Deadline day arrives with Orioles still searching for same upgrades

The trade deadline clock is ticking louder. Pencils are down at 6 p.m., though deals tend to trickle in after it. A clean getaway from the incremental non-updates, rumors and speculation.

Who’s gonna miss it?

The Orioles are missing a second starter, reliever and right-handed hitting outfielder. They have one of each so far with Zach Eflin, Seranthony Domínguez and Cristian Pache. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias is trying to find more matches.

The only players surrendered have been outfielder Austin Hays and mid-level prospects Jackson Baumeister, Mac Horvath and Matthew Etzel. MLB Pipeline ranked Horvath 10^th in the organization and Baseball America has him 13^th.

Elias has to climb up that list to get a top-tier arm, but other starters could slot in the middle of the rotation at a less painful cost.

Here’s the Pipeline Top 10:

Jackson Holliday 2B/SS
Samuel Basallo C
Coby Mayo 3B/1B
Enrique Bradfield Jr. OF
Connor Norby 2B
Dylan Beavers OF
Chayce McDermott RHP
Cade Povich LHP
Seth Johnson RHP
Jud Fabian OF

Erick Fedde, Yusei Kikuchi and Frankie Montas are off the trade board among the starters, and Tommy Pham and Lane Thomas among right-handed hitting outfielders. Recent reports have Tarik Skubal staying in Detroit’s rotation.

So we wait.

I’m braced for action as we get closer to 6 p.m. Jack Flaherty came in just under the wire last summer.

He’s still out there. So is Blake Snell.

Catcher David Bañuelos is on the taxi squad, where he’s spent about 95 percent of his season. Maybe he gets a third opportunity if James McCann goes on the injured list. Or the Orioles could avoid the 40-man complications and just recall Blake Hunt from Triple-A Norfolk. He came from the Mariners on May 22 for reliever Mike Baumann and catcher Michael Pérez.

McCann stayed in yesterday’s Game 1 but it’s gotta be difficult to play with one eye. The left one was a slit after having his nose busted. I’ve seen some remarkable examples of toughness, like Brady Anderson refusing an appendectomy and the team making emergency landing plans on every flight. He never had surgery. It just … went away. And pretty much every time Austin Hays got drilled by a fastball, especially in the ribs. McCann goes to the top of the list.

It was like interviewing a boxer yesterday, a swollen, discolored eye and blood dripping out of his nose as he spoke to the media. Props to the reporter who quickly moved his foot and spared his white sneakers.

Playing any other position would have been challenging, but catcher? It’s hard to fathom how he called a game for a new starter, Zach Eflin, and handled that grind, along with batting and dumping a single into right field.

You can’t rattle McCann. Throw a fastball at his head and he’ll lay down a bunt. We’ve seen him do it multiple times. But he couldn’t get out of the way yesterday.

The Orioles knew yesterday’s incident wasn’t intentional. Rookie Yariel Rodríguez walked the first three batters in the first inning and Ramón Urías with the bases loaded before McCann’s at-bat. Rodríguez was optioned before Game 2, hopefully where he can’t hurt anybody.

Other points of interest yesterday, though nothing could top McCann’s feat, included Jordan Westburg finally making a start at shortstop. He’s taken ground balls to prepare for it. It’s in his blood. It just wasn’t in the majors.

Westburg played one inning at short before Game 2. He made 156 starts in the minors, but he’s shifted between second and third with the Orioles. Gunnar Henderson became the everyday shortstop this season and Jorge Mateo backed up until dislocating his left elbow.

The injury presented an opportunity for Westburg, but he committed fielding and throwing errors last night. Henderson had five errors in his last four games before yesterday.

Maybe the position is cursed.

Maybe it’s just really hard.

Henderson has slid down to third in the lineup with Colton Cowser batting leadoff. The Orioles also have used Westburg (six times) and Adley Rutschman (twice) atop the order.

Does Henderson reclaim his spot tonight against Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt? Cowser has a career-high 11-game hitting streak. He walked, singled and had a sacrifice fly in Game 1 and homered and delivered an RBI single in Game 2. Might be wise to leave him alone.