Now that Triple-A Norfolk has been eliminated from playoff contention, losing its final game today against Durham and the tie-breaker with Rochester, the Orioles will begin picking through the Tides' roster.
The Orioles will recall outfielder Henry Urrutia, infielder Jonathan Schoop and pitcher Josh Stinson as part of their roster expansion. The trio will head to Cleveland for the series that begins today at Progressive Field.
Infielder Ryan Flaherty also will join the team in Cleveland after Single-A Frederick's season ended today, but Showalter already revealed that plan last week.
Urrutia went 0-for-4 today in Norfolk's 1-0, 10-inning loss to Durham and his batting .316 with the Tides. He was 14-for-52 (.269) in 21 games with the Orioles.
Schoop went 1-for-3 today to leave his average at .256 with 11 doubles, nine homers and 34 RBIs. His season was interrupted by a lower-back injury that forced him on the disabled list and limited him to 70 games.
Schoop, widely regarded as the top position prospect in the organization and a candidate to start at second base for the Orioles next season, would be making his major league debut. He's considered a recall because he's already on the 40-man roster.
Stinson went 7-6 with a 3.78 ERA in 23 starts with Norfolk, and he allowed five runs and seven hits in eight innings with the Orioles. He provides another arm for the bullpen.
Manager Buck Showalter has talked about sending players to instructional league in Sarasota to keep them ready in case the Orioles bring them to the majors, and that includes left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada, who worked six innings on Saturday and isn't currently available to pitch. He figures to be recalled later this month.
The group headed to Sarasota also will include Steve Johnson, left-hander Mike Belfiore and outfielders Chris Dickerson and Jason Pridie, among others. Johnson and Belfiore are on the 40-man roster.
David Hall, who covers the Ties for The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, first reported the call-ups for Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Indians starter Justin Masterson has left today's game with a runner on first base and no outs in the second inning with an apparent injury. Preston Guilmet has replaced him.
Update: The Orioles took advantage of the pitching change by scoring three runs in the second, the last two on Brian Roberts' two-out double.
Nate McLouth, in a 1-for-16 slump, broke the scoreless tie with an RBI double, but Nick Markakis was called out at second on an appeal. Alexi Casilla walked - he has to be bummed that Masterson came out of the game - and Roberts delivered.
Matt Wieters started the rally with a single. As I wrote this morning, Wieters was 16-for-104 since July 25.
Update II: McLouth lost his double on a scoring change, settling instead for a fielder's choice and an RBI after Markakis was called out. So what does he do in his next at-bat? He hits a two-run homer in the fourth to increase the lead to 5-0.
McLouth was 1-for-17 and 8-for-59. And he gets to keep the home run, so that's good.
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