Thoughts on the bullpen and tonight's game

SAN FRANCISCO - The Orioles won a game last night and may have lost their top set-up man. They'll find out later today after team orthopedist Dr. Michael Jacobs examines Darren O'Day's right shoulder.

They survived without O'Day for seven weeks, a strained hamstring keeping him on the disabled list. But let's not tempt fate.

Brad Brach is a capable set-up man and he's been given extra rest, but the bullpen isn't as deep without O'Day. It also misses a reliever who's holding right-handers to a .217 average and left-handers to a .229 average. The splits don't present any issues.

The good news is O'Day will have at least four days to recover if he stays on the active roster. He's not pitching in this series and the Orioles are off Monday while I spend all morning and most of the afternoon on flights home.

The bullpen has been a rock, but there are cracks showing. Zach Britton has worked on back-to-back days and thrown 41 pitches. Manager Buck Showalter didn't want to use him last night and he surely won't want to do it tonight.

Brach allowed a run and two hits last night and was removed after facing two batters. In his last eight appearances, he's surrendered five runs (four earned) and 10 hits in seven innings.

Factor in O'Day's absence, and the Orioles really could be challenged these next two games. Can they afford to wait on O'Day and send Tyler Wilson back to Triple-A Norfolk?

Steve Pearce expects to be in the lineup tonight against Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner. Showalter conceded that it's going to be tricky without a designated hitter.

The most obvious solution would involve putting Pearce at first base - less strain on his right elbow - and sitting Chris Davis. However, Davis homered last night and has six hits in his last three games.

Bumgarner is holding left-handed hitters to a .176 average this season and .209 in his career. Maybe it's not such a bad idea to rest Davis.

Not that right-handers have it easy. They're hitting .212 against Bumgarner this season and .239 in his career. Best of luck, fellas.

The Orioles haven't faced Bumgarner. They preferred it that way.

Bumgarner is 10-7 with a 2.20 ERA, 1.002 WHIP and four complete games in 24 starts, and he's averaging 10 strikeouts per nine innings. He's posted a 1.59 ERA and 0.827 WHIP in 84 2/3 innings at home, with 15 earned runs, 53 hits, 17 walks and 95 strikeouts. He's surrendered only five home runs at AT&T Park.

Mark Trumbo is 4-for-17 with a triple and home run against Bumgarner. Pearce is 2-for-3 with a double, Pedro Alvarez is 0-for-2 with two strikeouts, Yovani Gallardo is 1-for-2 with a double, Ubaldo Jimenez is 1-for-2, and Wade Miley and Vance Worley both are 0-for-2 with a strikeout.

Let Gallardo hit. Free the man.

Donnie Hart was allowed to bat last night, striking out to end the top of the eighth. Britton and Gallardo must have been green with envy.

Adam Jones has hit safely in each of his last eight games and is batting .457 (16-for-35). He's recorded multi-hit games in six of the last eight.

Kevin Gausman is making his 21st start tonight. He's 3-9 with a 4.02 ERA, but he's registered quality starts in four of his last five outings and six of his last eight. He's allowed four runs in 13 innings in his last two starts, walking three batters and striking out 13.

The bats are alive again. Maybe he can get a little run support.

Denard Span is 3-for-6 with two doubles against Gausman, Eduardo Nunez is 2-for-5 and Conor Gillaspie is 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.