Albert Suárez figured it out.

A two-start slump circled the drain tonight, with Suárez regaining the effectiveness that made him so valuable to a club with a bundle of pitching injuries.

Súarez shut out the Rangers over a season-high six innings, Colton Cowser homered for the second time in two nights and the Orioles claimed a 2-1 victory before an announced crowd of 27,666 at Camden Yards.

Craig Kimbrel recorded his 18^th save and 435^th of his career, and the Orioles won their third game in a row after five consecutive defeats. Their record improved to 52-30.

Owner David Rubenstein danced with the Oriole Bird on top of the dugout during the seventh inning stretch and tossed caps to fans. The good times rolled.

The Orioles are nearing the end of a stretch of playing 30 games in 31 days since May 31. Even with the recent five-game losing steak, the team is 16-11 (.593) in this span with three games left in this series with Texas remaining before Monday's off-day to end this grueling span.

The Orioles have won series in this difficult stretch versus the Rays (twice), Braves, Phillies and Yankees. They split a four-game set in Toronto and lost series to the Astros and Guardians.

The six teams that would qualify for the American League playoffs if the season ended today are the Orioles, Yankees, Guardians, Mariners, Twins and Royals. The Birds are 6-1 in series against those clubs, going 15-7 overall.

In the first game between the Orioles and Rangers since Texas swept three in a row last October in the AL Division Series, the O's won 11-2, hitting four homers. Right-hander Corbin Burnes got the win on the mound, allowing one run over seven innings to now be 9-3 with a 2.28 ERA. He has 11 quality starts in his past 12 games with an ERA of 2.09 over that stretch.

Jordan Westburg's two-run double in the first gave the Orioles a 3-0 lead. Heston Kjerstad hit a two-run homer in the third and Cedric Mullins hit a two-run shot an inning later. The O's got solo homers from Adley Rutschman in the seventh and Colton Cowser in the eighth.

The Orioles announced two more minor league signings today, agreeing to terms with infielder Niko Goodrum and right-hander Burch Smith.

Goodrum, 32, appeared in nine games with the Rays and four with the Angels this season and went 3-for-29 with 10 strikeouts. The Pirates selected him on waivers June 10 and he was granted his release a week later.

In parts of seven major league seasons, Goodrum has batted .224/.297/.383 with 76 doubles, 11 triples, 42 home runs and 152 RBIs in 415 games and also played every infield and outfield position. He broke into the majors with the Twins in 2017, played for the Tigers from 2018-21 and appeared in 15 games with the Astros in 2022.

Goodrum spent 2023 between Triple-A Worcester in the Red Sox’s system and with Lotte in the Korea Baseball Organization.

Smith, 34, made 25 relief appearances with the Marlins this year and posted a 4.25 ERA and 1.618 WHIP in 29 2/3 innings. He pitched in Japan in 2022 and Korea in 2023.

As Orioles ace pitcher right-hander Corbin Burnes (9-3, 2.28 ERA) went on the paternity list today, it opened an opportunity for Triple-A lefty reliever Matt Krook to join the team.

Manager Brandon Hyde said Burnes will rejoin the team for Tuesday’s game at Seattle and then they will map out his next start. Today Krook was called from Norfolk to take his roster spot. A player can be on the paternity list for up to three games.

For now, Krook arrives for the first time on the O’s roster. At 29, Krook has spent a lot of time in the minors since being drafted in round four in 2016 by San Francisco.

His first chance at the majors came in four games for the Yankees in 2023 and he allowed 11 runs over four innings, pitching in games in June, July and September.

He was designated for assignment by New York on Feb. 13 of this year and traded five days later to Baltimore for cash considerations. This year at Triple-A Norfolk, he has gone 2-2 with a 3.71 ERA in 26 games over 26 2/3 innings with 17 walks, 31 strikeouts, a .200 average against and 1.35 WHIP.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Agreed to terms on 2024 Minor League contracts with INF Niko Goodrum and RHP Burch Smith.

