ARLINGTON, Texas – The trade deadline passed yesterday and Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias hopped on a flight last night to join the team in Texas to explain the moves he made, and to express his desire to seize a wild card spot. To clear the air before they played another game with the roof closed.

He didn’t quit the chase. He just stuck with the plan of strengthening the organization from top to bottom.

A core group of veterans met with Elias in manager Brandon Hyde’s office, including outfielders Cedric Mullins and Austin Hays, and first baseman Ryan Mountcastle.

The day begins with the Orioles 1 ½ games out of the final playoff berth. Trey Mancini and Jorge López were traded over the past two days. Elias wanted to make certain that the message didn’t come across as mixed.

“I wanted to, as I’m emphasizing right now to the public, there’s a plan in place,” Elias said. “It’s going exceptionally well. We’ve got a very bright future ahead of us. I don’t want us utilizing the opportunity of the trade deadline the way we did the last couple of days to speak to the fact that this is a team that is going to have to be reckoned with from now, and this point forward, in our division. We’re going to have to scout and develop and manage the roster a certain way to maintain it that way. We’ve seen our competitors do that and we’re there. We’re at that point.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Austin Hays is out of the lineup today due to some soreness in his left side, according to manager Brandon Hyde.

Hyde said he isn’t concerned about it. He wants to rest Hays leading into Thursday’s off-day, and expects the outfielder to play on Friday, when the Orioles open a three-game home series against the Pirates.

Brett Phillips reported to the team this morning, and the Orioles optioned outfielder Yusniel Diaz to Triple-A Norfolk as the corresponding move.

Diaz was the 51^st player used by the Orioles this season when he struck out last night as a pinch-hitter.

Phillips is wearing No. 66. A nod, perhaps, to Phillips 66.

Is the wild card race really all that’s left for the Orioles, who executed moves over the past two days that on paper reduced their chances of making the playoffs for the first time since 2016?

Trey Mancini and Jorge López are gone. That won’t help. And it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone.

The Orioles were sellers, unless acquiring outfielder Brett Phillips from the Rays for cash also made them buyers. The slim distance between them and the last wild card spot didn’t hold much weight.

They weren’t going to stand pat. To do so would have required 29 other teams to ignore them.  

The postseason odds still didn’t favor them. They weren’t tearing up the rebuild blueprint. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias wasn’t letting the GPS recalculate. These deals would be made with no regard for the standings.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde was waiting to exhale. To know that the trade deadline passed and most of his roster stayed intact.

“Is it over?” he playfully asked the media this afternoon in the dugout. “OK, all right.”

Hyde met up with closer Jorge López in the lobby of the team hotel this morning, hugging him and saying goodbye to one of the most popular players in the clubhouse after the Orioles traded him to the Twins. Less than 24 hours after Hyde called Trey Mancini into his office at Globe Life Field to break the news of the first baseman’s trade to the Astros.

“The thing is, this has been a fun team for these last four months,” Hyde said. “I’ve really enjoyed this group, and these guys have enjoyed it. They don’t want to see buddies leave, either. But this is the game we’re in. Hopefully, sometime soon we’re adding at the deadline significantly.”

Hyde spoke about the future but expected his players to concentrate on the present, the cliché one game at a time. Don’t worry who left. Just take care of business.

ARLINGTON, Texas – The Orioles had one more trade to make this afternoon, and it didn’t impact their roster beyond having to create an open spot.

Outfielder Brett Phillips, 28, was acquired from the Rays shortly before the deadline for cash considerations. The 40-man roster is full.

Phillips was designated for assignment Monday after the Rays acquired outfielder José Siri from the Astros as part of the three-team trade involving Orioles first baseman/outfielder Trey Mancini.

No other moves were made before 6 p.m. The Orioles kept starter Jordan Lyles, outfielders Anthony Santander and Cedric Mullins, second baseman Rougned Odor and the rest of their relievers.

Phillips slashed .147/.225/.250 (27-for-184) this season with four doubles, five home runs, 14 RBIs, 21 runs scored and seven stolen bases in 75 games. The Orioles are most interested in his defense. He ranked in the top two percent in the majors with 10 Outs Above Average, according to Statcast.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Jordan Lyles is still listed as the Orioles' starter tonight. Anthony Santander is in left field, Cedric Mullins is in center and Austin Hays is in right. Rougned Odor is the second baseman.

A little over an hour before the trade deadline arrives and the Orioles haven’t made another move.

Terrin Vavra is the designated hitter. Adley Rutschman is catching.

The Orioles are 52-51 to match last year’s win total, and they’re 2 ½ games out of the last wild card spot.

Santander extended his hitting streak to 12 games last night.

ARLINGTON, Texas – The Orioles proved this morning that they weren’t done dealing. And the distance between them and the last wild card spot wouldn’t matter.

Closer Jorge López has been traded to the Twins for four minor league pitchers. Both teams announced it a few minutes ago.

The Orioles are receiving left-handers Cade Povich and Juan Rojas, and right-handers Yennier Canó and Juan Nuñez.

