OAKLAND – Orioles catcher Robinson Chirinos, who had a 92 mph fastball strike his shoulder and glance off his face near the cheek yesterday, could play today in an emergency situation if the Orioles had to use him in the series finale at Oakland.

Catcher Anthony Bemboom will make his fifth start today, batting eighth and catching Tyler Wells against the A’s. Chirinos was hit by a Daulton Jefferies pitch in the second inning of Wednesday’s game. After being looked at by the training staff, he left the field and the game. It was later announced he had a facial contusion. Chirinos has made eight starts this year and is batting  .182/.357/.182/.539 with no homers or RBIs in his first nine games with the club.

“He’s feeling a lot better today,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We dodged a bullet with him yesterday. That was a scary moment. We got lucky a little bit, it hit his shoulder I think first and more kind of glanced off his face. But it’s sore and swollen. He passed all the tests and he feels good and he wants to play. I’m going to try and not play him (today). Woke up this morning and that was a good phone to get that he’s OK. He could probably play today, but I don’t want him to.”

After a day where five O's pitcher combined for the club's third shutout of the year, Hyde had some props for bullpen lefty Paul Fry, a pitcher trying to recapture his previous form. And a pitcher that struggled so badly with his command late last year that he was optioned out to Triple-A.

But since giving up three runs in an outing April 10 versus Tampa Bay, he has thrown scoreless ball over his past three games. That includes a 1-2-3 sixth here yesterday on 11 pitches.

The Orioles close out their series in Oakland this afternoon with Tyler Wells on the mound and a chance to gain a split after last night’s 1-0 win – the team’s third shutout of the season.

Wells is making his third start after tossing four scoreless innings against the Yankees. He’s been stretched out to 64 pitches.

The rotation has registered a 1.13 ERA since April 11, the lowest in the majors, with five earned runs in 39 2/3 innings.

The Orioles and Giants have allowed three home runs, fewest in the majors. The Orioles and Mets are the only staffs with three shutouts.

On the offensive side, the Orioles’ four home runs and 24 runs scored are the fewest in baseball. The .585 OPS is the lowest in the American League and third-lowest in the majors.

As the Orioles move through the first series of their three-city road trip, hoping the weather allows them to play this afternoon in Oakland, the activity down in Sarasota is picking up in intensity. The daily routine is shifting into another gear.

There’s more to track than the major league club and four full-season affiliates. You just need to do some digging.

The Orioles are playing their first extended spring training game today against the Pirates. Veteran Matt Harvey, signed to a minor league contract on April 8, is making the start.

Harvey won’t be asked to provide much length, of course, since he’s been working out with the team for less than two weeks. But if you’re wondering how far along he is, well, he’s starting an extended spring training game.

Rico Garcia, who missed the 2021 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, will follow Harvey.

OAKLAND - It seems quite improbable. But at this early stage of the 2022 season, the Baltimore Orioles' pitching rotation and entire pitching staff is hanging with the best in baseball. And the latest example came on a cool, sunny afternoon in Oakland.

Right-hander Jordan Lyles, coming off a strong outing against the Yankees, had another one today, throwing five scoreless innings as the Orioles blanked Oakland 1-0. Four relievers completed the shutout, which included an impressive five-out save from Jorge López as the Orioles improved to 4-8.

When the game ended, the Orioles charged out of their first-base dugout.

“Our guys were fired up," said manager Brandon Hyde. "In the dugout, we exploded after that last out. What an amazing job by all of our pitchers, especially Lopie coming in there at the end of the game. The first-and-third situation in the eighth and got us out of that, and then an easy ninth. Jordan Lyles set the tone, five great innings."

Baltimore has scored just a single run for three straight games in Oakland, but today they got a victory out of it. 

OAKLAND – The search for offense to match their strong pitching continues for the Orioles today in the third game of this series in Oakland. They’ve lost the first two games, scoring just two runs in the series.

Last night they hit seven balls 100 mph or more that were caught and turned into outs. Since the Statcast era of data began in 2015, just twice have the Orioles hit more. On both Sept. 3, 2017 and Sept, 21, 2019 they had opponents turn eight balls hit 100 mph or more into outs.

