The Orioles traded a National League Central opponent tonight for one in the American League East. They had won 73 percent of their division games this year. But even that wasn’t enough to get their offense going again.

After scoring two runs in being swept by the Cubs, the Orioles ended their scoreless innings streak tonight but extended a losing streak to four.

Gerrit Cole allowed one run on 106 pitches over six frames as the New York Yankees beat the Orioles 4-1 in front of 39,566 at Camden Yards in the opener of a three-game series.

But what happened in the last of the ninth will be the lasting memory of this night. Yankees closer Clay Holmes hit Heston Kjerstad with a pitch in the batting helmet and a few minutes later both dugouts emptied as O's manager Brandon Hyde had words with someone in the visiting dugout.

"I was walking back and I hear stuff from their dugout," Hyde said. "So I just reacted the way I did. Saw what they were pointing at me and the whole thing, so just reacted the way I did.

They are the top two teams in the American League East, with the Orioles (57-36) leading the Yankees (56-39) by two games atop the division. But both have been playing under .500 ball for a couple of weeks or more. 

Heading into the weekend series, the Orioles are coming off being swept three straight by the Cubs. They have lost four of five and five of their past seven games. They are 8-11 since June 21. But they have actually gained 2.5 games on the Yankees since that date as New York is 5-13 since then.

The Yankees have lost three of four and seven of their last nine games. They are 6-17 since June 15 with a -35 run differential and 5.91 team ERA in that span, allowing 40 homers in those 23 games.

Will one team get well at the expense of the other this weekend?

Both have struggled with pitching lately, although the Orioles scored just two runs in the series with the Cubs. They still are among the best pitching staffs in baseball on the stat sheet. With a 3.60 team ERA, the Yankees rank second in the AL and at 3.66, the Orioles are fourth. O's starters have a 3.54 ERA to rank third while New York is fifth in the AL with a 3.66 rotation ERA. The Yankees bullpen is second (3.55) while the O's are eighth (3.86).

Cade Povich brings a certain level of curiosity into tonight’s start against the Yankees.

Specifically, how will the rookie respond to his worst outing in the majors, when he failed to retire a batter in the second inning in Oakland and was charged with eight runs.

Povich has surrendered six runs in the first inning and six more in the second over his six starts. Three runs scored in the first in his last outing and the Athletics tacked on seven more in the second, with Dillon Tate unable to stop the bleeding.

So yes, manager Brandon Hyde is curious about tonight.

“I think we’re going to find out in the first inning,” Hyde said. “His first innings have been a little rocky, where he has a tough time kind of finding his command. So hopefully tonight he finds that command early.

When the Orioles make the No. 22 overall selection Sunday night in round one as another MLB Draft day arrives, their outlook for acquiring amateur talent is not really different than when the club was a losing and rebuilding organization.

There is no urgency, just because now the Orioles are a winning team that could go deep in the postseason, to select players for instance who could get there quicker to help the big league team in Baltimore.

“I don’t think so,” said Orioles vice president of player development and domestic scouting Matt Blood, as to whether the draft approach has changed. “Again, our job is to make the best bet we can. And our job is sort of to predict the future, which is very hard to do. We’re going to stick with our process and will try to get the best major league value that we possibly can with every single pick.”

The Orioles have four of the draft’s first 97 picks. They have selections at Nos. 22, 32, 61 and 97. The draft runs through the first two rounds and Competitive Balance Round B on Sunday night. Selections in rounds three through 10 are Monday with rounds 11 through 20 on Tuesday to wrap up the three days.

The draft begins at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday night and at 2 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday.

The Orioles hold a two-game advantage over the Yankees in the American League East and they begin a weekend series tonight that leads into the break. They haven’t lost a division series in the last 22.

They haven't scored in the last 24 innings.

Heston Kjerstad is in left field and Cedric Mullins is in center. Colton Cowser is on the bench again.

Jordan Westburg is at second base. Ryan O'Hearn is the designated hitter.

Ryan Mountcastle is batting seventh.

On Tuesday night during the All-Star game in Texas, no doubt at some point the national television audience will hear one of the broadcasters point out the two O’s starters in the game – Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson – were the first two draft picks by Mike Elias after joining the Orioles.