More talent for the pipeline. Another important member of a surprise contender, with high velocity and character, headed out the door.

López made his first All-Star team this year and led the Orioles with 19 saves while posting a 1.68 ERA and 0.972 WHIP in 44 games in his first season as closer. He struck out 54 batters in 48 1/3 innings.

ARLINGTON, Texas - Under any other circumstances, the Orioles’ decision yesterday to recall outfielder Yusniel Diaz from Triple-A Norfolk would have qualified as major news. A former top prospect, his career stalled by a variety of injuries, becoming the last piece of the 2018 Manny Machado trade with the Dodgers to reach the majors.

The timing of it, on the same day that the Orioles traded Trey Mancini to the Astros, drained every drop of interest in the story.

Diaz, 25, was batting .234/.338/.339 with four doubles, three home runs and 15 RBIs in 35 games with the Tides. He missed more than a month with another hamstring injury to ruin a red-hot start to the season.

Manager Brandon Hyde didn’t have much to say about Diaz’s arrival yesterday. He was in the midst of processing the Mancini trade and the Cuban outfielder’s arrival in Texas.

Diaz could just be passing through while the Orioles reset their roster. We saw it happen with Rylan Bannon during his second stint with the club. Or Diaz might be getting a shot with Mancini gone. A right-handed bat for the occasion.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Trey Mancini was stalling. Finding excuses to stay at his locker. Knowing that walking out of the clubhouse would be his final act with the Orioles.

Mancini wasn’t coming back. At least, not in 2022.

A bag sat on the floor, packed for the trip to Houston, where he’d meet his new team.

The old team could have come out flat tonight in its series opener against the Rangers and everyone would have understood. The energy seemed to get sucked out of the room. And the Orioles rely so heavily on it.

Cedric Mullins hit his 14^th career leadoff home run, and the Orioles sent nine batters to the plate in the second inning while building a four-run lead. The Rangers committed a fielding error in the second, and starter Jon Gray walked off the mound with soreness in his left side in the middle of Anthony Santander’s at-bat with the bases loaded.

ARLINGTON, Texas - Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias knew that trading Trey Mancini would be an unpopular move. A beloved player and leader inside the clubhouse. Someone fans adore. The face of the franchise. A class act and an ideal role model.

Part of a team that’s been a surprise contender, just three games out of the last wild card spot heading into tonight’s series opener against the Rangers.

But Elias stuck to business, and he couldn’t pass up the two pitching prospects who came to the Orioles in a three-team transaction.

Elias acquired right-hander Seth Johnson from the Rays and Chayce McDermott from the Astros. Houston also gets right-hander Jayden Murray from the Rays, who obtained outfielder José Siri from Houston.

Johnson will undergo Tommy John surgery, making him a longer-term investment for the Orioles. Both pitchers are coming from the high Single-A level.

ARLINGTON, Texas - The trade that sent Trey Mancini to the Astros this afternoon involved three teams.

The Orioles received right-hander Chayce McDermott from the Astros and right-hander Seth Johnson from the Rays. MLBPipeline.com ranked McDermott, 23, as Houston’s No. 12 prospect and Johnson, 23, as the No. 6 prospect for the Rays.

The Orioles also recalled outfielder Yusniel Diaz from Triple-A Norfolk. He's waiting to make his major league debut.

Johnson was the 40^th overall pick in the 2019 draft out of Campbell University, which also claims Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins. He’s set to undergo Tommy John surgery.

Johnson made seven starts at high Single-A Bowling Green, allowing nine earned runs in 27 innings with 11 walks and 41 strikeouts.

The trade deadline is close enough to touch. The countdown is tracked in hours rather than weeks or months.

The Orioles aren’t expected to step back and watch other teams conduct their business. They have players that appeal to contenders. They can provide starting pitching, relievers, outfielders and infielders. They have veteran backup catchers, with Robinson Chirinos behind Adley Rutschman, Anthony Bemboom on the taxi squad and Jacob Nottingham at Triple-A Norfolk.

Make an offer.

The Orioles didn’t do much at last year’s deadline, trading minor league reliever Shawn Armstrong to the Rays and injured shortstop Freddy Galvis to the Phillies. The total return was minor league pitcher Tyler Burch and cash.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias wasn’t going to trade controllable relievers unless the return was strong, which kept Paul Fry and Tanner Scott in the organization. Anthony Santander was bothered most of the season by a hamstring injury, holding down his numbers and value. Trey Mancini, returning from Stage 3 colon cancer, wasn’t going anywhere.

Ryan Mountcastle returns to the Orioles’ lineup today for the series finale in Cincinnati, attempting to bust out of a 2-for-33 slump.

Trey Mancini is leading off for the 54^th time in his career and the first since June 29, 2018 versus the Angels. Only Cedric Mullins and Austin Hays have led off this season.

Hays is batting fourth today and playing center field. Mullins isn’t in the lineup.

Mancini played in his 700th career game last night, the 41^st player in club history to reach that mark. He’s in right field today, and 6-for-14 in his last four games.

