DENVER - The Orioles are in Colorado for three games against the last-place Rockies, who are a bottom-three team in the majors. They are polar opposites of the Dodgers. It’s like drinking San Pellegrino or straight from the garden hose.

The clubs met at Camden Yards last summer and the Orioles won two of three, with each game decided by a single run. The Rockies won two of three in 2019 at Coors Field during the infant stages of the Orioles’ rebuild.

Known as “infant” because it made you cry every hour.

In the Orioles’ lone victory, Keon Broxton played center field and Stevie Wilkerson was in left. Hanser Alberto batted leadoff. Josh Lucas tossed three scoreless innings for his only major league save.

My only memory of that series isn’t Josh Lucas. It’s Broxton swinging at the first pitch thrown to him as an Oriole, by former prospect Jeff Hoffman, and hitting it 474 feet onto the left field concourse. Jaws dropped in the press box simultaneously, creating a sound louder than the home run.

LOS ANGELES – In the early innings tonight, Orioles lefty Cade Povich was getting into and out of trouble. But he could not keep escaping damage.

The Dodgers scored four off him in the last of the fourth to open a 5-0 lead. They beat the Orioles 6-3 to take two of three in this series pitting two of baseball’s best clubs against each other.

Los Angeles (80-54) becomes the first team in the majors to hit the 80-win mark and has won eight of 10, 14 of 19 and 17 of its last 24.

The Dodgers are 5-0 this year in series versus American League East teams, going 11-4 over 15 games.

At 77-58, the Orioles have lost three of four and eight of 13 games. They end a two-series stretch versus the first-place Astros and Dodgers going 3-4. And they are now 1 1/2 games behind the Yankees, who had tonight off.

LOS ANGELES – With 28 games left in the regular season, the chase is on for the Orioles. They are chasing a playoff berth and an American League East title, but also chasing the calendar in terms of getting their injured players back with enough time both to perform at their previous levels and also impact the playoff race.

In that regard, Sunday could be a big day for the team in their series finale at Colorado. Right-hander Zach Eflin can return from the injured list that day. He is 4-0 with an ERA of 2.13 in four O’s starts. The last one was Aug. 15 and he went on the IL with right shoulder inflammation after that game.

But now, without a rehab assignment or even having faced any hitters in a simulated game, he is on the verge of rejoining the rotation.

“He is a possibility for Sunday, yeah,” manager Brandon Hyde confirmed today. “I know he was going to throw today, but yeah, there is a chance he can pitch Sunday.”

Meanwhile right-hander Grayson Rodriguez threw off flat ground pregame twice during this series with the Dodgers on Tuesday and again today. Rodriguez, 13-4 with a 3.86 ERA, last pitched July 31 and is on the IL with right lat/teres discomfort. 

LOS ANGELES – The Orioles and Dodgers have split the first two games of this three-game series and tonight's winner will take the series at Dodger Stadium.

Los Angeles (79-54, .594) has the best record in the major leagues and has won seven of nine, 13 of 18 and 16 of its last 23 games. In the 23 games, the Dodgers are scoring 5.1 runs per game with a team ERA of 3.19.

The Dodgers are 44-24 at home and 26-14 versus American League teams.

The O's lineup tonight is a look we've seen a lot versus right-handers with Colton Cowser leading off, Adley Rutschman catching and Gunnar Henderson at shortstop. Eloy Jiménez is the designated hitter and Cedric Mullins is back in center field and batting seventh.

The Orioles (77-57) begin play today one game behind the Yankees, who are off, for the AL East lead with 28 games remaining. The two games this series have been decided by three total runs. The O's have played a lot of close games lately, with seven of their past 10 decided by one or two runs. They are 4-3 in those contests.

Emptying a mailbag is more complicated than it appears on the surface, because of what’s happening at the bottom.

To put it in simple terms, stuff gets stuck.

Here are some extra questions that I didn’t want to ignore. Same no rules apply.

