Zach Eflin begins his injury rehab assignment Sunday at Double-A Chesapeake, as he works to return from lower back discomfort. Eflin will face hitters in Florida next Friday and “should be ready to go,

Two teams that have long climbs if they're going to reach the postseason needed a sweep this weekend, but instead the Miami Marlins and Baltimore Orioles will try for the next best thing.

Dean Kremer pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out seven, in the Orioles’ win over Miami.

Dean Kremer pitched seven shutout innings and the Orioles’ offense delivered 12 hits to secure a 5-2 win over the Marlins on July 11. Key contributions came from Ryan O’Hearn, Ramon Laureano, and Jordan Westburg as Baltimore continued its post-May surge.

Kyle Stowers was shuffling back and forth between Triple-A Norfolk and Baltimore while trying to establish himself as an everyday major leaguer.

This season has put a spotlight on the Orioles’ pitching pipeline and their unwillingness to draft pitchers early. That could change soon.

The teams enter this series with identical 42-50 records. Each of the Orioles and Marlins were bad in April and May and are trying to claw their way back from that. The Marlins are a bit farther out,

Artist Dan Deacon performed a controversial auto-tune version of the “Star Spangled Banner” before the first game of Thursday’s doubleheader against the Mets at Camden Yards. Perhaps the song will be remembered as the turning point in the Orioles’ season as they won both games Thursday to claim the series.