Updating rotation plans and more

The Orioles are pushing back John Means to Sunday afternoon against the Athletics and waiting until later tonight to choose Saturday's starter.

The options are a bullpen game or recalling a pitcher from the alternate training site in Bowie.

"Just going to give John an extra day," manager Brandon Hyde said today in his Zoom call.

Means will get a full week with his most recent outing Sunday against the Rangers. Normal rest would have put him on the mound tonight, but the Orioles had two off-days.

"We'll play tonight and make a decision after the game," Hyde said.

Wade LeBlanc and Adam Plutko are former starters now working in relief roles. Rule 5 pick Tyler Wells started in the minors and he hasn't pitched since April 11 against the Red Sox at Camden Yards.

By saving Means for Sunday, the Orioles apparently will start Matt Harvey on Monday and rookie Bruce Zimmermann on Tuesday against the Yankees at Camden Yards.

Dean Kremer is starting against the Nationals today in an alternate training site game in Bowie. He's eligible to be recalled on Wednesday.

A change in the posted lineup: Austin Hays is in left field and DJ Stewart is in right.

Hyde said the Orioles are close to reaching the 85 percent team vaccination benchmark.

"We're going to be over that," he said, adding "that's a big deal for us."

"It feels good as a team and an organization to know that the majority of our guys are vaccinated," he said. "We can start going back to a little bit of normalcy from how it's been here the last couple years. Our organization has been ahead of this from the beginning of encouraging people to get vaccinated and the majority of our players and staff followed suit, and it's a good feeling to know that most people will be vaccinated."

Shortstop Freddy Galvis has hit safely in five of his last six games and eight of 11. Six of his seven extra-base hits have come in his last six games.

In 11 games since April 10, Galvis is 13-for-33 (.394) to raise his season average from .115 to .271.

The Orioles have drawn 46 walks, fewest in the American League and third-fewest in the majors.

The offense has taken 49.3 percent of pitches seen, lowest in the majors.

The A's have won six straight and 11 of their last 13 games against the Orioles.