Talking to Showalter

Manager Buck Showalter took a seat in the interview room this morning, saw the recorders lined up in front of him and said, "I don't think anything's changed since three hours ago." Showalter advised us last night to "sleep fast." It's been a quick turnaround since Game 2. Here are some topics that Showalter covered while the Orioles and Rangers took batting practice: On waiting until tomorrow or early Tuesday to make a roster move: "We'll see how we get through today's games and see what the need might be there. Andy (MacPhail) and I talked last night. Decided to wait. We're OK in the bullpen today. Good thing it's not a hot, sunny day right now. Jeremy feels good. Doctors feel good about it so he'll go. Texas will have more to do with it than pneumonia." On how far Jeremy Guthrie can go today: "There's some unknown there until he gets out there and we see. I think it's going to have a lot more to do with Texas. Jake (Arrieta) had great stuff last night. They're a good club. Really good. You open up with the American League East champion, and Detroit's going to be one of the real forces in the league, and we're facing the American League champion. There's a reason why these teams present a challenge." On Guthrie's value to a young staff: "When Jeremy was not around the club for three or four days, you could tell that there was a little void there. He gives them some direction there. He's a hard-worker, great-shape, a real student of things other than just throwing the baseball. I think they feed off that example. And I think he understands pitching in the American League and in the East. They feel comfortable bouncing things off him, knowing that he's not always going to tell them what they necessarily want to hear. He's been an asset for us."

On Chris Tillman pitching in New York: "He's an option for us Tuesday or Wednesday. We've got it lined up as soon as we get through today and see where we are." On the possibility of Brian Matusz trying to rush back from the disabled list: "I think talking to Brian, first of all, it's nothing to do with his arm. We talked to him. I've found just the opposite with him. He knows from talking to people like Guthrie that this is something you've got to get right the first time. But he's in a good spot. He's moving along well with that. I don't really worry about that with him. I like what he's saying. I talked to him about what he can accomplish during this period with his conditioning and everything. He should use this time to really get everything as good as it can be when he's ready to come back and pitch the rest of the season for us." On watching Chris Jakubauskas make his first major league appearance since being hit by a line drive last April: "If you don't take in a moment like that, you're not watching as a coach or manager or teammate. I'm sure some of the guys may not be completely aware of what's going on and the long haul it took for him to get there. He is what he is, a guy who can pitch some innings and locate the ball. You look at his track record, he's had some outings that were really good as a starter. He had a lot of emotions flying around before and after that game." Shameless plug alert: I'll be appearing on O's Xtra, which begins at 1 p.m. on MASN2.