With Grayson Rodriguez not due back until mid-to-late September, that may not be enough time to be built back up. Is it silly to think he could fill in as a closer for the playoffs?
You aren’t the only one to have this thought and it does intrigue. The rotation needs Rodriguez and building him up is part of the process leading to his reinstatement from the injured list. That’s why it’s going to take this long. But it isn’t the worst idea. I had someone else nominate Dean Kremer for the job. But again, the rotation is the priority.

Which of the three areas on the roster needs to improve the most for the Orioles to make a deep playoff run: Starting rotation, bullpen or lineup?
Yes. All of them. But it always starts with starting pitching. What happened in the Division Series is proof. However, blown leads late in games or an offense that can’t get more than three hits also will doom you. The Orioles were fortunate to beat the Dodgers Tuesday with only three runs scored and Cole Irvin going 4 1/3 innings – a short leash at 60 pitches. The bullpen was money with 4 2/3 scoreless innings.

LOS ANGELES – With a chance to win this series and ruin Shohei Ohtani and Decoy (his dog) bobblehead night at Dodger Stadium, the Orioles took an early 3-1 in the second inning.

But by the last of third, they trailed 5-3 and were wondering again why right-hander Corbin Burnes suddenly began pitching poorly a few starts ago.

Burnes allowed six runs, just one earned, including Teoscar Hernández’s long three-run homer in the third, as the Dodgers beat the Orioles 6-4 to even this series.

Another sellout crowd was on hand with 53,290 at Dodger Stadium as Los Angeles improved to 79-54 with its 13th win in 18 games. Los Angeles is now 44-24 at home and 10-4 versus American League East clubs.

A win would have moved the Orioles into a first-place tie with the Yankees, who lost again at Washington. But the O’s could not get it, now sitting at 77-57 and one game out.

LOS ANGELES – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde, already with a group of 12 on the club's injured list, found out today that infielder Jorge Mateo will not make it back for any of the remaining part of the 2024 season.

Today he had a left elbow ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (Tommy John surgery) with internal brace and flexor repair. The surgery was performed by Dr. Keith Meister at Trinity Park Surgery Center in Arlington, Texas. 

“He had successful surgery today. We’re happy about that,” said Hyde. “That everything went really well. Hoping he is back by the regular season next year, but we’re happy the surgery went well.

“He’s a big loss, just like Westy’s (Jordan Westburg) a big loss also. What we lose (with the) speed factor, the defense, the stolen base threat. Everything he does bring. You know, when he’s going well he’s tough to get out and if you don’t get him out he’s going to score because of the threat he is on the bases. Losing Jorgie is a big loss for us.”

Mateo becomes the fifth player on the O's IL list of 12 that will not return this year, joining Félix Bautista, Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells. 

LOS ANGELES – Orioles infielder Jorge Mateo, on the injured list since July 25 with a left elbow subluxation, had surgery today and will miss the rest of the 2024 season.

The O's, until this news, held out longshot hope he might return late this year and possibly for the postseason. 

But today he had successful left elbow ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction with internal brace and flexor repair. 

The surgery was performed by Dr. Keith Meister at Trinity Park Surgery Center in Arlington, Texas. 

Mateo has one more year of arbitration eligibility coming this winter and could be a free agent at the end of the 2025 season.

The Orioles made a move today aimed at their outfield depth, claiming Forrest Wall on waivers from the Marlins and optioning him to Triple-A Norfolk.

The 40-man roster was full, necessitating a corresponding move that led the Orioles to designate reliever Dillon Tate for assignment.

Wall, 28, is a left-handed hitter who appeared in 13 games with the Braves this season and three with the Marlins, going a combined 8-for-32. He debuted in the majors with Atlanta last summer and was 6-for-13 with two doubles and a home run, and he had one plate appearance in the National League Division Series.

Wall is a career .272/.354/.401 hitter in 10 minor league seasons. The Rockies made him the 35^th-overall pick in the 2014 draft, and he was traded to the Blue Jays four years later in a deal that also involved reliever Bryan Baker.

Heston Kjerstad remains on the concussion injured list and Wall, who has two minor options remaining, gives Norfolk a left-handed hitter.

