TORONTO - It was an All-Star play by an All-Star shortstop.

With two runners on and the infield in, Bo Bichette, with his toes on the infield grass, backhanded a 94-mph one-hopper. He then fired an off-balance throw to catcher Danny Jansen, who barely had to move his glove to apply the tag on the runner coming home. The entire whirlwind exchange took about two seconds.

It didn’t matter. Jorge Mateo scored anyway. Bichette was helpless to stop it.

It was the kind of game-tilting speed that the Orioles have used to their advantage all season, and they broke it out again in a 7-3 win over the Blue Jays.

“We run on contact a lot, and we do because we have some team speed,” Brandon Hyde said after the game. “For him to be able to force a throw there, we’ve done it a lot this year. Mateo’s speed is off the charts, obviously, and it was a huge play.”

TORONTO - Much like the American League wild card standings entering Monday night, the glove on Ryan Mountcastle’s left hand tonight will be tight. Perhaps uncomfortably so.

But with so much riding on the Orioles’ three-game series in Toronto, the 25-year-old will “jam” the mitt on and get back on the field. 

The Orioles kept Mountcastle out of Sunday’s lineup in St. Petersburg, Fla., opting for fellow righty Tyler Nevin. The day off made a massive difference, said Brandon Hyde.

“I think that the entire day (Sunday) of getting some rest on that hand was beneficial,” Hyde said in the visitors dugout before batting practice. “He spent the majority of the day getting treatment on it yesterday and then today as well. He responded pretty well and is feeling a lot better, so he’s back in there.”

Mountcastle was frustrated he had to miss the series finale against Tampa Bay. But with the Blue Jays in control of the top wild card berth and the Orioles just 1 ½ games out of the final spot, he’s playing through some pain in the hopes of helping the team gain some ground.

The Orioles walked away from one important series and stepped into another, with three games against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

Yesterday’s loss to the Rays left the Orioles 1 ½ games away from the third wild card spot. The Twins and White Sox are a half-game behind them.

The Blue Jays are 35-23 at home. They’re 2-4 against the Orioles this season, splitting a four-game series in Toronto in June.

Ryan Mountcastle has returned to the lineup after sitting out yesterday’s game with a swollen left hand. He’s 12-for-25 with four doubles, four home runs and 10 RBIs against the Blue Jays this season, and is a career .361/.414/.730 hitter with six doubles, 13 home runs and 26 RBIs in 31 games.

Cedric Mullins is on the bench, with Ryan McKenna leading off and playing center field.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – DL Hall confirmed what the Orioles already knew but had a chance to see with their own eyes.

His final line didn’t factor into it. Wasn't important in the grand scheme.

Hall is the second-best pitching prospect in the system, ranked among the top 100 in baseball, and his bosses were able to project his capabilities at the highest level.

His stuff will play here.

“One hundred percent, yeah. No doubt about it,” said Chris Holt, the club’s pitching coach and director of pitching.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Brett Phillips, a folk hero among Rays fans, lined a ball up the middle today in the sixth inning that constituted actual hard contact against Drew Rasmussen. Except that second baseman Yu Chang was playing close to the bag, handled the hop and recorded the final out.

The last real chance, it appeared, for the Orioles to get a baserunner.

The last chance, it seemed, to prevent a crucial series from turning historic.

Six perfect innings by Rasmussen led to two more, but Jorge Mateo lined the first pitch of the ninth down the left field line for a double in Tampa Bay's 4-1 victory over the Orioles at Tropicana Field.

The Orioles have been no-hit seven times, but they've never been victims of a perfect game. This one was real close.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde sounded confident today that first baseman Ryan Mountcastle would avoid the injured list after being hit yesterday on the left hand.

Mountcastle is receiving treatment to reduce the swelling. The hand was wrapped this morning.

“His hand’s pretty sore from getting hit there yesterday, kind of in a tender spot, so hopefully he’s available to hit. Not really sure at this point,” Hyde said.

“I don’t think it’s an IL situation. I think it’s more day-to-day. Hopefully, he feels better as the day goes on today after getting some treatment, but we’ll see.”

DL Hall remains with the club today before rejoining Triple-A Norfolk and beginning the switch to a relief role. Hall allowed five runs and five hits with three walks and six strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings in his major league debut.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Orioles will try again today to win their first series against the Rays at Tropicana Field since 2017.

Ryan Mountcastle is out of the lineup after former Orioles reliever Jimmy Yacabonis drilled him on the left hand yesterday in the ninth inning. Mountcastle swung a bat and played catch this morning, and had the hand wrapped in ice again later.

“It’s sore, swollen, but I’m going to try to work, I guess,” he said. “Hopefully, I can get out there and play, but as of right now it doesn’t really feel great, but try to work it out.

“Hopefully, I can get in there today, but we’ll see. … In the morning it felt about the same as it did right after. Yeah, doesn’t feel great.”

