Riding the high of Friday's comeback win over Houston, the Orioles (75-55) host the Astros (69-59) today in the third game of the four-game series at Oriole Park.

After being shut out 6-0 on three hits in the series opener Thursday, the O's were down 5-2 when they batted in the eighth inning last night. Anthony Santander hit his 38th homer, a go-ahead grand slam that produced a 6-5 lead and eventual 7-5 win.

When Santander produced the slam, at that point the Orioles had been 2-for-31 with runners in scoring position the last seven games. 

The Orioles snapped a five-game losing streak versus Houston after going 0-4 against the Astros this year. Houston had won nine in a row on the road. 

Today the Baltimore batters have a real challenge in facing lefty Framber Valdez (13-5, 3.20 ERA). He finished 11th in the American League Cy Young Award voting in 2020, fifth in 2022 and ninth last year.

It was a massive swing. It turned a loss into a win, brought over 39,000 to their feet and perhaps turned a season spiraling the wrong way back into a solid direction.

How much meaning will that one swing have?

Since they last won three in a row - from July 14-20, wrapping around the All-Star break - the Orioles have had five win streaks of two games. They haven't made it to three straight in over a month. 

But Anthony Santander's grand slam in the last of the eighth off Houston reliever Bryan Abreu turned a 5-2 deficit into a one-run lead and eventual 7-5 win over Houston.

Finally, another comeback win. Finally, a win of any kind.

The Orioles were six outs away from losing more ground in the American League East.

Anthony Santander made it shake at Camden Yards.

Santander hit a grand slam off Astros reliever Bryan Abreu in the eighth inning to give the Orioles a thrilling 7-5 win before an announced Gunnar Henderson bobblehead crowd of 39,578.

Santander’s 38^th home run followed singles by Colton Cowser and Adley Rutschman and a comebacker from Henderson that enticed Abreu to try for the out at third base.

Cowser was safe, the crowd stayed on its feet and Santander sent it into a frenzy with his fourth career slam and second this year.

While the Orioles wonder about getting some of their eight pitchers on the injured list back later this season, their current biggest worry might be the offense.

That offense has produced just three hits in back-to-back games with three runs in those two games. Batters went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

The Astros pitched their ninth shutout of the year last night in a 6-0 win over the Orioles, handing the O’s their fifth shutout of 2024.

At 74-55, the Orioles have lost two in a row, three of four, five of seven and seven of the last 11. Baltimore, now 1 1/2 games out in the American League East, is 16-17 in the second half. The 1 1/2-game margin is the team's largest deficit in the division since being two games back of New York following a loss on June 25 in Cleveland.

Over the past six games, the Orioles have scored 20 runs, with nine coming in one game. In that span, the team is batting .167/.245/.323/.568 and has gone 2-for-27 with runners in scoring position. They have five hits or less in four of those games and three or less in three of them.

Oriole first baseman Ryan Mountcastle could play later tonight depending on how he reacts to treatments on his sore wrist.

Mountcastle was removed from last night’s game in the top of the ninth inning. Ryan O’Hearn switched from right field to first base and Austin Slater batted in Mountcastle’s spot in the bottom of the ninth.

Manager Brandon Hyde said afterward that the wrist gradually became more sore after Mountcastle’s slide into second base on a double in the second inning – one of only three hits for the Orioles.

“He’s better today, it’s a little better,” Hyde said. “He’s getting treatment right now. He’s going to get treatment up until game time, so we’ll see if he’s available or not. It got pretty sore as the game went on last night but it’s a little bit better today.”

The offense needs a boost. Mountcastle hasn’t homered since July 29 and he’s batting .225/.257/.310 this month in 19 games but he has hits in 11 of his last 17, including three on Aug. 10 and two on the 13^th, 16^th and 19^th.

Last fall, he was playing in the World Series for the Diamondbacks. It capped a 2023 season that began with him playing for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. It ended chasing a championship.

He went 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs in the World Series versus the Rangers, who won the World Series in five games.

But on Monday, corner infielder Emmanuel Rivera was designated for assignment by the Marlins. The Orioles claimed him two days later and now he is with them waiting for his first chance to play for his new team.

A right-handed hitter, Rivera, 28, played in 96 games with Miami, taking 229 plate appearances and batting .214/.294/.269/.563. He has a career .656 OPS over 313 big league games with Kansas City, Arizona and Miami.