The latest road trip began last night at Dodger Stadium, where the World Series memories for the franchise are much nicer than in Queens. The Orioles are down to two after they return next week from Denver, playing three games in Boston and Detroit and three in New York and Minnesota.

The roster is going to change multiple times to uphold the 2024 theme. It’s much too late for stability. Don't even think it.

The injured list should get a little bit lighter. An extra player and position player can be added on Sept. 1.

In the meantime, let’s check out some more lingering questions.

* How long is the leash on Burch Smith?

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.

LOS ANGELES – The Orioles are slowly getting healthier and manager Brandon Hyde would say “knock on wood” when you mention that. His team currently has 12 players on the injured list. 

Righty reliever Jacob Webb is reporting to Triple-A Norfolk to soon throw for the Tides. Perhaps as soon as early next week, the O’s could get a key piece in their bullpen back. Meanwhile, starter Zach Eflin is eligible to return from the injured list on Sunday and Hyde today confirmed what Eflin earlier told reporters – he will not need a rehab assignment. Perhaps he gets that Sunday start in Colorado.

Eflin and right-hander Grayson Rodriguez (on the IL with right lat discomfort) both did some light tossing pregame today in the Dodger Stadium outfield.

As for Webb, he last pitched on Aug. 2 and went on the IL a few days later due to right shoulder inflammation.

“He’s going to throw here in the next few days,” Hyde said of Webb, who has a 3.08 ERA and .188 batting average against over 53 games. “If all goes well, could be anytime. Sometime beginning of September. Which would be huge.”

LOS ANGELES – Center fielder Cedric Mullins is back in the Orioles lineup tonight as they begin their road trip against the Dodgers.

Mullins left Friday's game early with left quad tightness and missed the last two games of the Houston series. He took batting practice before Sunday's game and will make the start tonight.

Ryan O'Hearn, who has not homered since July 20, gets the start at first base after Ryan Mountcastle went on the injured list Monday with a left wrist sprain.

With 30 games left in their regular season, the Orioles have three road trips remaining, the first beginning with their series-opener tonight at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers (78-53) have the best record in the major leagues and are 12-4 in their past 16 games. 

The Orioles are laboring on offense, hurting for healthy starting pitching and unable to fully trust their bullpen. Otherwise, there’s nothing to see here.

They’re also only two games behind in the division and are first in the wild card chase.

I say “only” knowing that it’s a genuine concern compared to leading the pack, which they’ve done for much of the season. But no one is running away with a division. No one is playing .600 ball. There isn't a dominant team.

The Dodgers are the closest at .595 and are 43-23 at home, and the Orioles arrived yesterday for a three-game series beginning tonight. But otherwise, really, there’s nothing to see here.

There are questions in the mailbag that I cannot ignore. Time again to drum up a sequel to the beloved 2008 original. You ask, I attempt to answer, sometimes the same inquiry comes as if I’m typing in invisible ink, sometimes I playfully ridicule.

The Orioles can’t keep playing with a short bench. They can’t keep waiting for Ryan Mountcastle’s status to shift from day-to-day.

They also can't maintain a healthy stretch in 2024.

Mountcastle was placed on the 10-day injured list this afternoon, retroactive to Friday, with a left wrist sprain. Infielder Livan Soto was recalled again from Triple-A Norfolk.

The injury occurred Thursday night against the Astros after Mountcastle slid head-first into second base with a double in the second inning. He was removed in the top of the ninth and didn’t play in the next three games.

The earliest that Mountcastle can return is Sept. 2, a day after rosters expand to 28 players.

The trade that brought Eloy Jiménez to the Orioles was celebrated in some Chicago circles. Always injured, not hitting, clogging a roster spot and some payroll space. And the cost for the Orioles was Triple-A left-handed reliever Trey McGough, who never cracked a prospect top 30 list.

“We hope we can get Eloy on a heater,” executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias said that night on the MASN broadcast.

Since he left the Windy City, you could warm your hands over Jiménez, who slashed .240/.297/.345 in 65 games with the White Sox and began last night 16-for-52 (.308) in 17 games with the Orioles. He had their first hit with a leadoff single in the fifth inning.