Does manager Brandon Hyde have concerns that his hitters will get frustrated that even when they square up balls like they did last night, the results still don’t come?

“I think we have quite a few guys pressing a little bit and they want to see results,” he said ahead of today’s game in the Baltimore dugout. “I was encouraged the way we swung the bats, especially the first half of the game. We drove a bunch of balls into the big part of the field and (center fielder Christian) Pache made a bunch of nice plays. The ball wasn’t really carrying last night.

“I know our guys want to see results and want to see some numbers being put up. We’ve started the season in a bit of an offensive funk and hopefully we get out of it soon. Maybe last night is a good sign that we hit so many balls hard that we’re on our way. We’ve also faced some good pitching, too, at this point. Hopefully, we get it going today.”

The Orioles have scored two runs while losing the first two games of their series in Oakland, but the rotation has allowed one run or fewer in five straight and seven of eight.

Tonight’s lineup includes Ryan McKenna in right field, Anthony Santander in left and Austin Hays on the bench.

Ryan Mountcastle is the designated hitter. Trey Mancini is starting at first base.

Kelvin Gutiérrez is playing third base and Chris Owings is the shortstop.

Owings is 0-for-7 with three walks and seven strikeouts.

The Triple-A Norfolk Tides are starting Grayson Rodriguez tonight against the Durham Bulls. Kyle Bradish is listed two nights later.

The Orioles are starting Jordan Lyles today in Oakland. Left-hander Bruce Zimmermann’s next turn is Friday night in Anaheim.

It’s virtually impossible to separate the two rotations.

The Orioles seemed unsure about their fifth starter before confirming Spenser Watkins. They’ve lost ace John Means for at least a significant portion of the season, and quite possibly the remainder of it.

Chris Ellis had his contract selected yesterday from Norfolk and he made last night’s start in Oakland. Watkins seems to have earned a third turn after allowing only one run and two hits Monday night over five innings. Look for him in Anaheim.

OAKLAND – The theme remained unchanged for Tuesday’s game between the Orioles and Oakland Athletics. For Baltimore, that means yet another low-scoring game where its pitching excelled but the Orioles hitters could not get many clutch hits.

Throw in some exceptional defense by Oakland and this night ended with more frustration and another close loss for the Orioles. 

The O’s did take an early 1-0 lead in the first inning, and great outfield defense robbed them of more in the second. And right-hander Chris Ellis, making his season debut, became the latest O’s starter to give the team a big effort.

But when Seth Brown doubled in two runs in the A's sixth inning, Oakland moved ahead and went on to win 2-1.

The Birds (3-8) have scored just 23 runs for the season and have been held to two or fewer in eight of the 11 games they've played so far in 2022. They are 0-2 to start this road trip and 0-5 in road games.

OAKLAND – The Orioles today designated outfielder DJ Stewart for assignment. Their 2015 first-round pick out of Florida State had shown flashes of power and his first-round potential, but didn’t do that nearly enough. The club needed a 40-man roster spot today for right-hander Chris Ellis to start tonight, and Stewart's was the one he got.

Stewart dealt with a bruised hand in spring training but still made the opening day roster despite limited spring chances. He went 0-for-3 in three pinch-hitting appearances against Tampa Bay and was then optioned to Triple-A, where he went 1-for-5 with the Norfolk Tides.

“DJ is just an outstanding guy and someone that has been around here since I’ve been here. Hard to see a guy you’ve been around a lot go," O’s manager Brandon Hyde said today during his pregame press briefing. "But I’m really hoping for the best with him. He’s a fantastic human being and I really wish him the best.”

Over parts of five years and 195 games with the Orioles, Stewart batted .213/.327/.400 with 21 doubles, 26 home runs and 73 RBIs.

Outfielder Austin Hays, drafted one year after Stewart, has spent a lot of time as his teammate in both the majors and minors. During an interview with reporters today, and with the news about Stewart already out, Hays was asked about Stewart. He had not yet heard the news of the move.

The Orioles selected the contract of right-hander Chris Ellis from Triple-A Norfolk, and he’s starting tonight against the Athletics in Oakland.