X-rays on catcher Adley Rutschman’s right hand came back negative but he isn’t in tonight’s lineup.

Rutshman was hit by a foul tip last night and later homered. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Rutschman feels better today and he planned on swinging a bat.

Heston Kjerstad also is out of the lineup after homering last night and driving in three runs.

Colton Cowser is in left field and Anthony Santander is in right.

For the Orioles

The Orioles placed Corbin Burnes on the paternity list today and recalled left-hander Matt Krook from Triple-A Norfolk. The bullpen has an extra reliever tonight.

Burnes can be away from the team for three days. Reliever Jacob Webb went on the paternity list on Opening Day.

The news comes after Burnes registered his 13th quality start last night by allowing one run over seven innings in an 11-2 win over the Rangers.

Krook was acquired in spring training from the Yankees for cash considerations. He debuted last summer and made four appearances, allowing 11 runs in four innings.

He’s appeared in 26 games with Norfolk and posted a 3.71 ERA and 1.350 WHIP in 26 2/3 innings, walking 17 batters and striking out 31. He’s surrendered only two home runs.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Recalled LHP Matt Krook from Triple-A Norfolk. He will wear No. 66.
• Placed RHP Corbin Burnes on the Paternity List.
• INF/OF Nick Maton has cleared outright waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Norfolk following last night’s game.

The Orioles' Gunnar Henderson has always been able to impact a game with five tools, and the speed element of that is on greater display during the 2024 season.

He might have to pick up the pace a bit in the stolen-base department, but Henderson has a chance to become the second Oriole - Cedric Mullins did it in 2021 - to hit 30 or more homers and steal at least 30 bases in one season.

Henderson is running more this year, is very comfortable swiping bags and now has a manager willing to give him a green light to go more than ever.

He began last night second in the AL in homers (26), slugging (.618) and OPS (1.005), but also tied for 13^th in the league with 13 steals. He is 13-for-14 this year after stealing 10 bases in 13 attempts all of last year.

Has he just made a concerted effort to run more this year?

They ended the Orioles 2023 season in the American League Division Series with a three-game sweep. Tonight the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers come to Camden Yards to start a four-game set. The stakes are very different in a regular season game after Texas posted wins by 3-2, 11-8 and 7-1 over the Orioles to advance last October.

The teams are having very different seasons as well. The Orioles (50-30) will reach the season's halfway point tonight and are just one game behind the first-place Yankees in the American League East.

The Rangers, who also beat Tampa Bay before last year's AL Division Series and Houston and Arizona after it on their way to the title, are only 37-43 at the 80-game mark. They are in third in the AL West and 7 1/2 games behind division-leading Seattle.

Texas was just swept three straight at Milwaukee by 6-3, 3-1 and 6-5 scores. The Rangers have also lost eight of their past 12 games and are just 8-13 since June 3. The Rangers were 21-16 on May 7, but have gone 16-27 since that point.

The Rangers have also lost six in a row on the road, are 5-16 their past 21 road games and are just 4-10 their past 14 series, home and road.

Orioles' catcher Adley Rutschman was a Silver Slugger winner at the end of the 2023 season. One where he finished with 20 homers and 80 RBIs. But this season his production has gotten better and he’s on pace for 28 homers and 107 RBIs.

He has elevated his slugging and OPS production even as his walk rate came down. Earlier this year it was way down. He’s started to draw more walks recently and maybe that is a result of pitchers be more careful with a hitter who had an OPS of .806 in 2022 and .809 in 2023 and that is now .820. His slugging percentage this season is .470 after it was .445 in 2022 and .435 last year.

To simplify it, Rutschman has been more aggressive at bat this year and his walk rate early on dropped big time. But it's climbing back up now, and he is showing all his talents as a hitter with recent games of two homers and another with five hits.