What gives?

“I think everybody just kind of elevates when they’re around good players,” said Orioles offensive strategy coach Cody Asche. “That’s not to say that Chicago doesn’t have good players, but I think we’ve got really good players. We’ve got a lot of good guys with impeccable work ethics, preparation, so I think he’s just been able to kind of follow the lead of guys like Ced (Mullins), Gunn (Gunnar Henderson), Tony (Santander).

A team has only so many dramatic comebacks in the bank. Expecting three in a row seems a bit unreasonable, a tall order that can’t always be scaled. Maybe spread them out a little.

Make a baseball life a little easier while fighting to get back into first place.

Dean Kremer ran into two-out trouble in the fourth inning tonight, surrendering three runs and receiving no offensive support except for a walk. No hits or rallies. Nothing unusual for this team.

Ramón Urías tied the game in the fifth inning with a three-run homer, the uprising a tad earlier than usual, but Alex Bregman and Yanier Diaz went back-to-back on consecutive Burch Smith pitches in the seventh in the Astros’ 6-3 victory over the Orioles before an announced crowd of 21,654 at Camden Yards that split the series.

The heroics ran out for the Orioles, who were held to a season-low two hits and are 76-56.

Samuel Basallo on up to Triple-A. The Orioles' top 100 catching prospect is being promoted to Norfolk after homering for Bowie today in his final game with the Double-A Baysox.

Basallo is ranked as the No. 11 prospect in baseball per MLBPipeline.com and No. 17 by Baseball America. He’s had a very solid year at Double-A that included an appearance in the All-Star Futures Game in July in Arington, Tex.

Now, in just his second year of full-season minor league ball, he is moving up again. He began last year at Low-A Delmarva, moved to High-A Aberdeen and ended 2023 with Bowie, hitting 20 homers with an OPS of .953 for those clubs. This year he takes the step from Double-A to Triple-A having turned 20 just 12 days ago.

In 106 Bowie games, Basallo has hit .289/.355/.465/.820 with 22 doubles, 16 homers and 55 RBIs. Basallo began this season as a DH-only with the Orioles in big league camp after suffering a stress fracture in his right elbow over the winter. He’s been catching since early this season. He has made 45 starts this season catching with a 27 percent caught stealing percentage, 27 starts at first base and 29 as DH.

He became the 14^th Baysox player selected to play in the Futures Game, where he batted fourth for the American League team, going 0-for-1 with a walk.

Triple-A Norfolk outfielder Daniel Johnson is on the Orioles’ 24-hour taxi squad while center fielder Cedric Mullins is reevaluated for left quadriceps tightness.

Mullins exited Friday's game due to discomfort and so far he's avoided the injured list. Johnson was removed from Norfolk’s game after two at-bats that night, and he’s got a locker at Camden Yards in case Mullins’ quad doesn’t improve enough to let him play.

Johnson, also a left-handed bat, is hitting .267/.333/.479 with 17 doubles, a triple, 20 home runs and 70 RBIs in 98 games with Norfolk. He hasn’t played in the majors since 2021 with Cleveland.

The Orioles would need to make a corresponding 40-man roster move to accommodate him.

“A lot of at-bats,” Johnson said when asked to explain his success with the Tides. “Get a lot of at-bats, you can do a lot every single day. So just the ABs. It’s an opportunity.”

The Orioles designated left-hander Nick Vespi for assignment this afternoon after optioning him for a fifth time, and they claimed right-hander Brooks Kriske on waivers from the Reds.

Kriske was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk to leave the active roster untouched. The 40-man remains full.

Vespi couldn’t be optioned again without passing through waivers. He tossed a scoreless inning Thursday against the Astros.

Kriske provides more flexibility, and he’s back in the organization after appearing in four games with the Orioles in 2021 and allowing five runs in 3 2/3 innings. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2023 with the Royals, spending the next two years in Japan.

The Reds signed Kriske as a free agent in December. He had a 3.10 ERA in 42 games with Triple-A Louisville and struck out 72 batters in 49 1/3 innings.