Manager Brandon Hyde said Mountcastle is day-to-day.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The elevation of DL Hall to the majors yesterday isn’t as interesting as his immediate demotion after the game.

Hall made a spot start for the Orioles in an 8-2 loss to the Rays. The exact definition of the term. But he didn’t plug a temporary hole in the rotation, which is the usual excuse.

The Orioles had that spot covered with veteran Jordan Lyles, who’s pushed back to today. Spenser Watkins would have started the series finale, but he worked in relief yesterday and is expected to be on hold until Thursday’s makeup game against the Cubs.

Hall came up to get acclimated to life in the majors, a brief but important taste. To get his feet wet. And they didn’t have time to dry before he was packing for a return trip to Triple-A Norfolk.

I get the sense that Hall knew this was a one-and-done. That the plan was explained to him. He wasn’t blindsided by it.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – DL Hall had plenty of company this afternoon while warming in the visiting bullpen area at Tropicana Field. He attracted the entire pitching staff, plus injured starter Tyler Wells. Forming a line next to him that curved into the outfield grass, then straightening it from mound to plate like it’s usually done in the infield after wins.

Hall hugged catcher Robinson Chirinos, turned, and made his way up the line to receive high-fives and pats from his teammates. The No. 4 prospect in the organization entering his major league debut and a culture that welcomes newcomers like old friends.

He’s one of them. And will remain so after the Orioles optioned him this afternoon.

An inning in an exhibition game was followed today by Hall’s major league debut against the Rays. The heat of a pennant race felt inside an air-conditioned dome.

Hall lasted 3 2/3 innings and allowed five runs and five hits in an 8-2 loss to the Rays. He walked three batters and struck out six, and manager Brandon Hyde removed him at 76 pitches.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Orioles reliever Keegan Akin saw DL Hall at the team hotel last night and decided it was an ideal opportunity to counsel the rookie. Offer advice prior to a major league debut today that’s attracting a tremendous amount of hype.

Happens with elite pitching prospects. They don’t sneak into town.

“I’ve already talked to him and helped him through a little bit,” Akin said. “He said it didn’t really hit him last night. I said, ‘It’s going to hit you tomorrow morning when you wake up, or it’s going to hit you when you go to walk on the field and start warming up.’ I just told him, ‘You’ve got to stay calm and keep yourself and your emotions under control, just because that’s what’s going to be the hardest to control, and that can get a little squirrely sometimes on the mound and be all over the place.’

“I told him to just lock it in. Nothing’s different up here. He still has the same stuff as he did coming up through the system, and it’s electric stuff and I’m excited for him to be here. I think he can contribute a lot to this team.”

Jordan Lyles is a former first-round pick with 12 years in the majors. He also can be a resource for Hall.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Left-hander DL Hall is making his major league debut this afternoon, and the Orioles are attempting to win a fifth consecutive series as part of their amazing turnaround.

Hall joined the active roster this morning, with reliever Nick Vespi optioned again to Triple-A Norfolk. Hall, the No. 4 prospect in the organization per MLBPipeline.com and Baseball America, is the 54^th player used by the Orioles this season.

He's wearing No. 49.

Spenser Watkins is available in the bullpen and is expected to start Thursday’s makeup game against the Cubs at Camden Yards.

The Orioles want to transition Hall into a relief role after today’s outing, which could begin with Norfolk. Hall is expected to be in the Orioles’ bullpen in September after rosters expand. To be decided is how they get him to that point.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A deep dive into the wild card chase always felt like more of a surface story about the Orioles. Here’s where they sit in the standings. Here’s the latest from the rotation, bullpen and lineup. Here’s the latest double play turned by the defense.

Here’s a team finally ready to launch after a teardown that started halfway through the 2018 season, a new set of hands completing it and beginning the rebuild.

More games have been won than lost, which is shocking, and the electricity is restored at Camden Yards. But the major league club hasn’t consumed every molecule of attention. Maybe in some other cities, but not Baltimore.

Catcher Adley Rutschman finally gets promoted on May 21, breaking up an intense media and fan stakeout – separate vehicles, of course – and the watch shifts to pitcher Grayson Rodriguez.

Rodriguez is on the verge of making his debut and goes on the injured list with a Grade 2 lat strain. He’s monitored from afar, with September now the target month to get him back into games. Whether with the Orioles or Triple-A Norfolk.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Opposing teams at Tropicana Field must become educated on the unique ground rules during their pregame studies. Be able to recite the outcome if a ball strikes one of the catwalks. Know whether it remains in play and what happens if it’s caught or lands on the turf.

Adley Rutschman didn’t let the quirks complicate his at-bat tonight in the first inning. He swung hard and hit the longest home run of his young career, perhaps unaware that the ball slammed into the C-ring in right field before it could punch a hole in the roof.

