Taking the rotation for another spin (O's now lead 9-2)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Could the Orioles go with a six-man rotation after Chris Tillman is activated from the disabled list?

Manager Buck Showalter said he considers every option and hasn't dismissed the idea, but it's too early to make a firm decision.

There simply are too many factors in play.

Tillman is slated to come off the disabled list and start Sunday afternoon's game in Detroit. Ubaldo Jimenez has posted a 2.70 ERA in his last four starts, going back to the July 28 makeup game in Minnesota, and no longer is stashed as a mop-up guy in the bullpen. Yovani Gallardo posted four quality starts last month. Kevin Gausman hasn't allowed a run in his last three starts covering 19 innings. The Orioles are committed to keeping Dylan Bundy in the rotation. Left-hander Wade Miley was acquired from the Mariners to be a starter, though he's posted a 7.15 ERA in seven outings.

"We're going to take each day, each situation, each matchup and decide who our options are and what's our best chance to win that night," Showalter said.

"We haven't had a surplus of starting pitching, so we will look at it and see how Yovani pitches today, see how Chris feels on his work day tomorrow and maybe he needs more time, see how Ubaldo's work day goes after a nine-inning stint, see how Miley's work day goes, see how certain guys would fit into the bullpen compared to others, see how certain teams we're playing, how they pitch against them."

Showalter has all the bases covered, so to speak. He's not assuming that Tillman's bullpen session on Wednesday will go off without a hitch or that the right-hander will be ready to tackle major league hitters without the benefit of a rehab assignment. He also knows that Jimenez is 5-11 with a 5.68 ERA in 20 career starts against the Tigers and 2-8 with a 7.39 ERA in 10 starts at Comerica Park.

"Ubaldo's last three or four starts have all been against teams that probably are the best teams he pitches against, so we're just going to look at it each day," Showalter said.

"It's kind of like the lineup. See who they're pitching, see where the matchups might fall and go for it. There are a lot of things you're doing right now that you might not have done in April, May or June."

At least on the surface, the Orioles appear to be in a better place now regarding their rotation. Showalter is digging beyond the surface, however, and considering all of the possibilities, which takes him back to Tillman.

"You're assuming Chris makes it back," he said. "We've got a couple hurdles to cross there. And then the Detroit Tigers. It's one thing to be healthy. Can you be effective?

"I'll never feel like we have a surplus. That's such a moving target and such an unpredictable thing."

Tillman is 5-0 with a 2.56 ERA in eight career starts against the Tigers and 3-0 with a 2.65 ERA in five starts at Comerica Park. If pushed back to the Red Sox series that follows, he's 10-3 with a 2.74 ERA in 19 starts against Boston and 5-1 with a 2.39 ERA in nine starts at Fenway Park.

So, are the Orioles in a better place now regarding their rotation? Just a little bit?

"If Chris comes back and is healthy, yes," Showalter said, "but a lot of that's got to do with Bundy's emergence and Gaus has gotten better and better and Ubaldo's pitched some good games for us. And the fact we think that we might have Tillman around the corner."

If Showalter tries to avoid pitching Jimenez against the Tigers, he also must consider that the veteran right-hander is 2-5 with a 7.39 ERA in 14 games (13 starts) against the Red Sox and 1-3 with a 6.09 ERA in seven starts at Fenway Park.

A better place, perhaps, but it's never going to be ideal.

Update: Gallardo served up a home run to leadoff hitter Logan Forsythe to give Tampa Bay a quick 1-0 lead. Forsythe has a career-high 18 home runs.

Update II: Chris Davis tied the game in the top of the second with his 35th home run.

Update III: J.J. Hardy doubled down the left field line to score two runs in the fourth and give the Orioles a 3-1 lead. Davis led off with a single, Matt Wieters walked with one out and Jake Odorizzi hit Jonathan Schoop on the right hand to load the bases.

Pedro Alvarez walked with two outs and Manny Machado hit his fourth career grand slam to extend the lead to 7-1. Machado worked the count full, swinging at pitches out of the strike zone, before clearing the fence in left-center field.

Update IV: The Rays scored a run in the bottom of the fourth on Machado's throwing error while trying to get the out at home plate on Steven Souza Jr.'s ground ball. Brad Miller led off with a single and took third base on Logan Morrison's double.

Update V: Adam Jones led off the eighth inning with his 26th home run to give the Orioles a 9-2 lead.