Fifty-one of Mancin's 54 games atop the order came in 2018. He did it twice in 2017.

The bullpen and defense are attracting the bulk of the credit for the Orioles’ turnaround in 2022. There’s also the timely hitting. The energy and confidence, which builds with each victory, that allows them to overcome deficit after deficit. Ingredients in a winning stew.

As the beat writers have learned, you can’t “write from the top” anymore after the Orioles fall behind early.

(They should have stuck to that strategy last night instead of scoring twice in the first inning. If it ain’t broke …)

The delete button is worn out. Paragraphs highlighted and blown out, statistics and records updated in the reverse.

To minimize Brandon Hyde’s impact as manager and leader would be the same kind of mistake.

The Orioles are two games above .500 and two behind the Rays for the final wild card spot as they continue their series tonight against the Reds in Cincinnati.

They’ve won four of their last five games, 16 of 21, 21 of 31 and 27 of 41. They’re 16-7 this month. And the schedule remains favorable with an upcoming trip to Arlington, Texas, and a home series against the Pirates.

The Orioles haven’t been above .500 after 100 games since 2016, though the 2017 team exceeded it in August and September before fading.

Last night marked their 23^rd comeback win of the season.

They won’t stop.

The enormous improvements in the bullpen, with manager Brandon Hyde finally able to trust the unit in any situation, ranks No. 1 on the list of reasons why the Orioles are so much better in 2022. However, the tightened defense also has earned props.

The Orioles began last night’s game in Cincinnati ranked fourth in the majors with 45 defensive runs saved per Sports Info Solutions.

How does that compare to the recent past?

Hold onto your bucket hats.

They were 24th with -30 DRS in 2021, tied for 16th with one DRS in the shortened 2020 season, were 28^th with -53 DRS in 2019, and were 28^th with -42 DRS in 2018.

With the trade speculation engulfing Trey Mancini, the Orioles’ lineup for tonight’s series opener in Cincinnati includes him serving as the designated hitter.

Mancini is batting third behind catcher Adley Rutschman.

Rutschman has walked in six straight games, tied with Houston's Yordan Álvarez for the longest active streak in the majors.

Anthony Santander is batting cleanup and playing right field. Austin Hays is in left.

The infield includes Ramón Urías at third base and Rougned Odor at second.

The Orioles are bringing back Kyle Bradish for their 26-man roster and their rotation.

Bradish has been recalled from Triple-A Norfolk, with reliever Logan Gillaspie optioned after one day in the bullpen. The rookie right-hander starts tonight in Cincinnati after three injury rehab appearances in the minors.

Right shoulder inflammation landed Bradish on the 15-year injured list. He pitched twice with Double-A Bowie and once with Norfolk, and he’s on regular rest tonight.

Dean Kremer is pushed back to Saturday and Austin Voth to Sunday.

Bradish is 1-4 with a 7.38 ERA and 1.770 WHIP in 10 starts. He hasn’t pitched for the Orioles since allowing six runs and 11 hits in 4 1/3 innings against the Rays on June 18. He also surrendered one of his 11 home runs.

When Orioles’ area scout Brandon Verley says there’s “definitely room for growth” with 13^th-round draft pick Jared Beck, he’s speaking about the development as a pitcher. By no means is he suggesting that Beck could become taller.

Sure, it’s possible. But Beck is probably done at 7-feet, a height that’s never been listed on a major league roster.

Verley, whose scouting territory moved to south Florida in 2020, believes that Beck is capable of improving on tools that got him noticed as a senior at Saint Leo University and enticed the Orioles into selecting him on the third day. He signed his professional contract on Tuesday.

“I know there’s never been a guy like him to make it,” said Verley, previously the Orioles’ Northwest scout who tracked catcher Adley Rutschman in 2019. “I’m hoping that he’s going to continue to project and get better. Guys just figure things out and they get better, and it could happen, really, at any time. And for him, it happened before it was too late, which is great.”

A pitcher with long limbs making a tremendous jump during his two seasons at Saint Leo after transferring from Illinois State.

Trey Mancini stood at his locker this morning and packed his folded clothes in a duffle bag for the trip to Cincinnati, where the Orioles begin their next road trip. He’s going to board the team charter. But his eventual destination is unknown.

Fans at Camden Yards stood to applaud Mancini again before his first at-bat, knowing that he could be traded by Tuesday’s deadline. They’ve seen the schedule. They know that the Orioles don’t return home until Aug. 5.  

The response from Mancini was a line drive single into left field, his third hit since entering last night’s game in an 0-for-26 slump. Nothing emotional in the batter’s box. Just his usual professional approach.

Mancini batted in the eighth after Austin Hays doubled in a 3-0 win over the Rays, and of course, it had to be dramatic. A fly ball to right field off former Orioles reliever Shawn Armstrong that hit Josh Lowe in the face, Mancini rounding the bases for his 10^th home run and first career inside-the-park, the place erupting.

The first inside-the-park homer by the Orioles since Hays on Aug. 11, 2020 in Philadelphia. Robert Andino had the last one in Baltimore, on Sept. 26, 2011.