This, that and the other

Anthony Santander sheepishly made his confession yesterday, pleading ignorant but doing so with a big smile.

Santander knew about setting the club record for home runs by a switch-hitter after belting his 36^th the previous night against the Nationals. Outfielder Ken Singleton held it since 1979.

“I was aware,” Santander said yesterday. “Just happy and proud to be able to reach that number and be on the top as a switch-hitter. That’s pretty special.”

What about the player that he passed?

Singleton spent the last 10 of his 15 major league seasons with the Orioles and finished third in Most Valuable Player voting in the American League in 1977 and second in ’79, when he batted .295/.405/.533 with 29 doubles, 35 homers and 111 RBIs in 159 games. He hit 182 homers with the Orioles and registered a .284 average and .388 on-base percentage. He also made three All-Star teams and earned a World Series ring in 1983, the last championship in Baltimore.

Not a name that the 29-year-old Santander is familiar with, as he shared yesterday.

“No,” he said. “I hear it’s from ’79. Yeah. I’m really bad with history, so … But it’s very special, you know? To break that record.

“You say he was in the World Series that year? Wow. It makes it even more special.”

The next goal is to reach the 40-homer mark.

“We’ll see,” he said. “Real close. We just have to stay healthy and keep working.”

* Three of Gregory Soto’s five appearances with the Orioles are scoreless. That’s the good part.

He allowed four runs in two different outings. That’s the bad part.

Soto, acquired from the Phillies at the deadline for pitching prospects Seth Johnson and Moisés Chace, has retired the last six batters he’s faced over two games. His clean inning Wednesday was the highlight for manager Brandon Hyde in a 9-3 loss.

“It’s just a matter of continuing to work,” Soto said yesterday via interpreter Brandon Quinones. “That’s all we know have to do and that’s what we have to do. That’s what I was brought here for and that’s what we’re here on this team for, so got to go out there and get the job done. And it’s been that way.”

Hyde also noted how the Orioles are going to need Soto to be a high-leverage reliever in a bullpen that’s missing Danny Coulombe and Jacob Webb. Soto could get some save chances with Craig Kimbrel removed from the role for however long.

“Right now the focus is gaining some of that rhythm that I lost a little while ago,” Soto said, “and after that it’s up to the manager deciding when he wants to put me in there and in what situation.”

* With the constant bullpen shuffling comes a question.

Will we see Dillon Tate again?

Tate was optioned for a second time on July 11 and hasn’t returned. He posted a 4.59 ERA and 1.410 WHIP in 29 appearances.

The first departure on April 29 was motivated by the need for a fresh arm and Tate having options in a bullpen that’s lacking in them. He had a 2.84 ERA in 11 games and opponents were batting .167 with a .548 OPS.

The second stint didn’t go as well, with Tate allowing seven earned runs (eight total) and 16 hits in 12 1/3 innings in June and six runs and 11 hits in four innings in July.

Tate hasn’t permitted a run this month in 4 2/3 innings with Triple-A Norfolk. Six of his seven appearances are scoreless since his return.

Seems like Tate is setting himself up for at least consideration if the Orioles do more bullpen tweaking.

* Ryan O’Hearn singled twice and walked Tuesday night before Eloy Jiménez pinch-hit for him. A nice output for a team that didn’t do much offensively.

There was more to it. O’Hearn had collected hits against every major league team except the Nationals. Now he’s 30-for-30.

O’Hearn was 0-for-9 going into the game.

“Really? Sweet,” he said. “It’s cool. I did not know that. That’s very cool.”

What does it signify?

“I’ve been around for a little while,” he replied. “That’s it. That’s cool.”

Four-hundred hits probably rate higher on the list of impressive feats.

“Obviously I want a lot more, but definitely a nice, round number,” said O’Hearn, who came off the bench last night and made it crooked with an infield single. “It’s cool to have 400 hits. That was one that I noticed the other day. I was at 394 or something and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m almost to 400 hits.’ Just a cool mini-milestone.

“I was hoping we won so I could get the scorecard, and it would have been a thing.”

* The Single-A Delmarva box score Tuesday night had “Showalter” allowing two runs in five innings and taking the loss against Carolina. Not Buck, of course, but it led to a brief period of confusion in the press box – I counted three of us - because the Orioles traded Zack to the Cardinals at last year’s deadline in the Jack Flaherty deal.

The Shorebirds’ Showalter is Justin, a right-hander from James Madison University in his native Harrisonburg, Va. who signed a minor league deal on July 3, was assigned to the Florida Complex League and joined Delmarva three weeks later. He’s posted a 3.52 ERA in 15 1/3 innings.

The Orioles invited Showalter, 25, to throw a bullpen session in June. He had spent two summers pitching for the independent Washington Wild Things.

Also wild to have a third Showalter land in the organization. And four if you count Buck’s son, Nathan, who worked as a scout.