Ellis was on the taxi squad and the logical choice. Alexander Wells also is on the taxi squad but can’t pitch in the series unless he’s replacing an injured player. The Orioles optioned him Sunday morning.

That was the expected. What also happened today comes as more of a surprise.

A full 40-man roster required a corresponding move for Ellis, and the Orioles have designated former first-round draft pick DJ Stewart for assignment.

Stewart, the 25^th-overall selection in 2015 out of Florida State University, was optioned to Norfolk after making three pinch-hitting appearances in the opening series at Tropicana Field and going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. In two games with the Tides, he was 1-for-5 with a strikeout and stolen base.

OAKLAND – When I talked with Trey Mancini before Monday's road trip opener, he - like much of Birdland - was hopeful that the eighth inning on Sunday would be a turning point for the Orioles offense.

They scored five runs and got three big hits with runners in scoring position in beating the Yankees 5-0. But whatever good was created there didn’t make it to the West Coast, at least for the series opener. The Orioles lost 5-1 at Oakland and were held to seven hits and went 1-for-7 with RISP. They have yet to have hits in double digits in a game in 2022.

On the plus side, the O’s pitching has obviously far exceeded expectations at this early stage. But we are seeing some quality stuff from several arms - in both velocity and secondary assortments - and the Orioles are executing their pitching game plans extremely well through 10 games.

The staff ERA went down Monday night, to 2.86, which is fifth-best in the majors and a far cry from the 5.85 team ERA for the 2021 season.

Mancini is, of course, impressed with the pitchers, including one he noted that pitched last night and continued to get noticed.

OAKLAND – For the Orioles, the opening game of this long road trip in Oakland had a familiar look.

For five innings it was close and low-scoring. The Baltimore offense was scuffling for runs again but the Baltimore pitching was getting the job done. Yet again they were.

On a night when the Orioles reduced their team ERA from an impressive 3.04 to an even better 2.86, they still lost. Four unearned runs in the last of the sixth doomed them to a 5-1 defeat at Oakland.

But right-hander Spenser Watkins was the latest O’s starter to throw well. He allowed two hits and one run over five innings on 67 pitches. He made a bid to stay in the rotation.

“That is always up to Skip on those (rotation) decisions,” Watkins said in the Orioles clubhouse. “But, I’m ready to take the ball whenever they give it to me and I’m going to compete.”

Dillon Tate isn’t a pitcher who steals peeks at the stadium’s radar gun readings before returning his attention to the catcher delivering the signs. He isn’t grading his performances based on the miles-per-hour on his sinking fastball.

The fuss over his drop in velocity during the Orioles’ home opener against the Brewers brings no emotion. Not anger or amusement.

Tate recites the number of runs he surrendered that night: zero. He’d kick the ball to home plate with his left foot if it produced outs.

An inherited runner and one of his own were stranded. Two batters were retired and the bullpen delivered five scoreless innings behind starter Bruce Zimmermann.

The sinker was 90-91 mph rather than 95 or more. Asked about it the following day, manager Brandon Hyde said a mechanical glitch was noticed and discussed, and easily could be fixed.

OAKLAND – In the first game of a 10-game road trip, right-hander Spenser Watkins, trying to hold onto the fifth starter’s spot, gave the Orioles a big effort.

Watkins allowed a first-inning run and nothing after that. He got rolling in the middle innings behind a frequency to throw a lot of first-pitch strikes. He did that to 10 of the first 13 batters he faced.

Watkins would go five innings, allowing two hits and one run with two walks and one strikeout. He threw 67 pitches, 44 for strikes. He threw 30 sliders or cutters among his pitches, and his fastball, which averaged 90.8 mph last year, was at 92.2 mph tonight.

Meanwhile, would the O’s offense and defense be able to back him?

The hitters once again could not get much going and the O’s infield defense unraveled when Oakland produced a big four-run inning in the last of the sixth.

OAKLAND – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde is not ready yet to name his starting pitcher for tomorrow’s game at Oakland. Right-hander Spenser Watkins (0-0, 3.00 ERA) will get the ball tonight in the series and road trip opener.

The starter could very well come from two pitchers who are here on the Orioles' taxi squad in right-hander Chris Ellis and lefty Alexander Wells, who are joined by catcher Beau Taylor.

