Showalter speaks after series sweep

The Orioles have optioned left-hander Ashur Tolliver to Triple-A Norfolk and most likely will replace him Tuesday night with lefty T.J. McFarland, whose 10 days in the minors are set to expire.

Tolliver allowed three earned runs in 4 2/3 innings. He's going on paternity leave soon becasue his wife is due on July 7 and manager Buck Showalter didn't want him on the West Coast.

Vance Worley will make one more appearance on his injury rehab assignment, pitching Tuesday night at Single-A Frederick. Caleb Joseph will catch.

The Orioles completed their first four-game sweep of the Rays today and moved 15 games above .500 with a 12-5 win that showed up the explosive lineup and also provided a reminder that Dylan Bundy is a real contributor out of the bullpen.

It's not just about a young pitcher who's out of options and protected like a Rule 5 pick.

Bundy worked three scoreless innings after replacing starter Tyler Wilson, who won his first game at Camden Yards. Bundy allowed two hits and struck out four, and the Orioles pulled away with a four-run eighth off Ryan Webb.

"That was probably one of the keys to the game," Showalter said of Bundy, who's sporting a 3.55 ERA in 33 innings.

"Obviously, the guys swung the bats well and scored some runs. Went into it knowing Tampa was going to take a hard run at you. Dylan was probably one of the keys to the game. When he gets those four or five days, he usually ... Really proud of how he's kind of come on and been a contributor as opposed to a guy who's out of options.

"He doesn't think about his elbow anymore or his shoulder. He's crossed that threshold and that's what you hope to do. Bodes well for the future with him. He's pitching without one of the pitches he'll feature in the future possibly. Like I said before, one thing that's happened through his challenges physically is he's developed a changeup, which he has a real good feel for and it's helped him defend himself against left-handed hitters."

Showalter wasn't going to use Brad Brach today. He wanted to stay away from Zach Britton, though the left-hander began to warm in the eighth with the Orioles ahead 8-5.

Bundy stranded two runners in the sixth after a hit batter and single and struck out four in a row before Jaff Decker singled with two outs in the eighth.

Bundy was done after three innings and 57 pitches. Odrisamer Despaigne retired the side in order in the ninth to hand the Rays their 11th consecutive loss. The Orioles have won five straight.

"Dylan was very impressive," Showalter said. "I think he had been to three and 51, something like that and we weren't going to take him past 60. That was his last hitter."

Bundy is basically on a starter's schedule, like a guy in the minors who piggybacks the starting pitcher. He's been fresher and his fastball has climbed into the upper 90s.

"What's ideal is he's contributing to the team within the confines of how we have to do it," Showalter said. "It's kind of like a Rule 5 pick. So, really we have four on the club the way I look at it. This is the way we hoped to do it going in, but you've got to be able to get people out to do it that way. Gives us two- and three-inning stints and get rest in between. I think we had maybe one back-to-back. That was when he had the real short outing.

"We're going to try to stay on it, but sometimes the game dictates that he has to pitch with less than three or four days' rest. When you say that's what starting pitchers work on, that's encouraging. We know where we want to get him innings-wise and we want to by the end of the year thinking about him potentially doing more."

Yes, it's possible that Bundy starts before the season ends, and it won't necessarily be after rosters expand in September. He will compete for a rotation spot in spring training as long as he's healthy.

"Like I told you the other day, he was an option for me, but we had to use him to win a game and went in another direction," Showalter said. "It just depends how it falls. He's doing a good job in the role that we've been able to do, but it's not always going to be there. It's fortunate to get three, four, five days' off for a relief pitcher in the American League and being able to stretch him out. Even two- and three-inning stints gets us closer to the innings count we want to get to."

In the meantime, Bundy exudes the usual confidence despite his limited experience.

"He's got a healthy respect for the level of play, but not intimidated by it," Showalter said. "He knows he's got to do certain things. Can't just get by. When he's going to go in, he's got to get it in there, which he did.

"I think you go through a period when some guys, the first time these young pitchers, high school guys and even college guys who carry a lot of velocity, the first time they get squared up with a 96, 97 mph fastball, which you're going to do up here, how are you going to react? And that's kind of with Tyler. Every time he gave up a home run, I think the next pitch he threw was a strike. That tells you a little something.

"It's no accident that a W is next to his name after the game's over today, even though he'd tell you it wasn't one of his better outings."

Showalter wanted to get Chris Davis off the field today, using him as the designated hitter instead of sitting him. Davis hit a grand slam off left-hander Drew Smyly in the first inning.

"I like him trotting around the field," Showalter said. "That was good. He was (2-for-16) with 10 strikeouts against him, but the two were home runs and they were kind of recent.

"I was talking to him last night and this morning. Chris never ducks anybody. Believe me, I've had some really good players who, all things being equal, would have probably chose to watch the game today. Chris never does that."

The Rays are buried deeper in last place, trailing the Orioles by 13 ½ games. But a four-game sweep isn't taken lightly in the home clubhouse.

"It's hard," Showalter said. "We caught them when they've got a lot of people hurt and you're hoping to take advantage of it before they get out of town, because the next time we seem them, trust me, they'll be a different club. Try to take advantage of it when they're down. But we had to scratch and claw to get them. You all saw. There weren't many of them easy."

The Orioles hadn't swept the Rays in a series of at least three games in Baltimore since Sept. 11-13, 2012. The Orioles have swept four opponents this season, all of them at home, including the Twins, Tigers and Royals.

Adam Jones had four hits, a walk, an RBI and two runs scored today to raise his average to .265. Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop each had three hits. Schoop and Mark Trumbo homered, with the latter taking over the major league lead with 22.

The Orioles began the day ranked second in the American League in on-base percentage at .332. The Red Sox were first at .355. Highly unusual for the Orioles, who normally just bash teams into submission.

"It's about the players," Showalter said. "It was a point of emphasis last year and the year before. It's nothing new. What's Adam got, 20 walks now? Adam's starting to take on some characteristics of a leadoff hitter. The walk, the bunt. I thought he might try to steal the bag off Webb, but he wasn't feeling that chipper.

"We'll probably finish last in stolen bases this year, but it's about scoring runs."