Rutschman was the No. 1 pick in that 2019 draft but the Orioles got Henderson at No. 42 overall. Baseball America had him at No. 30 in their pre-draft projections.

The first two picks of the new regime are now All-Stars.

“It is definitely a testament to Elias,” Henderson said in the clubhouse pregame yesterday. “I know Rutch was obviously the consensus 1/1 pick. But to take a chance on me, I can’t thank him enough for that. Just glad to be able to go out there and help the O’s win some games.”

So why was Gunnar still there at pick No. 42?

Ryan Mountcastle’s fly ball with two outs in the fourth inning fell in front of charging Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki for a soft double. The Orioles had their first baserunner. They got a body in scoring position.

Newly appointed All-Star Anthony Santander swung at the next pitch and grounded out to extend the club’s scoreless streak to 19 innings and its struggles with RISP to whatever level is beyond frustrating.

Albert Suárez tried to keep the game close, but a four-run deficit in the fifth felt insurmountable with the offense stuck in neutral.

Cubs left-hander Justin Steele tossed seven scoreless innings on only 70 pitches and the Orioles lost 8-0 before an announced crowd of 22,685 at Camden Yards, the first time they were swept at home since Aug. 27-29, 2021 against the Rays.

The Orioles were outscored 21-2 in the series and haven’t plated a run in their last 24 innings. They were shut out in back-to-back games for the first time in three years. And they’ve got the Yankees this weekend.

Leading the American League East by two games over the Yankees, the Orioles take the field as a first-place team tonight, but one that is looking to avoid a three-game sweep.

The Cubs have beaten the Orioles by 9-2 and 4-0 the past two nights and could hand the Orioles their first home sweep this year. Baltimore has been swept twice on the road - May 20-22 at St. Louis and June 21-23 at Houston.

The Orioles have not been swept at home in a series of at least two games since Aug. 27-29, 2021 versus Tampa Bay when they lost three straight.

With last night's loss, the O's have lost this series, falling to 20-7-3 in series play and they have lost three of their past six series.

At 57-35, the Orioles have lost three of four and four of the last six games. They are 8-10 since June 21 with a team ERA of 5.68 in this span while scoring 4.2 runs per game.

Make that five All-Star representatives for the Orioles.

Outfielder Anthony Santander has made the American League club as an injury replacement for Houston’s Kyle Tucker. He'll also head out early to Arlington, Texas.

Santander joins starters Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman, pitcher Corbin Burnes and infielder Jordan Westburg. This is the highest total for the Orioles since 2016 with Manny Machado, Matt Wieters, Mark Trumbo, Zack Britton and Brad Brach. They had four representatives last year in Seattle.

The honor for Santander comes in his free agency year and seven seasons after his major league debut as a Rule 5 pick from Single-A Lynchburg in Cleveland’s organization.

Santander goes into tonight’s game batting .233/.298/.492 with 15 doubles, a triple, 23 home runs and 57 RBIs in 366 plate appearances, and he’s playing an exceptional right field. He was a finalist on the ballot but finished one spot behind the starters.

The Orioles acquired right-hander Colin Selby, 26, from the Royals today for cash considerations and optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk. Kyle Bradish was moved to the 60-day injured list to make room on a full 40-man roster.

Selby, a Virginia native, made two relief appearances with the Royals and allowed two earned runs (three total) in three innings. He appeared in 21 games with the Pirates last season, making five starts, and had a 9.00 ERA and 1.833 WHIP in 24 innings.

He’s averaged 5.7 walks and 10 strikeouts per nine innings in the majors.

Austin Hays remains in left field, as the Orioles try to avoid being swept by the Cubs in their three-game series.

Hays is slashing .340/.379/.574 (32-for-94) with 13 doubles, three home runs, 12 RBIs, three walks, four hit-by-pitches and 14 runs in 35 games since returning from the injured list on May 13.

An adjustment to the Orioles’ bullpen seemed inevitable.

The move came early this afternoon.

Dillon Tate was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk and right-handed reliever Burch Smith had his contract selected from the Tides.

Smith will wear No. 40. Tate will try to fix whatever’s wrong.