Wells was just optioned out after Friday's game, so he could not come back to the active roster before 10 days without replacing an injured player, but the same does not apply to Ellis.

Ellis made one start this year for Triple-A Norfolk, throwing four scoreless innings without allowing a hit last Wednesday. He pitched to an ERA of 2.49 in six games for the Orioles last year. If needed tomorrow, he would be working on five days’ rest.

“We have a few options, but I’m going to wait until tomorrow to give it out,” Hyde said this afternoon in the visitor’s dugout at the Oakland Coliseum.

Anthony Bemboom starts behind the plate tonight as the Orioles begin a four-game series in Oakland.

Anthony Santander is in left field, Austin Hays is in right and Ryan Mountcastle is the first baseman. Trey Mancini is serving as the designated hitter.

Mountcastle and Santander have reached base in all nine games.

The infield also includes Ramón Urías at third base. Rougned Odor is at second after yesterday’s pinch-hit two-run single in the eighth inning that broke a scoreless tie against the Yankees.

Spenser Watkins gets his second start after allowing one earned run, but four total, in three innings against the Brewers. He’s never faced the Athletics.

OAKLAND – While we are awaiting first pitch between the Orioles and Athletics tonight for Oakland’s home opener to start the road trip, here are a few minor league notes around Birdland.

The Triple-A Norfolk Tides are off to an 8-4 start, their best mark after 12 games during their time as a Baltimore affiliate since 2007.

Norfolk has scored 76 runs in the 12 games and has a run differential of plus-27, which is third-best in the International League that features 20 teams. The Tides lost via a 1-0 walk-off in Game 2 of Sunday’s doubleheader at Scranton to snap a five-game winning streak.

Right-hander Kyle Bradish was the winning pitcher in Norfolk’s Game 1 5-1 win, when he allowed just two hits and one run over five innings. Nick Vespi and Cole Uvila each threw a scoreless inning to complete the combined two-hitter.

Bradish is 1-0 with an ERA of 1.00 in two starts to begin his season. He is doing his part to get noticed for a call-up to the Orioles roster. Over nine innings, he’s allowed four hits and the one run with two walks, nine strikeouts and a WHIP of 0.67.

There isn’t much advance notice for Spenser Watkins before he’s named a starter in a series. The conversation can happen a day before the game.

He’d be ready if told an hour prior.

Watkins didn’t know after going on the taxi squad for opening day whether he’d be their No. 5 starter. He didn’t know yesterday morning whether he definitely was the choice for tonight’s assignment in Oakland.

The right-hander had an inkling. But that doesn’t count as confirmation.

The game notes yesterday listed the four spots as TBA, but the Orioles’ public relations staff alerted the media around 12:30 p.m. that Watkins would start tonight, with Jordan Lyles going Wednesday and Tyler Wells Thursday.

The Orioles transferred pitcher John Means to the 60-day injured list this morning, clarifying his physical issue as a left elbow sprain rather than strain. Reliever Marcos Diplán had his contract selected from Triple-A Norfolk to leave a full 40-man roster.

The active roster was adjusted with left-hander Alexander Wells optioned to Norfolk.

Means went on the 10-day injured list Friday afternoon, retroactive to the previous day, but his absence was expected to be lengthy and he’s getting second opinions on the elbow.

Manager Brandon Hyde said yesterday that Means pitching again in 2022 was a “question mark.”

A Google search reveals that a sprain injures the bands of tissue that connect two bones together, while a strain involves an injury to a muscle or to the band of tissue that attaches a muscle to a bone.

The Orioles close out their series against the Yankees and the homestand with Ryan McKenna starting in center field and Cedric Mullins getting a rest day.

Mullins became the first Oriole last night to homer on a 3-0 count since Manny Machado on April 20, 2018 versus Cleveland.

Austin Hays is leading off and playing left field. Trey Mancini is in right.

Anthony Santander, today’s designated hitter, extended his on-base streak to eight games last night, two short of his career high to start the 2019 season.

Chris Owings is the second baseman and Kelvin Gutiérrez is at third. Ramón Urías goes to the bench.