The Orioles are in communication with Baltimore City, Maryland Department of Transportation, and Maryland Transit Administration officials on traffic implications due to a fire at S. Lombard St. and Eutaw St.

Fans should use caution and allot for increased traffic in the downtown area if heading to this afternoon’s game. The impacted grid is from Paca St. to Eutaw St. and Pratt St. to Baltimore St.

Official communication from MTA:

All Light Rail service south of North Avenue is suspended. This six-alarm fire downtown occurred as we were pulling trains out for today’s service and it has prohibited us from getting any trains south of North Avenue. MTA will be implementing a Bus Bridge from North Avenue to Cromwell and BWI. We also recommend using regular bus service as we expect this to be a prolonged incident and response.

For further updates, please monitor Baltimore Fire, Baltimore County Police, MDOT, and the Orioles on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Reinstated INF Ramón Urías from the 10-day Injured List (right ankle sprain).
• Reinstated INF Jordan Westburg from the 10-day Injured List (right hand fracture).
• Optioned OF Daniel Johnson to Triple-A Norfolk.
• Optioned INF Livan Soto to Triple-A Norfolk.

The Kansas City Royals lost again, so the Orioles' four-game lead for the first American League wild card berth is still intact. But they had a chance to build some real momentum and get their mojo back.

It sure looked like they were doing exactly that, until they were not.

Most Valuable Oriole Gunnar Henderson doubled in two runs in the last of the ninth and the Orioles and Tigers were tied at four. More than 39,000 fans were roaring. Another walk-off seemed moments away.

Second and third, no outs. But no more runs. A 6-4 loss to Detroit in 10 innings was a gut punch.

A few random thoughts:

The baseball math can’t be manipulated tonight to give the Orioles a playoff-clinching scenario. It only worked if they won.

Cade Povich held the Tigers to two runs for the second time in less than a week and the Orioles rallied for two in the ninth to send the game into extras, but the Tigers scored twice against Yennier Cano in the 10th and won 6-4 before an announced crowd of 39,647 at Camden Yards.

An Orioles win coupled with a Mariners loss tonight would have delivered back-to-back postseason berths for the first time since 1996-97. Now, we wait a little longer.

A possible alternative is clinching in their final home game of the regular season. Otherwise, they must do it on a trip that takes them to New York and Minnesota.

The Orioles are 86-69 and in danger of losing their fifth series in a row.

If you didn't think a team could erase a magic number of three in one day, you are wrong. The Orioles begin today with a magic number of three to wrap up a 2024 MLB playoff spot. They can get there with a win over Detroit this afternoon and a loss by Seattle tonight at 7:05 p.m.

A potential Clinchmas is here for an Orioles team that heading into Thursday's game having lost five of six, eight of 10 and nine of the last 12 games and was 26-30 in the second half.

The Orioles (86-68) take the field today with eight games remaining. They are four games behind New York for the American League East lead and four ahead of Kansas City for the No. 1 AL wild-card spot. If the O's wrap up the No. 1 wild-card berth, should they not win the AL East, they will host all games in the best two-of-three wild-card playoff round beginning on Tuesday, Oct. 1.

The Orioles hit a season-best five home runs last night in beating a hot Detroit team 7-1. The Tigers (80-74) entered the night having won four in a row, nine of 11 and 18 of 25. And since Aug. 11 Detroit was 25-10, best in the majors in that span.

But Anthony Santander hit his 43rd home run while Colton Cowser and James McCann hit two homers each. It was Cowser's second career multi-homer game and McCann's third.

Major League Baseball has adjusted its playoff math and the Orioles actually could clinch a berth tonight rather than Sunday.

The magic number remains at three, but the Orioles will reach the postseason again with a win this afternoon against the Tigers and a Mariners loss tonight in Texas. They’d claim the tie-breaker over Detroit in a complicated scenario.

The Mariners’ game begins at 7:05 p.m., setting up the possibility that the Orioles won't celebrate in the clubhouse. It’s happened in the past, with the team's playoff berth confirmed in 2012 while on a flight to Tampa.

