Future for Orioles pushes into present

The homestand is down to its last two games before the Orioles hit the road again and hope it doesn't swing back.

They're 3-16 away from Camden Yards, the wins coming in the Bronx during a four-game series against the Yankees. Their most recent excursion, to Anaheim and Oakland, raised more welts and increased the likelihood that the playoffs would proceed without them.

The Orioles aren't resigned to playing for the future, to treating the remainder of the season as if holding auditions for 2019. Otherwise, Anthony Santander might have stayed in right field instead of reporting to Double-A Bowie and Jimmy Yacabonis would be working on his command against the American League East. But they also can appreciate a moment like the one that unfolded Saturday afternoon with David Hess earning his first major league win and left-hander Tanner Scott, selected one round after him in the 2014 amateur draft, pounding the strike zone while retiring four batters.

Chance Sisco was behind the plate - a top position prospects heading into the season. Mychal Givens, the second-round pick in 2009 who transitioned from shortstop to reliever, notched his first career save.

"It bodes well for the future," said executive vice president Dan Duquette. "Those types of events can bring the organization together. I was told that the club in Bowie was doing their pregame workout and they had the game on the big screen, so a lot of the guys were cheering David Hess and his teammates on as it was happening. As they were doing their work, as they were trying to do the same thing he did a couple years ago."

Hess served up a three-run homer to Tampa Bay's Matt Duffy in the first, took a deep breath, tweaked the plan and reeled off five scoreless innings while retiring 17 of 19 batters.

"He worked his whole life for an opportunity to pitch in the big leagues and he was ready when he got it," Duquette said. "I was happy with the way that they made an adjustment after he gave up a couple of hits there consecutively. He and Sisco got together and they went with some more breaking pitches early in the count and that was able to sustain them a couple times through the lineup and he ended up picking up the win.

"It's always exciting when a kid makes his debut, but to pitch the way he pitched for the club and to have his family there to see him pitch and (scout) Adrian Dorsey, who signed him, was there. I think that was just a special day for the family and a really good thing for the organization. It's always good to have your scouts identify a starting pitcher and the development people bring him along.

"And David Hess, to his credit, he kept his poise. He's a good kid, comes from a good Christian family and he got to celebrate his debut with his whole family, so it doesn't really get better than that for the player and the organization."

The Orioles had a pretty good sense that Hess would handle any adversity that came his way and not fold under pressure, convincing them to name him the starter as much as the stats he accrued at Triple-A Norfolk.

"He kept his poise and his composure, made an adjustment like a pro and he did his job," Duquette said. "That was all good. And it's rare that you have an all-rookie battery. That doesn't happen very often."

I passed along on Saturday that, according to STATS, the Orioles didn't have a rookie catcher behind the plate for a pitcher's debut since Matt Wieters and Brian Matusz on Aug. 4, 2009.

"That's a good sign for the future," Duquette said. "And then Tanner Scott came in and picked him up. It looks like he's emerged as a major leaguer. Establishing himself. And Mychal Givens got his first save. So everybody took a big step, everybody took a giant step. And I know the development people, (Brian) Graham and (John) Wasdin were real proud of the work that the kid did. And the manager's that worked with him along the way.

"I was real happy for the kid and happy for the scouting operation and Adrian Dorsey got a chance to see him. That doesn't happen all the time, but that's a tradition the Orioles have and I think it's a good one, where the signing scout, we try to have him see the debut of the players."

The Orioles rotation is down to four starters with Chris Tillman on the disabled list and, we're assuming, on his way to Sarasota, where he lives, to rehab his strained back. They'll plug in somebody on Wednesday to face the Phillies, allowing manager Buck Showalter to push back Kevin Gausman to the following night, and Tillman's replacement will surface later.

The odds continue to favor Hess, who was "returned" to Norfolk as the 26th man in the doubleheader and can rejoin the Orioles anytime want him. No 10-day minimum, since he wasn't optioned. And he knows his way to Fenway Park after spending one day with the team in April, failing to pitch or meet with the media because he was there and gone in the blink of an eye.

"Well, it looked to me like he earned another shot, didn't he?" Duquette said. "He did a great job. He really did.

"If you can develop a starting pitcher, that's worth its weight in gold. That's a tough thing to do, too. But you saw a couple pretty good pitchers that day that were scouted, drafted, signed and developed by the O's, so that's a good sign."

Showalter chose Sisco to catch Hess, as the rookie had done in the minors in 2015 and 2016. Sisco's grown accustomed to Hess taking the ball. It's one of the right-hander's finest qualities as a professional.

"Just his ability to eat some innings," Sisco said. "He's got really good stuff. He's always out there. He was always making his starts, for the most part going pretty deep into games. His stuff is good and his ability to be out there is huge."

Showalter kept tracking Hess's progress with Norfolk while receiving daily reports on the affiliates and watching video of the young pitchers, including second-rounder Keegan Akin, who might be making the largest strides in the first two months.

"You look at those staffs down below, I don't think anybody's pitched better than Keegan Akin right now. He's been impressive. I always challenge fans to get out to Bowie and watch him pitch," Showalter said.

"Hunter Harvey has finally hit his step and kind of put everything behind him, and that pitching staff in Delmarva, you'd have a hard time separating the prospect status of those guys, so there's some guys coming. You've just got to let it work through the process and not rush some things."

Akin tossed 6 2/3 scoreless innings Friday night against Hartford, allowing four hits, walking one batter and striking out six while lowering his ERA to 2.75.

"Keep your eye on Keegan Akin," Duquette said. "(Special assistant) Lee Thomas was there to see his last outing and he sent me a text that, 'He could have pitched for any club in the big leagues tonight.' And Lee doesn't do that very often, but he likes this kid.

"I think he worked hard in the offseason on his conditioning. He's got a better understanding of the stresses of the major league starting pitcher job. And everybody gets a glint in their eye when they talk about Hunter Harvey. He's pitching well, too. Those guys are young, too. Akin and Harvey, they should come along."

Note: The Phillies are starting right-handers Nick Pivetta and Vince Velasquez in the two-game series at Camden Yards. The Orioles are listing Andrew Cashner for tonight.