Austin Hays got past the illness that kept him out of the Orioles lineup prior to the last road trip. The bottle of Pedialyte in his locker yesterday was gulped more as a preventative measure with four day games in a row. Restore fluids and prevent dehydration.

Hays is trying to remain upright while teammates keep dropping around him.

Cedric Mullins is in Sarasota rehabbing from a strained groin. Ryan Mountcastle went on the injured list Tuesday with vertigo. Austin Voth went on the IL yesterday with elbow discomfort.

Reliever Danny Coulombe was unavailable recently due to illness, going eight days between appearances. Two other relievers, Mychal Givens and Dillon Tate, are on injury rehab assignments this week.

The tale would be much sadder except that the Orioles are winning. Five in a row before last night’s 3-1 loss to the Blue Jays. More than every team other than the Rays when the night began.

To get his first career win in his own division and finally slay the Blue Jays, who battered him last season, Kyle Bradish needed to outduel the pitcher who hadn’t lost to the Orioles in 12 starts.

A pitcher who was perfect through four innings and unhittable until the seventh.

Bradish had good stuff and bad timing.

José Berríos retired the first 13 batters and was still eyeing history when Adley Rutschman singled into center field leading off the seventh. Just a minor glitch for Berríos, who again brought his best against the Orioles.

George Springer homered off Bradish with one out in the sixth, a changeup traveling 437 feet to left field, and the Blue Jays didn’t seem to need anything else in a 3-1 win before an announced crowd of 16,083 at Camden Yards.

The Orioles weren’t finished with their roster moves this afternoon.

Unfortunate business as usual.

Reliever Austin Voth was placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow discomfort. Reliever Reed Garrett had his contract selected from Triple-A Norfolk to fill the gap in the bullpen.

To make room for Garrett on the 40-man, Mark Kolozsvary was designated for assignment less than 24 hours after the Orioles selected his contract and let him catch the ninth inning.

Voth retired only one batter last night and allowed two runs and three hits with one walk. His homerless streak ended at 17 appearances when pinch-hitter Cavan Biggio took him deep leading off the eighth.

Joey Ortiz is back with the Orioles for the third time.

The Orioles recalled Ortiz from Triple-A Norfolk this afternoon and optioned Mark Kolozsvary, who joined the active roster yesterday and caught the ninth inning.

The move is another response to first baseman Ryan Mountcastle going on the 10-day injured list yesterday with vertigo.

Ortiz’s last game with the Orioles was May 24 in New York. He was optioned two days later and didn’t play for Norfolk again until June 8 due to illness, but he’s gone 9-for-25 with two doubles, a triple and two home runs this month.

Ortiz is 7-for-27 with the Orioles. He’s on the bench tonight.

Ryan O’Hearn fouled off a changeup last night in the third inning, got the barrel on a slider and deposited the ball into the home bullpen.

Home is where O’Hearn is hardest to contain.

He began last night batting .462 with a 1.362 OPS in nine games at Camden Yards and .237 with a .722 OPS in 15 games on the road, though his three-run homer on May 20 at Rogers Centre qualifies as one of the season’s biggest hits.

I wrote yesterday that O’Hearn’s OPS was the highest mark for any Orioles player in his first nine home games with a minimum of 30 plate appearances, per STATS.

There’s more, of course.

Ryan Mountcastle has lost his day-to-day status with the Orioles.

The club announced a few minutes before first pitch that Mountcastle was placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Saturday with vertigo.

Catcher Mark Kolozsvary had his contract selected from Triple-A Norfolk, and he reported to the club today.

The Orioles designated pitcher Noah Denoyer for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.

Mountcastle hasn’t played since Tuesday, with the club explaining his absence as an illness. Manager Brandon Hyde said Mountcastle came to the ballpark yesterday to take some swings and was going to be a full participant this afternoon in batting practice.  

Two veteran Orioles relievers will begin injury rehab assignments this week.

Mychal Givens will pitch for Double-A Bowie on Wednesday and Triple-A Norfolk on Friday. Dillon Tate is scheduled to pitch for Norfolk Thursday and Saturday.

Givens began the season on the injured list with left knee inflammation, made six appearances with the Orioles and returned to the IL on June 2 with right shoulder inflammation. He allowed five earned runs and six total with six walks in four innings.

Tate is waiting to make his 2023 debut. He completed a rehab assignment and went back on the injured list with a right elbow flexor strain. The Orioles transferred him to the 60-day IL to create a spot for infielder Josh Lester.