He is seeing fewer pitches per plate appearance and his walk rate, which was 13.8 in 2022 and 13.4 last year is now 7.4. That walk rate was lower than that earlier this year, but Rutschman, who has walked 25 times this year, has drawn 11 of those in the last 14 games, a span where his on-base percentage is .394.

“I don’t think there was any specific decree to Adley, ‘we need you to do more.’ That is pretty tough to ask a guy who just won a Silver Slugger to do more,” O’s offensive strategy coach Cody Asche said on Sunday. “It was kind of the way the season started (with less walks). Guys do things different for one reason or another, you know, maybe you see guys are attacking you differently and that’s just the way things go.

The relentless schedule and intense heat led the Orioles to implement a “breather day,” as manager Brandon Hyde called it. They treated it as a getaway game, with players allowed to report later and no batting practice held on the field. Dial back the intensity a smidge.

“Hopefully have lunch somewhere and be able to relax a little bit,” Hyde said this afternoon. “You do that periodically to try to keep guys as fresh as possible and not have them at the ballpark for 11 hours a day like normal.”

Freshness in these sweltering conditions didn’t seem possible, but tweaking the routine made sense for a team unable to find another gear and riding its longest losing streak in two years.

Credit the plan, Grayson Rodriguez, Gunnar Henderson or Cedric Mullins. All that matters is the result.

Henderson tied the game in the fifth inning with his 26^th home run and Mullins provided a late lead with his shot onto Eutaw Street in the seventh in the Orioles’ 4-2 victory over the Guardians before an announced crowd of 17,965 at Camden Yards.

During a five-game losing streak, the Orioles have allowed 40 runs and lost games where they scored eight and eleven runs. So Captain Obvious said the pitching must improve as they host Cleveland tonight in the series finale.

After getting swept once all year - from May 20 to 22 at St. Louis - a loss tonight would secure back-to-back series the O's have been swept. 

The Orioles (49-30) hit the 80-game mark tonight and begin play two games behind the New York Yankees (52-29). At 51-26, the Guardians have the best record in the American League and second-best in the majors behind the Phillies. The Yankees have the AL's second-best record and the Orioles have the third-best.

The Orioles have been outscored 40-23 during the losing streak and their team ERA is 7.71 in this stretch. Baltimore's starting pitchers have gone eight straight games without a quality start. In that span, the rotation ERA is 7.26 with a WHIP of 1.789. O's starters pitched five innings or less in six of the eight games.

In the past four games, O's batters have gone 2-for-24 batting with runners in scoring position. For the year, the O's are batting .262 when hitting with RISP to rank seventh-best in the American League. Their team OPS of .783 with RISP is fourth-best in the AL.

The losing streak has reached five games and the Orioles are one more defeat away from back-to-back sweeps and the third in 2024.

The Orioles haven’t been swept in consecutive series since May 13-18, 2022 against the Tigers and Yankees, also the last time they lost six games in a row.

Heston Kjerstad is in left field and batting seventh. Cedric Mullins is in center and Anthony Santander is in right. Colton Cowser, who homered last night, isn’t in the lineup.

Ryan O’Hearn is the designated hitter. Jorge Mateo is starting at second base, so his left hand and wrist are fine.

Gunnar Henderson has reached base in 32 consecutive games.

The Orioles losing streak reached five last night with another night of getting a short and ineffective outing from a starting pitcher. Over these five games the Orioles have allowed 40 runs.

With the Orioles and just about every other contending team in the majors in the market for starting pitching, it is natural to think about Chicago White Sox lefty Garrett Crochet.

The Orioles got an in-person look at the hard-throwing strikeout machine on May 26 at Guaranteed Rate Field. They got two runs off him over six innings, but he fanned 11 Orioles that day.

He looks great – both in person and on the stat sheet. He is under team control through the 2026 season so a team trading for him will have him for this year and two more.

