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.
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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.