The Orioles shuffled their lineup again before Tuesday's game against the Giants, with Tyler O'Neill out after a late scratch the day before because of illness and Adley Rutschman scratched because of left ankle soreness. Samuel Basallo moved behind the plate, Ryan Mountcastle became the designated hitter and Colton Cowser returned to right field after missing the previous two games.
Manager Craig Albernaz said O'Neill was feeling better and would go through the day pregame before the club decided whether he could play. He said the illness had been working through the clubhouse since Pittsburgh and had hit O'Neill hard. Rutschman, meanwhile, was coming off a night in which he logged his 10th career multi-double game, his first since July 28, 2025, against Toronto, before soreness forced him out of the starting lineup.
The changes also left Baltimore with a thin catching picture. Basallo was the only healthy catcher available, so the Orioles had to move Mountcastle into the designated hitter spot and rework the rest of the field behind him. Cowser's return gave the club a regular outfielder back, even if his bat has been slow to start, with a 4-for-22 opening line.
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That matters because Baltimore's offense has been built around getting on base early. The Orioles had drawn five or more walks in seven games, and their leadoff hitters led the majors with a.946 OPS. If that front end keeps producing, the lineup can absorb a few absences. If it does not, every scratch shows up faster.
Albernaz also praised Cowser's work while he was out of the lineup. He said the outfielder had been getting with Brady North and Dustin Lind to sharpen his approach and refine some movement work, and that the biggest thing was keeping him locked in on what he needs to do. The message was clear: Baltimore still sees Cowser as part of the answer, but only if the adjustments stick.
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There was another layer to the night as Logan Webb took the mound for San Francisco. Webb had made three starts and posted a 5.00 ERA in 18 innings, though he held the Mets to one run in seven innings in his last appearance. He had faced the Orioles twice before and allowed six runs in 12 innings, and his start also extended a troubling Baltimore trend: he was the 14th consecutive right-hander to open a game against the Orioles, tying the club record to begin a season, a mark that had last been set in 1975 before Mickey Lolich ended that run.
Baltimore has now had to navigate injuries, illness and a rotating lineup almost at once, with O'Neill's absence tied to a sickness that had lingered since Pittsburgh and Basallo pressed into duty because there was no other healthy catcher. The Orioles can survive one more shuffle. What will tell the story is whether the lineup that keeps changing can still produce the walks, extra-base hits and depth that have carried it through the season so far.