Tate has made three appearances this month and given up runs in each game – four over two innings against the Athletics and two over two innings in back-to-back outings against the Cubs. He surrendered 11 hits. His ERA has climbed from 3.38 to 4.59.

When they play the All-Star game next Tuesday night in Arlington, Texas, the O’s participants will have a homegrown flavor.

Three of the four players repping the Orioles were drafted and developed by the Orioles in Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg.

The fourth player going, pitcher Corbin Burnes, was acquired in a trade of O’s prospects they drafted and developed. They sent lefty DL Hall to Milwaukee in that deal, their first round pick (No 21 overall) in 2017. They also sent infielder Joey Ortiz, their fourth round pick in 2019 and a draft pick this year to the Brewers. They will have the No. 34 pick in this coming draft from the Burnes deal.

The first two selections Mike Elias ever made as O’s executive vice president and general in the 2019 MLB Draft were Rutschman taken No. 1 overall and Henderson at No. 42.

“That credit goes to Mike. Mike and his team,” manager Brandon Hyde said Wednesday pregame marveling at the O’s success in the draft under Elias. “What they’ve done in the draft since we’ve been here is unbelievable. To have Gunner, Adley and Jordan Westburg going to the All-Star game that just got drafted so many years ago that he drafted, that’s unbelievably rare.

With a team ERA of 5.78 the last 17 games, and having allowed 19 runs Saturday and nine last night, the Orioles could use a well pitched game tonight in the second of their series with the Chicago Cubs.

Enter right-hander Corbin Burnes (9-3, 2.32 ERA), who is looking to become a 10-game winner in his 19th start of 2024. Burnes was selected to pitch in the All-Star Game and could even be chosen to start for the American League.

He has strong credentials for that. He ranks second in the league in ERA (led by Kansas City's Seth Lugo at 2.21). He is third with 14 quality starts, one off the league lead, and is tied for fifth in opponents OPS at .590. He ranks seventh in both batting average against (.215) and WHIP (1.021).

The Orioles are 12-6 in his outings and Burnes is 5-1 with a 1.78 ERA and 1.121 WHIP in 10 home starts, in which the Orioles are 7-3.

Since April 26, Burnes has made 12 quality starts in a 13-start span, going 6-3 with a 2.16 ERA. He has allowed a .592 OPS in this stretch. 

Take it one day at a time. Worry about today’s game. Don’t look too far ahead or much ahead at all.

It can be a bit boring creed, but for the Orioles it is working.

Their latest example of how they quickly deal with adversity and then move past it just happened Sunday at Oakland. After giving up 19 runs the day before, they scored four in the first the next day and won. They got swept by at St. Louis in May, ending the sweepless streak and then went on a 16-4 run the next 20 games.

Guess what, more adversity last night as they allowed 14 hits in a 9-2 loss to the Cubs and Dean Kremer gave up seven runs in four innings. In their second game after allowing 19 runs, the O's allowed nine.

Now they have to overcome another down game. They've responded well to tough times most of this year. How do they do that?

Jordan Westburg took the high road earlier today. Then, he put a fastball on a flight to the seats near the bullpen area.

This is how you celebrate your selection to the All-Star Game. By hitting like one again.

The Orioles didn’t exhibit the same timing. They followed the news of Westburg’s late inclusion as an injury replacement by committing two errors in the third inning that led to a pair of unearned runs against Dean Kremer, who walked three batters by the third, surrendered two homers by the fourth and lacked the sharpness of his previous start.

The Cubs scored in each of the first four innings, Kremer was gone by the fifth and the Orioles lost the series opener 9-2 before an announced crowd of 30,373 at Camden Yards.

The Yankees still trail the Orioles (57-34) by three games after losing to the Rays.

Orioles ace Corbin Burnes could have started tonight on regular rest and faced the Yankees Sunday in the last game before the All-Star break. Instead, he follows Dean Kremer on Wednesday and is available to pitch Tuesday for the American League.

The Orioles hold a three-game lead over the Yankees going into tonight, adding to the importance of the weekend series.

“We put a lot into it and got input from everybody,” manager Brandon Hyde said this afternoon. “We just came down to the conclusion of let’s keep him on regular rest. It’s going to be so important for us to have him in the second half.