He just circled the bases. No one was going to stop him, or the team trying to move into third place in its division and the wild card race

Rutschman’s 439-foot shot staked Austin Voth to a quick lead, the right-hander carried a no-hit bid into the sixth, Jorge Mateo collected five hits, and Cedric Mullins also nailed the C-ring in the eighth, as if the Orioles were playing a carnival game instead of beginning a crucial series with a 10-3 victory over the Rays.

Voth retired the first 10 batters and didn’t allow a hit until Jose Siri’s infield single leading off the sixth, and the Orioles improved to 59-53. They’re a half-game ahead of Tampa Bay in both races.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Left-hander DL Hall is joining the Orioles later today in St. Petersburg, Fla., with the expectation that he's going on the active roster prior to Saturday afternoon's game.

Manager Brandon Hyde said during his media dugout scrum that Hall is "going to be in the traveling party."

"We're going to get through tonight's game and see where we are from there," he said.

Hall, the No. 4 prospect in the system per MLBPipeline.com, has posted a 4.76 ERA and 1.486 WHIP in 18 starts with Triple-A Norfolk. He’s walked 44 batters in 70 innings but also struck out 114.

The Orioles haven't confirmed when Hall, 23, joins the pitching staff after he left the Tides, who are in Rochester. Also pending is what Hall’s role will be upon his arrival, whether he makes any starts or works out of the bullpen during a pennant race.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Orioles and Rays meet in a three-game series that could jostle them within the division and wild card standings.

The Rays are a half-game ahead of the Orioles for third place in the American League East. The same distance that separates them in the wild card race, with the Orioles dropping out of a third-place tie last night.

The teams have split 16 games against each other, but the Orioles are 1-5 at Tropicana Field.

A big series awaits them.

Terrin Vavra is starting in left field tonight. Anthony Santander is the designated hitter.

BOSTON - In an August mailbag race, mine isn’t vying for a third wild card. It’s running away with the division. Can’t be caught.

It can, however, be emptied.

Don’t ask me how that works.

This is the latest sequel to the beloved original. You ask, I answer, you keep asking and I keep changing my responses to confuse the heck out of you.

Trust the first one.

BOSTON – The division standings plastered on the lower left portion of the Green Monster weren’t updated when the Orioles arrived at the ballpark this afternoon or during the early rounds of the Red Sox’s batting practice session.

It wasn’t until later that the Orioles were shown to be tied with the Rays for third place rather than trailing by a half-game. Which also meant they were tied for the last wild card spot.

Important distinctions for the Orioles, even if the famed wall isn’t official.

The holdovers from past seasons are accustomed to the team being listed at the bottom, but the Red Sox have become tenants of the cellar.

There’s a new order in the East. Unfortunately for the Orioles, they learned that the Red Sox still have some of their old fight.

BOSTON – Austin Voth is packing his bags today and leaving the Orioles again, this time confident that he’ll start Friday night’s series opener against the Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla.

It doesn’t always work out.

Voth had left the team to make tonight’s start in Boston, with the Orioles getting him on an earlier flight rather than putting him on the charter, but last night’s rainout moved Dean Kremer to tonight.

Rather than skip Voth, manager Brandon Hyde chose to hand him the ball on Friday. Jordan Lyles and Spenser Watkins would follow if kept in order, but those spots are TBA.

“We’re still figuring some things out there the last two days in Tampa,” Hyde said. “Dean was ready to pitch last night, and we’re just pushing those two guys back.”

BOSTON - The Orioles landed in Boston early this morning tied with the Rays for third place in the American League East and for the last wild card spot. They’re only two games behind the Blue Jays for the top spot.

They will try to improve on a 25-31 road record with one game in Boston, three in St. Petersburg, Fla. and three in Toronto.

A win tonight puts the Orioles seven games above .500 for the first time since May 22, 2017.

Dean Kremer is making the start after last night’s rainout. Austin Voth was supposed to face the Red Sox.

Kremer has made two career starts against Boston and allowed 10 runs and 12 hits in 7 2/3 innings. His only appearance at Fenway Park in 2020 resulted in seven runs and seven hits in 2 2/3 innings.

The team isn’t clear to Grayson Rodriguez, but he knows that he’s going to pitch in games next month.

Might be with the Orioles. Might be a progression that returns him to Triple-A Norfolk, whose season runs through Sept. 28.

Rodriguez can feel it. Especially because he no longer feels anything in his right lat.

Baseball’s top pitching prospect, No. 2 overall with the Orioles, had his first bullpen session yesterday at the spring training complex in Sarasota. He worked off a half mound on Monday and threw 25 pitches yesterday on a full mound.

“I feel great,” he told MASNsports.com. “Obviously, the throwing program is going well, so there haven’t been any hiccups. Everything’s been going smooth. My arm feels great.”