Adding to the unusual circumstances that day was how the charter made an emergency landing in Jacksonville after smoke began pouring out of an oven in the kitchen area. Players reboarded and toasted their first postseason berth since 1997. Seats and windows weren't covered in plastic.

The Orioles haven’t made the playoffs in consecutive years since 1996-97. They qualified in 2012, ’14 and ’16 under former manager Buck Showalter and won the division last season.

Winning one Most Valuable Orioles award is quite special. Doing it two seasons in a row takes Gunnar Henderson to a whole new level.

By doing that today he joins a list littered with some of the best players in Orioles history.

Eddie Murray once did this five years in a row from 1981-1985. Others to get two in a row are Adam Jones (2011-12), Rafael Palmeiro (1995-96), Jim Palmer (1972-73), Boog Powell (1969-70), Cal Ripken Jr. (1990-91) and  Frank Robinson (1966-67).

Gunnar joins that list that includes four Hall of Famers.

“Yeah, just the history of this team and just the caliber of players that have come through this team. It’s pretty special to win it back-to-back years. There have been a lot of highly-touted guys that have won this award so I’m humbled to be part of that,” said Henderson.

Cedric Mullins is back in the Orioles’ lineup today, playing center field and batting second.

Mullins took early batting practice on the field this afternoon with head athletic trainer Brian Ebel watching and also ran the bases. Mullins wasn’t available last night due to neck soreness caused by his collision Thursday with right fielder Austin Slater.

The Orioles selected outfielder Daniel Johnson’s contract to provide a left-handed bat for the outfield in case Mullins couldn’t play. Terrin Vavra is on the 24-hour taxi squad.

Ramón Urías wasn’t reinstated today from the 15-day injured list.

Heston Kjerstad is the designated hitter. Jackson Holliday is playing second base. Colton Cowser is the cleanup hitter.

The return of another injured player to the Orioles’ roster is costing Coby Mayo his spot.

The organization’s No. 1 prospect and Minor League Player of the Year will be optioned later today, according to an industry source. The Orioles haven’t announced the move.

Infielder Ramón Urías appeared in his second rehab game last night with Triple-A Norfolk and could be rejoining the club.

Mayo has played in 17 games with the Orioles and gone 4-for-41 with four walks and 22 strikeouts. He started at first base last night and lined a single into center field in the fourth inning before James McCann homered in a 7-1 win over the Tigers. He shattered his bat earlier on a ground ball to short.

Steady starts have eluded Mayo at the major league level despite injuries to Urías, Jordan Westburg and Ryan Mountcastle. He cracked the lineup only six times this month.  

They are a trio of players who took part in Orioles batting practice before Friday’s game. They all hope they will have another chance to do that here later in their careers and that they will be on the Orioles' active roster when that happens. 

But Friday afternoon under the Baltimore sun, the O’s first three selections in the 2024 MLB Draft took part in some pregame work.

That includes top draft pick, No. 22 overall, University of North Carolina outfielder Vance Honeycutt. Also the O’s second selection, University of Virginia infielder Griff O’Ferrall, taken No. 32 overall and catcher Ethan Anderson, Baltimore’s second-round pick, No. 61 overall, also out of UVA.

Honeycutt was asked about hitting during batting practice.

“It was cool,” he said. “Definitely nervous for the first round. But just taking this all in.”

The 2024 Most Valuable Oriole will be announced this morning and we’ll find out whether shortstop Gunnar Henderson is a repeat winner.

No player has received the honor in back-to-back seasons since center fielder Adam Jones in 2011-12. Jones also won in 2018.

Shortstop Miguel Tejada came close by winning it in 2004 and 2006. Second baseman Brian Roberts prevented three in a row.

First baseman Rafael Palmeiro finished first in 1995, 1996 and 1998, with closer Randy Myers winning in ’97.

Hall of Famer Eddie Murray had a tremendous run, winning it in 1978, ’81, ’82, ’83 (with Cal Ripken Jr.), ’84, ’85 and ’88 (also with Ripken). Outfielder Ken Singleton earned the award three times in a six-year period beginning in 1975, and Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson did the same beginning in 1960.

Two teams hoping to play October baseball meet this weekend at Oriole Park. The Orioles (85-68) host the Detroit Tigers (80-73) in their final home series of the 2024 regular season.

The O’s beat San Francisco 5-3 Thursday on Anthony Santander’s two-run, walk-off homer in the ninth. When the Yankees lost later they had moved to four games back in the American League East with nine to play, including three next week at Yankee Stadium. The O’s begin play tonight leading Kansas City by three games for the top AL wild card spot.

Detroit, which took two of three at Comerica Park last weekend versus the Orioles, has now moved into a tie with Minnesota for the third and final AL wild card and No. 6 seed.

Minnesota, however, holds the tiebreaker over the Tigers, having won the season series, 7-6.

Last weekend, Detroit beat the Orioles 1-0 Friday on a one-hitter, the O’s won 4-2 Saturday and lost 4-2 Sunday. Baltimore was outscored 7-6 in that series.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Reinstated LHP Danny Coulombe from the 60-day Injured List (left elbow surgery).
• Placed RHP Burch Smith on the 15-day Injured List (right adductor groin strain), retroactive to September 18.

Two players the Orioles acquired in and after the 2020 MLB Draft have won their two top player development and scouting awards, the club announced today.

Slugger Coby Mayo wins the Brooks Robinson Award as the Orioles' minor league Player of the Year. Right-hander Brandon Young is the Jim Palmer Award winner as minor league Pitcher of the Year.

The Orioles also today named Latin America Coordinator of Instruction Samuel Vega the Cal Ripken Sr. Player Development Award winner and Donovan O'Dowd the Jim Russo Scout of the Year.

Due to the pandemic, the 2020 draft was just five rounds. The O’s selected Mayo in round four at selection No. 103. After that draft, they added Young out of Louisiana-Lafayette as a non-drafted free agent.

Mayo is ranked as the club’s No. 1 prospect and No. 8 overall in the top 100 by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline after a big year at Triple-A Norfolk.

The Orioles today announced the winners of their player development and scouting awards for 2024, including infielder COBY MAYO as the club’s top minor league player and right-handed pitcher BRANDON YOUNG as the club’s top minor league pitcher. Latin America Coordinator of Instruction SAMUEL VEGA and Area Scout DONOVAN O’DOWD will also be honored for their contributions to the organization. The award winners will be recognized in an on-field ceremony prior to the game against the Detroit Tigers on Friday, with awards presented by Orioles Vice President of Player Development and Domestic Scouting, Matt blood, Orioles Director of Player Development, Anthony Villa, Orioles Director of Minor League Operations, Kent Qualls, and Orioles Manager of Domestic Scouting, Chad Tatum.

Mayo, 22, slashed .293/.369/.574 (99-for-338) with 23 doubles, three triples, 22 homers, 61 runs scored, 67 RBI, 39 walks, and four stolen bases in 87 regular season games at Triple-A Norfolk. His contract was selected on August 2, and he made his Major League debut that day at Cleveland. Mayo was later optioned on August 15, before being recalled again on September 1, for his second MLB stint. His 22 home runs with the Tides rank seventh in the International League, despite stints on the Injured List and the Orioles’ Major League roster. Mayo’s 25 homers in the Minors this year are the most by an MLB Top 100 prospect this season and his .943 OPS and .574 slugging percentage would pace all qualified hitters in the International League. Mayo was named the O’s Minor League Player of the Month in April after slashing .330/.400/.652 (38-for-115) with six doubles, two triples, nine home runs, 21 runs scored, 25 RBI, and 12 walks across 28 games. Mayo was ranked as the sixth-best overall MLB prospect in ESPN’s midseason rankings and is currently ranked the eighth-best prospect by Baseball America and MLB Pipeline. He is also currently ranked as the top Orioles prospect by Baseball America, ESPN, and MLB Pipeline. Mayo was drafted 103^rd overall by the Orioles in the fourth round of the 2020 First-Year Player Draft.