That means the trade price may be extremely high. The O’s may have a farm system where they could be a good trade partner with Chicago. Someone I talked to recently who knows the trade winds better than most, thought the O’s could be in the hunt for Crochet in giving up only one of their top prospects. They would not need two of their premier prospects. But yeah, one big name would likely have to go in a bigger package of players.

The Orioles have lost four in a row and been outscored 30-15 during the season's longest losing streak. Cleveland has won six in a row and outscored their opponents 36-14 during their win streak.

After losing their homestand opener 3-2 to Cleveland last night, the O's could use a win tonight, which would end both streaks.

Cleveland's win streak is not even its longest of this year. The Guardians won nine in a row from May 17-26.

At 50-26 (.658), Cleveland has the best win percentage in the American League and leads second-place Minnesota by a season-high eight games in the American League Central. Their record is second-best in the majors to Philadelphia at 52-26 (.667).

The Guardians are 11-6 this year against AL East teams, going 1-2 versus New York, 5-2 against Boston, 4-2 versus Toronto and 1-0 against Baltimore. 

The Orioles have made the following roster move:

Agreed to terms on a 2024 Minor League contract with INF/OF Garrett Cooper.

One way to show statistically how good the Orioles' offense has been this year is to look at the numbers from Monday morning, after back-to-back games when the team scored one run each.

The Orioles still led the majors in runs per game heading into last night’s game and by a big margin. Heading into the Guardians series, the Orioles were scoring 5.23 runs per game and Phillies were second at 5.06.

The Orioles and Guardians (5.05 runs per game) are the only two American League teams averaging 5.00 or better runs per game as of game time Monday. Baltimore led the majors in homers, slugging and extra-base hits. They also ranked first in the AL and second to the Dodgers in team OPS.

The team has three hitting coaches and they seem to work very well together as a well-oiled machine in getting hitters prepared. Prepared so much so that recently they hammered aces like Zack Wheeler and Luis Gil. No, they didn’t hit every quality starter, but they have held their own most nights.

As for their titles, Ryan Fuller and Matt Borgschulte are listed as co-hitting coaches while Cody Asche is listed as offensive strategy coach.

The gut check came early tonight for Orioles rookie Cade Povich.

The first three Cleveland batters reached against him – a leadoff single on an 0-2 pitch, a walk after getting ahead 1-2 and José Ramírez’s run-scoring single that had fans grumbling and a manager wondering how he’d cover the rest of the game if Povich didn’t stick around.

The inning lasted 31 pitches, far from ideal, but Povich struck out Josh Naylor on a sweeper and David Fry on a changeup after a double steal. Will Brennan flied out and the Guardians settled for one run.

They scored again in the second and the Orioles tied the game again in the third. Ramírez led off the sixth with a homer to give him the last word.

Brandon Hyde got 5 2/3 innings and 95 pitches out of Povich. Much more than the kid appeared capable of offering back in the first. But the offense has scored four runs in the last three games. Much less than what it usually does.

After losing three games over the weekend at Houston and getting swept for the second time this year by a combined 27-13 score, the Orioles are back at home tonight. They host the Cleveland Guardians in the opening game of a three-game series and seven-game homestand.

The Orioles (49-28, .636) have the third-best record in the American League and begin play tonight 1.5 games back of the division-leading New York Yankees.

When they faced the Phillies, they held the best record in the National League and the Yankees were atop the AL when the O's played them in New York. Tonight they host a Cleveland team that at 49-26 (.653) currently holds the best record in the AL and second-best in the majors behind Philadelphia.

Cleveland has won five in a row over Seattle and Toronto by a combined 33-12 score. Cleveland batters clubbed 12 homers and batted hit .273 in the win streak with a team OPS of .899 while scoring 6.6 runs per game.

Cleveland has scored at least six runs in each of those five wins. The last time the team won five consecutive games with at least six runs in each was in July 2019, last doing so in six straight in May 2018.