The latest injury is unrelated to the strained right forearm that kept him from pitching in spring training.

Ryan Mountcastle remains out of the Orioles’ lineup tonight due to an illness. He hasn’t played since Thursday.

Ryan O’Hearn is the first baseman and cleanup hitter to open the Blue Jays series. Gunnar Henderson is leading off and serving as the designated hitter.

Henderson had eight hits while the Orioles swept the Royals, with two home runs and two stolen bases. Per STATS, he's just the sixth rookie in the modern era (1901) to reach those numbers in a three-game series.

O’Hearn has a 1.362 OPS in nine games at Camden Yards, the highest mark for any Orioles player in his first nine home games with a minimum of 30 plate appearances, also according to STATS.

Aaron Hicks gets another start in center field.

Outfielder Aaron Hicks is expected to stay in the Orioles’ lineup tonight for the series opener against the Blue Jays at Camden Yards. His knack for reaching base is keeping him off the bench.

Hicks is 10-for-29 since the Yankees released him, with two doubles, one triple, one home run and seven walks. He’s batting .345/.472/.586 and has gotten on base in all 10 games, collecting hits in seven of them.

Evidence began to surface that Hicks was heating up. He went 6-for-17 in his last seven games with the Yankees before they designated him for assignment, including a 3-for-4 night in Toronto from the bottom of the lineup.

What’s happening now is next level.

This is Hicks’ longest on-base streak since a 12-game run from Sept. 5-18, 2020. His four extra-base hits are one more than he registered in 28 games with the Yankees this season.

The Orioles could send a catcher to the All-Star Game for the first time since 2016 and have their first healthy starter at the position in 36 years.

Adley Rutschman is the leader in voting in the American League at 460,496 to give him a comfortable margin over the Rangers’ Jonah Heim (320,028), a former Orioles minor leaguer. The Royals’ Salvador Pérez is third at 312,615.

Matt Wieters was an All-Star in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2016. He was leading AL catchers in voting in 2014 when he sustained an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery.

Terry Kennedy was voted into the All-Star Game in 1987, and Mickey Tettleton was a reserve two years later.

Rutschman didn’t make his major league debut last year until May 21 and was slow to heat up, but he emerged as the immediate favorite in 2023 and is batting .274/.390/.410 with eight doubles, eight home runs, 28 RBIs and 46 walks that lead the league.

When breaking down the differences between his time with Triple-A Norfolk this year compared to the majors, the stuff that really stood out to him, Cole Irvin’s mind immediately went to the obvious contrast.

The one that might stand alone and made him smile.

He couldn’t resist.

“I think the postgame celebrations are slightly different,” he quipped.

That’s a fair point. The Orioles are in a league of their own when it comes to saluting wins and milestones. They are the masters of merriment. The lights, the smoke, the loud music, the shower cart treatments that threaten to deplete the condiments supply in the food room.

The Orioles’ 22^nd comeback win of the season was planted today in the top of the first inning, uprooted and planted again in the third. The team that digs in and finds a way.

The Royals used an opener while trying to avoid being swept. The Orioles used another variation of their lineup, sitting some regulars and toying again with the order.

Their methods keep working.

Josh Lester started at first base and broke a tie in the third with a two-run single, Gunnar Henderson hit a 462-foot three-run homer and came within a triple of the cycle, Ryan O’Hearn homered and reached base five times for the only time in his career, and the Orioles defeated Kansas City 11-3 before an announced crowd of 23,255 at Camden Yards. They’ve won four in a row to move 17 games above .500 at 41-24 for the first time since July 26, 2016.

Their 41^st win last season came on July 8 in their 85^th game. Today marked their first sweep of the Royals since 2017.

The Orioles are breaking out another version of their lineup for today’s series finale against the Royals.

Ryan Mountcastle is on the bench again due to an illness. Adley Rutschman isn’t starting, though he always seems to find his way into a game.

Josh Lester is the first baseman today.

Ryan O’Hearn is starting in right field and batting fourth. Gunnar Henderson is the shortstop, and he stays in the leadoff spot after homering again yesterday.

Kyle Gibson will try for his seventh quality start. He faced the Royals last month in Kansas City and allowed a season-high six runs and 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings.

The Orioles scored twice in the first inning yesterday and Gunnar Henderson homered into the bullpen in the second. A three-run lead before some fans had found their seats.

Félix Bautista had pitched on back-to-back days and in three of the last four, refusing to allow a run or issue a walk, limiting opponents to one measly hit and striking out seven batters.