Young, 26, has posted a 5-5 record with a 3.48 ERA (41 ER/106.0 IP), allowing 96 hits, 46 total runs, eight home runs, two hit batters, 34 walks, and 129 strikeouts in 26 games (23 starts) through September 16, between Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk. Young was promoted on May 28, after going 0-2 and producing a 4.09 ERA (10 ER/22.0 IP) on 21 hits (1 HR), 10 total runs, and four walks with 36 strikeouts in seven games (6 GS) for the Baysox. He has gone 5-3 with a 3.32 ERA (31 ER/84.0 IP) on 75 hits allowed (7 HR), 36 total runs, 30 walks, and two hit batters with 93 strikeouts in 19 games (17 GS) for the Tides. He ranks among Orioles organizational leaders in strikeouts (3^rd), games started (4^th), and innings pitched (7^th). Among Orioles minor leaguers with at least 90.0 innings pitched, he ranks third in strikeout-to-walk ratio (21.6), fourth in WHIP (1.23), sixth in ERA, and sixth in strikeouts per nine innings pitched (10.95). Young was originally signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Orioles on June 14, 2020, out of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He is currently ranked as the No. 19 O’s prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 24 Orioles prospect by Baseball America.

Vega has been named the winner of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Player Development Award, in honor of the late Orioles coach and manager who is widely regarded as the architect of “The Oriole Way.” Each year, a minor league staff member who exemplifies Ripken’s qualities as an instructor is recognized with the award. Vega was named the Orioles Latin America Field Coordinator in 2022, overseeing the development of the club’s international prospects. Vega has played an instrumental role in getting the O's brand-new state-of-the-art Dominican Republic training facility up and running, creating a culture of hard work and accountability among the international players. Under Vega's instruction, several of the Orioles Dominican Summer League players earned league-wide accolades, including outfielder JORDAN SANCHEZ who was named MiLB’s Player of the Week for the week of June 17 to 23, being named the Orioles MiLB Player of the Month for June, and being named a DSL All-Star. In July, right-handed pitcher KEVIN VELASCO was named the Orioles’ MiLB Pitcher of the Month, and right-handed pitcher ADRIAN HEREDIA was named the MiLB Pitcher of the Week for the week of August 5 to 11. The Orioles currently have 12 international prospects in their top 30, according to MLB Pipeline, the most since Orioles Executive Vice President and General Manager Mike Elias, joined the organization in 2019 and a testament to the work Vega and his team are doing in the DR. This year, the DSL Orioles Orange clinched a playoff berth for the first time under Mike Elias in the inaugural season of the new Dominican Republic Academy.

O’Dowd was named the Jim Russo Scout of the Year, named in honor of the man who spent 33 years in various scouting capacities with the Orioles beginning with their move from St. Louis in 1954. O’Dowd has been in the organization since 2019, proving to be a key member of the Orioles’ scouting operations as he patrols the country’s Northeast area, which ranges from Virginia to Maine. Since joining the organization, he has provided valuable insight in a way that is respected, taking the initiative to learn and implement the organization’s scouting philosophies in his process. Some of his recent signees include two of the Orioles top three draft picks this year, GRIFF O’FERRALL (Virginia), and ETHAN ANDERSON (Virginia), as well as undrafted free agents TREY GIBSON (Liberty) and TT BOWENS (Central Connecticut State).

With one swing, the Orioles ended a losing streak and maybe relieved some pressure on their clubhouse. They have scored five or more runs just twice in the last 13 games.

The second time was Thursday afternoon when Anthony Santander hit a two-run walk-off homer in the ninth to beat the Giants 5-3.

Did that swing relieve some pressure on the clubhouse?

“Yean, I mean, whether you are winning or losing, there is always pressure. It’s the big leagues,” said catcher James McCann. “We are coming down to the wire here. It’s a matter of being able to handle that pressure. You know, things haven’t been going our way right now, so to finally break through after what seems like an extremely long stretch, this is big. Big for the guys and hopefully this is something we can build on.”

