The Orioles reinstated first baseman Ryan Mountcastle from the 10-day injured list for their final game before the All-Star break on Sunday. Mountcastle, who last played for the Orioles on June 8th, was on the injured list because of vertigo. He had a pinch-hit single and drove home a run in Sunday’s 15-2 win over the Minnesota Twins, the Orioles’ fifth victory in a row.
Mountcastle was hitting .227 with 11 home runs and 39 RBIs with a .686 OPS. He was 2-for-19 in his last five games before he went on the injured list.
In 12 games at Triple-A Norfolk on his rehab assignment, Mountcastle hit .222 with a home run and six RBIs.
The Orioles took a a 54-35 record into the All-Star break. They had lost six of seven before reeling off five straight wins. The 19 games over .500 equals their high for the season.
The Orioles trail the Rays by two games, their narrowest deficit since the fifth game of the season when Tampa Bay was 5-0 and the Orioles were 3-2. The Rays (58-35) and Orioles are equal in the loss column, but the Rays have played four more games.
To make room for Mountcastle on the roster, left-hander Bruce Zimmermann was optioned to Norfolk. In six games with the Orioles, Zimmermann was 1-0 and had a 5.56 ERA.
The Orioles had a seven-man bullpen and five-man bench for the final game before the break.