Manager Brandon Hyde had no desire to use Bautista again, but it was nice to find out early that a closer might not be necessary.

It wasn’t official until Adam Frazier’s two-run homer in the eighth expanded the lead to 6-1, which became the final score over the Royals.

Mike Baumann worked a low-leverage ninth and the bullpen whittled its ERA to 3.34, fifth in the majors. Bautista and Yennier Cano could prop up their feet and watch.

The Orioles optioned left-hander Nick Vespi to Triple-A Norfolk this morning as the corresponding move to Cole Irvin’s return.

Vespi lasted one day in his second stint. He hasn’t pitched for the Orioles this season.

Irvin was recalled to make his fourth start with the Orioles, and his first since April 13. He owns a 2.19 ERA in four career starts against the Royals.

Ryan Mountcastle is out of the lineup again today due to an illness that forced him to the bench last night.

Gunnar Henderson has moved up to the leadoff spot after his career-high three hits last night. Ryan O’Hearn is the first baseman, Adam Frazier is at second base, and Josh Lester is the designated hitter.

Tyler Wells needed four pitches to dispose of Royals leadoff hitter Nick Pratto last night, getting a swing and miss on his fastball for the game’s first out.

Félix Bautista began his quest for a 17^th save by striking out MJ Melendez and Maikel García with 101 mph heat, the latter frozen by it.

The final team tally was seven strikeouts, a decent total that fell short of the staff’s recent production.

Before last night, Orioles pitchers had struck out nine or more batters in seven consecutive games since May 31, and at least 11 batters in six of seven. The 84 total strikeouts were the most in any seven-game stretch in club history.

This sudden transformation to whiff wizards occurred after the Orioles struck out 40 over six games from May 25-30.

The Orioles didn’t wait until the later innings tonight to flip the switch on their offense.

Austin Hays swung at the first pitch thrown by Daniel Lynch, began to backpedal up the first base line before turning his body, and slowed the pace as the ball settled into the seats in the left field corner.

Gunnar Henderson singled in the second inning, stole second base and scored on Jorge Mateo’s single.

Unlike Hays after his swing, the Orioles were pointed in the right direction.

Henderson produced his first career three-hit game, Tyler Wells was charged with two runs in 6 2/3 innings, and the Orioles began their homestand with a 3-2 victory over the Royals before an announced crowd of 18,076 at Camden Yards.

The Orioles’ lineup tonight was influenced by Ryan Mountcaste’s health rather than his slump.

Mountcastle is under the weather, according to manager Brandon Hyde. Anthony Santander is playing first base and James McCann is serving as designated hitter.

“Just not feeling real good,” Hyde said. “Tried to play through it yesterday. I could tell he wasn’t feeling well. He tried to battle through it and still feeling sick today, so we decided to give him a day today.”

Mountcastle went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts yesterday and is batting .227/.264/.421 in 60 games. He’s drawn 12 walks and struck out 64 times in 261 plate appearances.

A change in months hasn’t shortened the skid. Mountcastle is 2-for-15 with seven strikeouts after batting .222/.275/.435 in May. He has four hits in his last 30 at-bats.

The Orioles will recall left-hander Cole Irvin to start Saturday afternoon’s game against the Royals at Camden Yards.

A corresponding move will be made to accommodate him on the roster.

Irvin hasn’t started for the Orioles since allowing six runs in four innings against the Athletics on April 13. He made a relief appearance on May 20 after they recalled him, allowing a hit in one-third of an inning in Toronto.

The Saturday game will mark Irvin’s fourth start since the Orioles acquired him from the Athletics. He’s 0-2 with a 10.38 ERA and 2.000 WHIP in 13 innings and averaging 5.5 walks.

The time in Norfolk led to a 6-1 record, 3.21 ERA and 1.048 WHIP in seven starts, with only four walks in 42 innings.

The Orioles made another adjustment to their bullpen before tonight’s series opener against the Royals at Camden Yards.

Left-hander Nick Vespi was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk and lefty Bruce Zimmermann was optioned, giving manager Brandon Hyde an available arm in relief. Zimmermann threw 61 pitches in three innings Wednesday night in Milwaukee.

Vespi is waiting to make his first appearance in 2023. He was recalled on May 12 and optioned two days later.

The numbers in Triple-A are worthy of a second promotion.

Vespi is 2-0 with a 1.77 ERA, 0.984 WHIP and seven saves in 19 games with Norfolk. He’s allowed four runs and 15 hits with five walks and 21 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings.