutschman. There was no risk of losing the top player on the board. Having the worst record and picking first has its privileges.

Jennings tracked Alabama prep shortstop Gunnar Henderson since the kid was a skinny junior at John T. Morgan Academy in Selma. He saw the room for growth, both in body and skill set. He saw Henderson playing shortstop or third base for a long time, and at a high level.

But would it be with the Orioles?

They had the 42^nd overall pick and lots of time to think about it after Rutschman’s name was announced. Jennings knew the amount of interest in Henderson based on the number of scouts and executives attending his games. This wasn’t a hidden gem. This was a problem.

CHICAGO – The Orioles minor league rosters are in for some big changes very soon. According to a club source, eight players are about to be promoted and they include five players currently ranked among the O’s top 30 prospects list via Baseball America.

Moving from Double-A Bowie to Triple-A Norfolk are infielder César Prieto, right-handed pitcher Justin Armbruester and righty reliever Wandisson Charles.

Moving from High-A Aberdeen to Bowie are pitchers Alex Pham, Keagan Gillies and Jean Pinto and outfielder Jud Fabian.

Moving from Low Single-A Delmarva to Aberdeen is right-handed pitcher Juan Nunez.

Fabian is currently ranked as the Orioles’ No. 13 prospect by Baseball America and No. 15 via MLBPipeline.com. In 55 games with the IronBirds, he is batting .281/.392/.490/.882 with 13 doubles, nine homers, 35 runs, 19 steals and 43 RBIs. He was the No. 67 overall draft pick in 2022 out of the University of Florida.

CHICAGO – The Orioles showed up for the series finale at Wrigley Field today looking for some runs after scoring just five in the series' first two games, losing both. They knew they would again play without injured regulars Cedric Mullins and Ryan Mountcastle.

Shortly before gametime, they added Gunnar Henderson to the list of those they would be without. But at least this was not an injury. Manager Brandon Hyde told the Peacock broadcasters during the game that Henderson was not feeling well. He had recently missed a couple of games with a lower back issue, so that actually came as good news.

The news would get better mid-game on the way to a 6-3 Orioles win.

Trailing 3-2 to the top of the sixth, the Orioles put together their best rally of the weekend, scoring three runs on five hits to take a 5-3 lead. They won by that margin to salvage the final game of this series before Monday’s off-day and a series with first-place Tampa Bay that begins Tuesday.

Ryan O’Hearn started the go-ahead rally with a single off Cubs starter Jameson Taillon. Aaron Hicks doubled to deep right to put men on second and third, and a sac fly by Ramón Urías tied it 3-3. Lefty Anthony Kay came in from the Cubs’ bullpen and was greeted with Adam Frazier’s RBI single to center and an O’s 4-3 lead. That was just their second lead this series. Two batters later, Jorge Mateo’s RBI single made it 5-3 and sent another runner to third. But Mateo was thrown out trying to get to second.

CHICAGO – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde is hopeful that backup catcher James McCann, who went on the injured list today, will be back when his 10 days on the IL are up.

“We are hoping it is just going to be the 10 days,” Hyde said today about an hour before game time. “It’s an ankle sprain. He stayed in the game yesterday with that (left) ankle sprain, because he knew that I would have to put (Kyle) Gibson in the pitcher’s spot. Or in his spot to hit. So when his spot came around, that is when I hit for him (in the sixth inning). Went back there and caught a couple of innings with the sprain, so hats off to him. Shows the kind of competitor and teammate he is.”

The Orioles' second catcher today is a player who has only been in the organization a few weeks as they selected the contract of José Godoy, who was already here on the taxi squad. Reliever Reed Garrett was designated for assignment to make 40-man roster room for Godoy. The Orioles purchased Godoy’s contract from the New York Yankees on June 2.

Godoy, 28, from Maracaibo, Venezuela, is a lefty hitter and has played in 26 major league games in 2021 and 2022 with Seattle, Minnesota and Pittsburgh, batting .123/.194/.140/.334 with one double and four RBIs, going 7-for-57. He went a combined 1-for-20 last year for Pittsburgh and Minnesota.

Godoy, who was 6-for-21 this season for Triple-A Norfolk, is wearing No. 77.

The Orioles have lost four of their last seven series and will try today to avoid their first three-game sweep since May 13-15, 2022 in Detroit.

Catcher James McCann went on the 10-day injured list this morning with a sprained left ankle, and the Orioles selected catcher José Godoy’s contract from Triple-A Norfolk. Godoy was on the taxi squad in Chicago.

