Showalter, Gausman and Drake before tonight's game

MIAMI - Orioles pitcher Bud Norris will continue his rehab assignment on Wednesday with a start at Double-A Bowie. The Baysox have a 6:35 p.m. game against Erie at Prince George's Stadium.

Norris allowed nine runs and 12 hits in 2 2/3 innings yesterday at Triple-A Norfolk in Game 1 of a doubleheader against Rochester. He went on the disabled list retractive to May 11 with bronchitis and was eligible to return on Tuesday, but he's not ready.

"Bud knows he's close," said manager Buck Showalter. "His slider is better, he felt good physically. He said his legs weren't quite under them. He said he thinks they'll be there next time.

"He knows. He was a very good self-evaluator today. R.J. (Ron Johnson) and Griff (Mike Griffin) both said the slider was good, velocity was good. Bud knows where it needs to be, but he's close. He's real close."

Matt Wieters probably won't catch Norris, since his rehab assignment begins Tuesday. Wieters hasn't been catching back-to-back games. However, Showalter didn't completely dismiss the idea, so stay tuned.

Kevin Gausman threw off a mound today for the first time since going on the disabled list retractive to May 7 with right shoulder tendinitis. He threw 28 pitches in the visiting bullpen - 25 fastballs and three changeups.

Gausman will throw off a mound again on Tuesday at Camden Yards and pitch live batting practice on Friday.

"Probably be a two day, two day thing," he said. "It was good. Everything feels great. Ball was coming out easy. Feel like nothing happened. Now it's just kind of getting into that routine.

"I was ready to get off the mound. I felt good. I felt pretty good for a while now. I was just kind of hoping that everything went well off the mound and it feels good. See how I recover tomorrow, but I feel pretty good with everything. Just going to have a work day now, do my shoulder stuff and work out and get back out on the mound Tuesday."

Gausman may bump up his pitch count Tuesday and mix in more pitches.

"Maybe get up to 30-35, but then after that I'll throw to live hitters, so that's when I'll be throwing everything," he said.

Ryan Flaherty played nine innings today at extended spring training and will start his rehab assignment Monday at Triple-Norfolk. He returned to the disabled list, retroactive to May 12, with a strained right groin.

Oliver Drake said he received a congratulatory text message today from Cardinals pitcher Mitch Harris, a Naval Academy graduate who has the same agent. Drake received his first major league call-up this afternoon.

"He let him know before I could even get to him," Drake said. "He said he'll be watching. I've loved watching him doing what he's been doing right now. He's been having some success. It's pretty cool seeing two Navy guys right now in the major leagues."

Drake found out last night from Johnson that he would be joining the Orioles, and flew to Miami this morning.

"It's awesome. It's really exciting," he said. "It's kind of flown by, but it's setting in right now and it's a cool experience."

Drake didn't have a sense whether the Orioles would need him, but he knew their history with using the farm system to stock their roster.

"I wasn't really sure," he said. "Lately, they've kind of (been) having guys shuttling back and forth, so everyone was kind of just preparing. You never know when you might get the call, so that's all I've been doing was trying to make sure if they recall me, I'm ready."

There's been no time to reflect on the journey, which includes being a 43rd-round draft pick, having shoulder surgery, coming off the 40-man roster and returning to it in November.

"I'm sure I will," he said. "It's been a long road. I'm just happy to be here right now.

"I was a free agent this offseason, so I wanted to get back on the roster. Those are the first guys teams look to, especially here. I've been here since I've been drafted. I've seen the way they'll open up opportunities for guys and if you can get your way on the roster and pitch well, they'll have no problems calling you up, so it was huge."

It's much bigger for Drake to reach the majors with the Orioles.

"It's awesome," he said. "There's a lot of guys in this clubhouse that I played with, that I got drafted with that I know, and there's a lot of people in this organization that I know and put in a lot of hard work with, so it was great. I just got a text from (minor league medical coordinator) Dave Walker congratulating me, who I did all my rehab with and was a huge part of that. It's special to do it with the team you were drafted with."

What's made Drake such a dominant pitcher this year, with a 0.96 ERA, four walks and 30 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings?

"This year, I'm just being more consistent, throwing all my pitches for strikes," Drake said. "I'm really attacking hitters and I'm fully healthy this year coming off last year when I was fully healthy. I just feel real good right now."

Drake was assigned No. 71, which holds no special meaning besides being on a major league uniform.

"It's going to mean a lot from now on," he said.

Showalter was more interested in Drake's statistics.

"Obviously, numbers are good," he said. "The same reason why we wanted to put him on the roster. There were two or three other clubs who were going to (sign him), and really everybody talks about his split, (but) he's got fastball command. It's like, I'm not saying Koji-like. Koji (Uehara) goes strike one on the fastball, his split's pretty good. His fastball, he goes strike one, jump at you. Competitive, tough kid."

Reminded that Drake reaching the majors as a 43rd-round pick makes a "cool story," Showalter replied, "It would be cooler if he pitched well for us and never went down. That would be the cool part for me, personally.

"I have a little affinity for Navy, and for Army, because of my dad, so I'll take 'em all. It's pretty cool. It tells you a little something. You make a commitment to serve your country. He got something out of it, too."

The Orioles optioned Tyler Wilson one day after he earned his first major league win.

"Tyler needs to start," Showalter said. "We had Tyler in today. The good news, bad news. 'Here's the lineup card. Congratulations.' He knows. He's a starting pitcher prospect for us and who knows where he might fit out of the 'pen?

"He's getting back on the horse. He's going to be down at least two to four days. He wasn't going to pitch for a while. He'll go right in the rotation down there. He's headed that way as we speak."

The Orioles could recall Wilson as the 26th man for Thursday's doubleheader against the White Sox, since they're going to need an extra starter.

"Not necessarily. We have options," Showalter said.

"I can pull somebody from the 'pen. That dynamic is going to kind of change each day, I think. I think it's more you've kind of got an idea of who it won't be. Right now, it's the only thing I know for sure."