Who closes in Britton's absence? (and other notes)

The Orioles won three of four games in Toronto, lost their closer and almost lost their center fielder.

The only defeat came on Saturday's walk-off home run by Kendrys Morales off Tyler Wilson. That's how close the Orioles were to a sweep.

The latest off-day gives Adam Jones more time to recover after slamming into the plexiglass cover on the scoreboard yesterday while chasing a fly ball. He finished the inning after staying down on the warning track for a disturbing amount of time.

"He knocked the breath out of him more than anything," manager Buck Showalter told reporters after an 11-4 win. "When I got out there he was more mad that he didn't catch the ball. He said, 'I should have caught it.'"

Showalter noted that Jones is playing a little deeper in some situations. Jones got to the scoreboard in plenty of time and almost ran through it.

Zach Britton is on the 10-day disabled list with a strained left forearm, making him eligible to return on April 26. He told reporters that the discomfort is closer to his wrist than elbow, which brings a huge sigh of relief.

You hear "strained forearm" or "flexor mass" and immediately think "Tommy John surgery." It's an overreaction that comes from all the examples of pitchers who eventually have to undergo the procedure, including Dylan Bundy, who turned in his third quality start yesterday.

The Orioles are being cautious with Britton, just as they were in spring training after he complained of soreness in his left side. They might not have put him on the DL if it still lasted 15 days.

Britton is 5-for-5 in save opportunities, extending his streak to 54 in a row and tying him for the second-longest in baseball history. He's allowed only one run in seven innings, but also 10 hits with three walks and a wild pitch. He has an 1.857 WHIP and opponents are batting .345 against him.

Fans were asking yesterday which reliever becomes the closer. Showalter has multiple options, but Brad Brach seems to be the frontrunner because he's allowed only one hit and struck out 10 batters in six scoreless innings.

Brach has only three career saves in the majors, but 119 in the minors. He notched 33 saves with Single-A Fort Wayne in 2009 and 41 with Single-A Lake Elsinore in 2010.

Darren O'Day would have been the more obvious choice in the past, and he could be used depending on Brach's availability, but Showalter figures to go with the hotter hand.

O'Day has allowed five earned runs (six total) and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings, with five walks and four strikeouts. He registered back-to-back scoreless innings in Toronto.

It's always interesting to look back and catch Showalter's subtle hints regarding roster moves. He told reporters that Stefan Crichton, optioned on Saturday, could be back even sooner than the right-hander realized. Crichton was recalled yesterday to replace Britton and allowed two runs and five hits in 1 2/3 innings.

The off-day could prevent the Orioles from optioning Crichton again after he threw 49 pitches. Wilson has pitched the last two days, though he threw only eight pitches yesterday.

Craig Gentry collected his first two hits with the Orioles yesterday, including a long home run to left field. His last regular season home run came on Aug. 21, 2013 against Astros left-hander and former Oriole Erik Bedard.

He's not being paid for his power.

The Orioles flew to Cincinnati last night, but I bet Showalter was tempted to come home so he could watch Chris Tillman tonight at Double-A Bowie.

Tillman is scheduled to throw three innings or around 45 pitches against Richmond. Assuming there are no setbacks, he's expected to continue his rehab assignment with Single-A Frederick while the Baysox are on the road.