Reliever Reed Garrett was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.

McCann is batting .194/.232/.344 with five doubles and three home runs in 31 games.

Godoy, who’s wearing No. 77, was acquired from the Yankees on June 2 in a cash transaction. He’s appeared in 26 major league games over the past two seasons with the Mariners, Twins and Pirates and gone 7-for-57.

My mailbag wouldn’t travel to Chicago this weekend for one simple reason: It refuses to put a pickle and sliced tomato on a hot dog.

Hey, I don’t make the rules.

The Orioles finish their series against the Cubs this afternoon and are off again Monday, one of the six open dates in June’s schedule. They begin a two-game series in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Tuesday, with only one night of hotel living for the media due to the 12:10 p.m. start on Wednesday.

I’m not lugging the mailbag to Florida. I dumped its contents on my living room floor, mostly to cover the stain but also to answer some questions.

This is the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original. It hasn’t been modified and formatted to fit your screen.

CHICAGO – The Orioles came to Chicago riding a bit of a high. A series win over Toronto at home concluding a 5-1 homestand and they scored 42 runs in winning six of their previous seven games.

But their offense has been slowed by the Chicago Cubs in the first two games of this series at Wrigley Field, and the Orioles lost 3-2 today in front of 40,605 at the Friendly Confines to fall to 43-27.

O’s starter Kyle Gibson, an eight-game winner who was 4-0 with a 2.61 ERA his previous five starts, got his outing today started well. He fanned the first two hitters he faced in a 1-2-3 first inning on 15 pitches. He got two more strikeouts and retired the side in order in the home second.

But then the Cubs scored twice off him in the third to lead 2-0.

With one out, catcher Yan Gomes struck out on a sweeper, but he reached first on what was scored a wild pitch. When Mike Tauchman walked with two outs, second baseman Nico Hoerner came up and drilled an 0-1 two-seamer in the gap in left-center field. It went for a two-run double to break the 0-0 tie on a ball he hit 96.4 mph off the bat. Seiya Suzuki followed with a deep drive to center, but Aaron Hicks ran it down to retire the side.

CHICAGO – The Orioles have played without first baseman Ryan Mountcastle in the lineup since June 8. That was when the Orioles were in Milwaukee. He went on the injured list on June 13, retroactive to June 10, dealing with vertigo.

Mountcastle is here with the team in Chicago, took part in some pregame work yesterday and is doing the same today. On the 10-day IL, he could return as soon as Tuesday, when the Orioles play the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The Orioles don’t yet know if Mountcastle will make it back for that series. But manager Brandon Hyde was encouraged by his pregame fielding and hitting work on Friday at Wrigley Field.

“Yep, he’s going to do that again today,” Hyde said earlier. “We’re kind of just re-evaluating every day and see what we’re going to do. But he’s going to hit again today and move around the field a little bit.

“Really just taking it day-to-day with him right now. He swung the bat extremely well yesterday in batting practice, with a bunch of balls onto Waveland. Hopefully he does that again today and feels good, and we’ll reassess every day.”

The Orioles optioned reliever Reed Garrett after yesterday’s loss in Chicago and recalled pitcher Spenser Watkins.

Watkins hasn't pitched in the majors in 2023, though he was recalled earlier in the season.

The Cubs are starting left-hander Justin Steele today, and the Orioles’ lineup against him includes Austin Hays in the leadoff spot, Ramón Urías at first base for the third time this season, and James McCann behind the plate.

Joey Ortiz is the second baseman. Adley Rutschman is serving as designated hitter.

Kyle Gibson is 8-3 with a 3.90 ERA and 1.301 WHIP in 14 starts. He’s registered seven quality starts.

Mike Baumann’s baseball life has taken him to many places and into many roles.

The Orioles made the decision in spring training to remove the starter duties and just let him focus on relief. To be more specific, shorter spurts that allow for an uptick in velocity.

There’s no easing into a new responsibility. Not around here. If you put on the uniform and walk to the bullpen, you’re a high-leverage guy who must get big outs.

Clean innings aren’t promised, as Baumann has learned.

Going into Thursday afternoon’s series finale, Baumann was tied with Toronto’s Tim Mayza and the Royals’ José Cuas for the second-most inherited runners in the majors, with 27. The Yankees’ Ron Marinaccio was first with 28, but Mayza moved atop the leader board with his 29th.