“Hopefully, he’s going to start the All-Star Game. We’ll see what happens there. But we need him for the second half, so we decided to keep him on regular (turn).”

Burnes hasn’t confirmed whether he’s attending the All-Star Game following the birth of twin daughters. He wanted to discuss it with his wife Brooke.

He was one of six Orioles who were finalists in the American League in voting for the All-Star game. As it turned out, Gunnar Henderson will start at shortstop and Adley Rutschman as the catcher for the American League, but no other O's finalists made the team.

That group includes Ryan Mountcastle, Jordan Westburg, Ryan O’Hearn and Anthony Santander.

Westburg was on the ballot at third base, but unless he is a late add to replace someone injured, he will not be in the game on July 16.

“I understood it,” Westburg said this afternoon in the Baltimore clubhouse. “There are a lot of good players in this league and so just to be in those conversations, I was very honored. I felt blessed.

“It’s disappointing. I don’t know how many times I will get that opportunity in my career but at the end of the day, I’m not going to live and die by that decision. I’m going to enjoy the time off with my wife at our home. It will be fun.”

Heston Kjerstad is starting again in left field tonight as the Orioles begin their three-game home series against the Cubs.

Cedric Mullins is in center field and Anthony Santander is in right.

Ramón Urías is the third baseman, with Jordan Westburg at second.

Per STATS, the Orioles have three of the 20 qualified major league hitters with a .500-plus slugging percentage – Westburg, Santander and Gunnar Henderson. This would be the fifth time the Orioles have had three qualified players slug .500 or better at the All-Star break, including four in 1996 and 2005 and three in 1969 and 2016.

Henderson is the fourth shortstop to reach 50 extra-base hits before the All-Star break, joining Francisco Lindor (55) in 2018, Miguel Tejada (53) in 2005 and Trevor Story (52) in 2018.

For 22-year-old outfielder Dylan Beavers of the Double-A Bowie Baysox, the work to get better and take his game to higher levels is ongoing daily at Prince George’s Stadium and other ballparks around the Eastern League.

Beavers is ranked as the Orioles’ No. 6 prospect by MLBPipeline.com and No. 10 via Baseball America.

He added weight and strength over the winter and that helped him drive the ball better and hit more homers, but he also seen his batting average and OPS drop.

But on the O’s farm, the focus is always on process over results and coaches and players alike take a long-term view. A couple days or even a few weeks of struggles are understood if both sides feel that things are taking place for long-term success.

“I think there have been some positives to take away and also definitely some things to improve on, work on,” Beavers told me recently at Bowie in sizing up his 2024 season. “My power is starting to show up – feel like I am driving the ball better this year. And just kind of matching that consistency that I had last year while continuing to drive the ball.”

The Orioles today announced that Catie Griggs will serve as the first female president of business operations in team history. She begins with the club on Aug. 19.

On Friday, Griggs resigned her position as president of business operations for the Seattle Mariners. The North Carolina native cited a desire to be closer to family on the East Coast. Griggs arrived in Seattle in July 2021 after four seasons as the chief business officer for Atlanta United in Major League Soccer. She oversaw all aspects of the Mariners organization outside of baseball operations.

“Catie’s track record of success, diverse business experience, and commitment to excellence made her the perfect fit to lead the next chapter of our business operation in Baltimore,” said Orioles owner and control person David M. Rubenstein. "The entire Orioles organization welcomes Catie as we continue to elevate every aspect of our operation.”

Griggs managed all aspects of the Mariners' business operations, including investments to improve technology, operations and fan experience at T-Mobile Park. In addition, she led the way as T-Mobile Park became the first venue to host both Major League Baseball's All-Star Week (2023) and the National Hockey League Winter Classic (2024) within a calendar year. Combined, the two events generated more than $80 million in revenue for the city of Seattle and directly engaged more than 300,000 fans. 

Before joining the Mariners, Griggs spent the previous four years (2017-2021) helping build Atlanta United into one of the premier MLS franchises. She was chief business officer, overseeing all aspects of the Atlanta United front office. Prior to Atlanta United, Griggs was with Futures Sport & Entertainment, as well as Turner Broadcasting.