“I think it’s a great opportunity,” he said of his chance with the O’s, with interpreting help from Brandon Quinones. “Thank God, you know, for being able to stay healthy and that I’m now here with this team.

INF/OF Terrin Vavra has been claimed off waivers by the Seattle Mariners.

Ryan Mountcastle is out of the Orioles lineup tonight after leaving last night’s game in the ninth inning with wrist soreness.

Ryan O’Hearn is playing first base and Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter and batting second.

The Orioles began the day 1 ½ games behind the Yankees in the division race and they’re counting on rookie Cade Povich, making his 10^th major league start, to give them length before turning to the bullpen.

Povich lowered his ERA to 5.77 by holding the Red Sox to two runs over a career-high 6 1/3 innings in his last start. He was optioned later that night but returned with Zach Eflin on the injured list.

Left-hander Keegan Akin was reinstated from the paternity list and the Orioles optioned lefty Nick Vespi, who tossed a scoreless inning last night.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Reinstated LHP Keegan Akin from the Paternity List.
• Optioned LHP Nick Vespi to Triple-A Norfolk.

The Orioles just can’t seem to get rolling again. On a night where their bullpen allowed no runs or hits, they still lost 6-0 in the Houston series opener. Their offense has produced six hits the last two games.

Right now, they look like a second-division club with a lack of runs, hits and unfortunately fire and passion too.

Maybe the next win and a night of fire and passion is right around the corner. But right ahead of this club is six straight games versus Houston and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In the last six games, the Birds have scored 20 runs, but nine of them came in one game. In those games they have five hits or less four times and three hits or less three times.

During the six games the O’s are batting .167/.245/.323/.568 as a team and have gone 2-for-27 with runners in scoring position.

Corbin Burnes shortened his hair and lengthened his start, but what happened tonight wasn’t pretty.

Burnes allowed four runs in the sixth inning and the offense ran cold again in the Orioles’ 6-0 loss to the Astros before an announced crowd of 22,212 at Camden Yards.

The Yankees lead the division by 1 ½ games, the Orioles’ largest deficit since being two back on June 25.

After surrendering a career-high eight runs and 10 hits last week, Burnes was poised to produce his 20^th quality start. However, the Astros sent eight batters to the plate in the sixth, broke open the game and forced manager Brandon Hyde to dig into his bullpen after 5 2/3.

Burnes allowed six runs (five earned) and eight hits. Damage came heavy with two outs in the sixth, when Ben Gamel singled at only 77.8 mph off the bat to drive in a run, Burnes fielded Jake Meyers’ bunt and threw the ball past first base, and Shay Whitcomb delivered a two-run single.

Now an O's team that has fallen to second-place, one that lost twice via walk-off results at Citi Field, one that has lost four of six and six of 10 and that is 29-32 since June 13, goes into a demanding stretch of games.

The Orioles host first-place Houston for four at Camden Yards beginning tonight. Then the Birds fly across the country and play three in Los Angeles against the first-place Dodgers starting Tuesday night.

It's a tough seven-game run for an O's team that is 16-16 since the All-Star break and got swept three in a row at Houston in late June. The Orioles scored 11 runs in that series opener but lost 14-11 at Minute Maid Park. Then they lost 5-1 and 8-1 decisions, outscored in that series, 27-13 by the American League West leader.

With a win by the Yankees 6-0 over the Guardians today, the Orioles (74-54) are one game back in the AL East heading into tonight's game.

While O's starting pitchers have allowed two earned runs or less six times the past eight games, the Baltimore bullpen has been scored on six straight games with an ERA of 6.43 in that span. The O's pen has allowed eight homers the the last six games over 21 innings.

The lack of fresh relievers impacted starter Trevor Rogers.

The Orioles optioned Rogers early this afternoon within a bevy of roster moves that included calling up left-hander Nick Vespi and selecting right-hander Matt Bowman’s contract from Triple-A Norfolk.

Rogers’ next turn in the rotation was Sunday but the spot became listed as TBA.

“Just kind of where we are bullpen-wise,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “We feel like we needed to get some help in the bullpen, get some guys that are able to pitch tonight. Cade (Povich) is gonna throw tomorrow, so we want Trevor to stay ready. We’ll see what happens here. We just want him to stay ready and we’ll see how things shake out the next couple weeks.”

The Orioles sent outfielder Kyle Stowers and second baseman Connor Norby to the Marlins for Rogers at the trade deadline. He’s posted a 7.11 ERA and 1.842 WHIP in four starts and hasn’t gone more than five innings.