Santander hit No. 42 and produced his third career walk-off homer and the O’s first walk-off win since July 14, the final day of the first half.

Craig Kimbrel sat in front of his locker after the best and especially the worst of his outings. The clubhouse doors opened to the media and he’d be waiting for it. That’s a professional. He didn’t duck reporters and avoid uncomfortable questions about his demise as closer in the second half, how he tried to fix it and why he failed.

The stats will be regurgitated and rightfully so. This is a results-driven business and Kimbrel didn’t produce or provide a sufficient return on the largest contract awarded under executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias.

Kimbrel wasn’t supposed to be Félix Bautista, but he also wasn’t supposed to be Jorge Julio.

It’s worth a reminder, however, that there’s a person behind the inflated ERA, WHIP and blown saves. The Hall of Fame candidate who provided leadership for a bullpen still short on experience. He set an example, and that included how to handle adversity and not redirect it to innocent parties. Place it where it belonged, on his shoulders.

The last time we saw Kimbrel was after manager Brandon Hyde’s media session that followed Tuesday’s 10-0 loss and the career-high six runs that had many fans booing him. Kimbrel sat on a bench outside the clubhouse with wife Ashely and young children Lydia and Joseph, in full dad mode, as if everything was right in his world.

With three straight losses and their last win coming Saturday at Detroit, the Orioles host the San Francisco Giants this afternoon in the finale of this series. With wins Tuesday by 10-0 and last night by 5-3, the Giants can sweep this series this afternoon.

The Orioles (84-68) are 16 games over the .500 mark, the fewest over they have been since May 29.

In last night's loss, the O's scored two runs in the third on James McCann's RBI double and Cedric Mullins' groundout. An RBI double by Ryan O'Hearn in the sixth produced their final run. They had seven hits and went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

The Orioles have scored nine runs their past five games and 24 in the last 12 games. In those 12 games they are batting .191/.263/.312/.575 and have gone 11-for-74 (.149) batting with RISP.

Overall, Baltimore has lost three in a row, five of six, eight of 10 and nine of the last 12 games. The Orioles are 26-30 since the All-Star break, 31-37 since July 1 and 19-26 on the season versus National League teams. 

Dean Kremer’s first pitch of tonight’s game sailed 397 feet to right field for a leadoff home run. Gunnar Henderson began the bottom of the first inning by flying out and slamming his bat to the ground in anger.

Immediate signs of an Orioles’ turnaround weren’t detected. They’d flicker over the course of the night and burn out.

A lead in the third inning and subsequent rallies provided false hope. Walk-up music reverted back to the original playlist, but the Orioles maintained their post-break ways with a 5-3 loss to the Giants before an announced crowd of 23,856 at Camden Yards.

Kremer allowed four earned runs and five total in six innings, the victim of some tough luck, and the Orioles fell to 84-68 with their fifth loss in six games, eighth in 10 and ninth in 12. They’ve gone 26-30 in the second half but maintain a 2 1/2 game lead for the first wild card.

The Orioles are only 16 games above .500 for the first time since May 31. They're 19-26 against the National League.

Having fallen four games out in the American League East race with 11 games left, the Orioles host San Francisco tonight in Game 2 of a three-game series at Oriole Park.

The Orioles (84-67) were held to five hits and blanked 10-0 last night. They have been shut out twice in the last four games, three times in the last eight and eight times on the season.

They have scored six runs the past four games and just 21 over the last 11 games, going 3-8. In that span, they are batting .189 with a .577 OPS and are 9-for-64 (.141) with runners in scoring position. Baltimore batters have scored two runs or less seven times in this span.

The Orioles are now 17 games over the .500 mark, the fewest they have been over .500 since June 6.

The O's have lost four of five, seven of nine, eight of 11 and are 26-29 since the All-Star break, 19-23 since Aug. 1 and 31-36 since July 1.