Notes on tonight's starter, Meisinger's roll and Stewart's DH duty

The Orioles will reveal their starter for tonight's game before the anthem. Hopefully, before the media gains access to the clubhouse at 3:10 p.m.

It's an unwritten rule that pitchers don't talk on the day that they're starting. I'd hate to approach the wrong guy.

The choice would seem to come down to left-handers Sean Gilmartin (my guess) and Donnie Hart and right-hander Evan Phillips. No matter who gets the ball, the bullpen figures to be busy.

Gilmartin has made two starts in the majors with the Mets and nine in the minors, including three this year at Triple-A Norfolk. He worked three scoreless innings in relief on Wednesday against the Athletics and is most likely to provide some semblance of length.

Hart has gone from lefty specialist to filling whatever role is needed on a particular day. He made three starts this year with the Tides out of necessity. Phillips has made one minor league start last year at Triple-A Gwinnett.

Nobody said there was a perfect choice. Andrew Cashner is out with bursitis in his left knee and the Orioles don't want rookie left-hander Josh Rogers to make another start, due to the number of innings on his arm this year.

A starter also is needed for Wednesday while Alex Cobb (blister) and Luis Ortiz (hamstring) are unavailable, and the Orioles could bring up a minor leaguer who's been throwing to stay ready. Two apparent options are left-hander John Means and right-hander Dillon Tate, who must be added to the 40-man roster before the Rule 5 draft.

Asked yesterday whether the Orioles could call up a pitcher this week, manager Buck Showalter replied, "Depends if they've been sitting around."

"They've been asked to throw and stay active, and that's been monitored somewhat," he said. "It's not like they're going from playing golf and get a phone call and go throw in the backyard and come up and pitch. They're not doing that. In fact, we've got a couple of guys already in Sarasota throwing on the side and what have you and getting back in that environment.

"You can make games down there. You can't at home or Norfolk, obviously. So, we're taking every precaution, step that we can to make sure that they're able to come up here and help us if needed."

* Ryan Meisinger had to work only two-thirds of an inning yesterday to earn his first major league win. He replaced starter David Hess in the fifth, put two runners on base via a walk and a single and escaped the jam by coaxing a popup from White Sox shortstop Jóse Rondón.

Showalter brought in left-hander Tanner Scott for the sixth and the Orioles held on for an 8-4 victory to avoid the sweep.

The gains might appear to be modest, but Meisinger has strung together three consecutive scoreless appearances over 3 2/3 innings to lower his ERA from 7.30 to 5.63 in 14 games.

"The last few outings have been good," said Meisinger, 24, who was born in Prince Frederick, Md. "Obviously, I'm just trying to learn. That's why the younger guys are here right now. Just learning and trying to get better in every outing.

"The main goal right now is to finish strong and take that into the offseason, and then come in in February and compete for a job."

It must be tough to do that without applying a few extra coats of pressure.

"Right. I understand what you're saying, but at the same time, it's still baseball," he said.

"I understand that we're at the highest level, but you have to take it game by game, and especially as a reliever, day by day. After a couple bad outings I had, I just wanted to get back out there as soon as possible and prove that I am better than what I've shown."

Meisinger worked one inning Friday night and struck out the side while Rich Morales, the scout who signed him, watched from the press box.

"My slider was the main pitch," said Meisinger, who's allowed six home runs in 16 innings. "It's always been my main pitch, but I think I've been having trouble falling off on the first base side. But finishing the pitch is really the biggest thing for me because I can get outs in the strike zone with my slider."

Paul Fry earned the save yesterday, marking the second time this season that an Orioles pitcher gained his first major league victory and a reliever his first save on the same day, according to STATS. It also happened on May 12 with Hess and Mychal Givens.

* Included on my list of pet peeves, which grows by the day, is the fan who screams for the Orioles to trade the veterans, play the kids and commit to a rebuild, and then complains about the quality of the lineup.

What exactly are you expecting?

Yes, I know that DJ Stewart was the designated hitter yesterday without a major league hit. Some people on Twitter were riled up, as if it might cost the Orioles a wild card spot.

Stewart had nine at-bats before yesterday. A few scorched ground balls up the line that went foul. He worked deep into counts, drew a walk, scored a run. In four games.

He scored again yesterday after reaching on a fielder's choice. He's still waiting for that first hit. And it won't matter which spot in the lineup he fills when it happens.

Showalter wanted to give Stewart the at-bats yesterday while putting Joey Rickard in left field for defensive purposes. Adam Jones was in right.

The Orioles own 106 losses this season. The number of hits stored inside their designated hitter in the 149th game is meaningless.

Stewart won't start tonight with the Blue Jays sending left-hander Ryan Borucki to the mound. John Andreoli could return to the lineup. He has 10 hits with the Orioles and 11 in the majors.

If that makes anyone feel better.