Right-handed reliever Matt Bowman, if he gets into a game with the Orioles, would be pitching for his fourth MLB team this season.

He got into five games in April with Minnesota, four with Arizona in May and one with Seattle in June.

He has actually already pitched this year at Oriole Park, throwing two scoreless on May 12 for the Diamondbacks.

Now after his transactions-filled year and season he wouldn’t mind finding a home with the team from his home state.

Bowman, 33, is 0-0 with a 5.40 ERA over 15 combined innings with a 1.200 WHIP. Since 2016 he has a career 4.22 ERA in the majors over 200 1/3 innings for six clubs.

Cedric Mullins is in center field tonight after being absent from the lineups in Queens.

Colton Cowser is playing left field and Ryan O’Hearn is in right. Anthony Santander is the designated hitter.

Adley Rutschman is batting fifth. Jackson Holliday is seventh.

Gunnar Henderson is slugging .717 in 28 games against the American League West this season.

The Orioles have homered in 16 consecutive games, tied for the third-longest streak by any team this season behind the Twins (28) and Orioles (22 straight in June) per STATS.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Activated INF Emmanuel Rivera. He will wear No. 26.
• Selected the contract of RHP Matt Bowman from Triple-A Norfolk. He will wear No. 51.
• Recalled LHP Nick Vespi from Triple-A Norfolk.
• Optioned LHP Trevor Rogers to Triple-A Norfolk.
• Optioned RHP Colin Selby to Triple-A Norfolk.
• Optioned INF Livan Soto to Triple-A Norfolk.
• Designated LHP Bruce Zimmermann for assignment.

The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 40 players.

The Orioles were short one reliever yesterday at Citi Field and apparently are making a move to correct it.

Left-hander Nick Vespi is joining the Orioles today, per sources. And there could be more roster changes coming after yesterday’s waiver claim of infielder Emmanuel Rivera.

Vespi made the Opening Day roster with Jacob Webb on the paternity list. He was optioned two days later, recalled May 22 as the 27^th man in St. Louis and immediately returned to Triple-A Norfolk, recalled May 24 when Dean Kremer went on the injured list with a triceps strain, optioned three days later, recalled June 3 and optioned three days later when the Orioles selected Cade Povich’s contract, was recalled June 15 when Kyle Bradish went on the IL with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament, and was optioned again July 3 when Kremer was reinstated.

Teams can’t option a player more than five times in a season without going through the waiver process. Sending him down after the 27th-man designation doesn’t count against the total.

Vespi has appeared in 10 games and allowed four runs and 10 hits in 11 1/3 innings. Three runs were surrendered over 1 1/3 innings in his last major league outing on June 30 against the Rangers.

The Orioles keep looking to get on a hot streak, playing solid and clean baseball. Given a chance to do that Wednesday afternoon, win a series and bring some momentum back to Camden Yards, they failed to. 

It was a brutal series loss at Citi Field with two walk-off losses, both with Seranthony Domínguez on the mound. Just when it looked like he might be the team’s ninth-inning option, this happens.

It appeared the team had some serious positive momentum when Austin Slater hit a two-run homer to right to tie the game 2-2 in the top of the sixth. It was his first O’s homer and his second of the season.

But even with that swing, a lot went wrong shortly after that on the way to the Orioles’ 54^th loss of the year.

They were held to three hits for the second time in the last four days. They actually won with three hits Sunday, but now they are 1-9 this year when getting three hits or less.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Claimed INF Emmanuel Rivera off waivers from the Miami Marlins. He has not yet reported.
• Designated INF/OF Terrin Vavra for assignment.

The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 40 players.

The Orioles have gone four straight series against National League opponents without winning one, but that could end today as they play the New York Mets at Citi Field.

Since they won back-to-back series against Atlanta and Philadelphia in mid-June, the Orioles have gone 0-3 versus the Chicago Cubs, 1-2 at Miami and 1-2 against San Diego before going 1-1 at home recently against Washington.

That is a run of 0-3-1 in those four series as the Orioles have gone 3-8 over 11 games. And now they have split two games against the Mets with the series-deciding game set for today.

The Orioles are 8-3 in 2024 in rubber match games and 0-1 when that comes in a series against the NL.

For the year, the Orioles are 16-20 against National League clubs, going 4-6-2 in 12 series pending the outcome of today’s game.