Bats bounce back Around the horn

The Orioles entered Tuesday two for their last 31 with runners in scoring position. Their first three at-bats in those moments are why they won.

Gunnar Henderson led off the third inning with a triple, as his line drive got past a diving Manuel Margot in center field. Jorge Mateo then grounded out to score Henderson to break the Orioles’ streak of 13 innings without a run — and 19 frames without one if not including the automatic runner in extra innings Sunday.

Cedric Mullins then doubled with two outs to bring up the Orioles’ coldest hitter. Rutschman was 0-for-19 going into his third-inning at-bat, and he took out his frustration on a cutter from Rays starter Zach Eflin, launching the pitch 407 feet over the right field wall for his first home run onto Eutaw Street.

“No better feeling in baseball,” Rutschman said. “It was nice to square one up, get a good swing off.”

At 111.1 mph, the home run was the hardest-hit ball of Rutschman’s career, according to Statcast tracking data. The Eutaw Street home run was the 119th in Oriole Park history and 56th by an Oriole.

“I’d like to see a lot more of that,” Hyde said about the Rodriguez-Rutschman duo that led the Orioles to victory. “I think everybody, all the fans, would . ... They’re gonna be fun to watch going forward in the future.”

Baltimore’s third at-bat with runners in scoring position ended in an RBI single for Austin Hays, whose ground ball between third and short scored Ryan Mountcastle.

The Orioles had scored just six runs in their previous three games while facing a gantlet of starting pitchers. Eflin was the fifth straight pitcher the Orioles faced who owned a sub-3.00 ERA entering the game.

Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said reliever Mychal Givens (left knee inflammation) will throw on back-to-back days on Wednesday and Thursday during his minor league rehabilitation assignment in Double-A Bowie. Elias said Givens pitching two straight days does could “put him in a position” to be ready to come off the injured list. Givens hasn’t allowed a run in his three innings with the Baysox. Elias also said it’s possible Dillon Tate (right forearm strain) rejoins the Orioles later this month; however, Tate hasn’t had the same success as Givens, allowing eight runs in four innings during his rehab stint.

Terrin Vavra, one of the six players involved in the roster shuffle before Tuesday’s game, said he’s prepared to serve as the Orioles’ emergency catcher if needed. The utilityman caught four innings in Triple-A Norfolk last week. “It was the first time I’ve been back there in a game situation in a while,” Vavra said. “Definitely wasn’t ultra comfortable. Think I did alright, think I opened some eyes and made people realize it’s something I can actually do. It’s something I’m excited about.”