Caleb Joseph on the benefits of playing every day

For the last seven days, Caleb Joseph has been the regular catcher for the Orioles, starting six of the last seven games. He took over the starting role when Welington Castillo went on the 10-day disabled list on May 2, retroactive to May 1, with right shoulder tendinitis.

Castillo could return soon. He is eligible to come off the DL on Thursday. But for now Joseph is taking advantage of the regular playing time, and he went 4-for-4 last night while also working behind the plate for Kevin Gausman's best start of the year.

Joseph has talked before about the challenges of trying to hit major league pitching when you don't see it every day. With Castillo out, Joseph has enjoyed the benefits of everyday playing time.

"You already have pressure on yourself as a professional athlete. But when you are playing sporadically and you're unsure of your next start, there is an added amount of pressure. I think it's natural that every quote bench player puts that on themselves," he said this afternoon.

"When you have an idea that you will probably be in there tomorrow, it takes a little bit off of your mental state. But the physical part of seeing pitches and getting a little bit of consistent timing down, that always helps.

"It helps with catching too. You get into the flow of a series. There are things you can feel and sense right away that allows you to use your creativity a bit more in calling the game. When you are in there once every so often, it takes three or four innings to get into that flow. There are ways to stay sharp, but it is very difficult to simulate major league game timing. That is very difficult. You could crank up a pitching machine to 100 mph and it's still going to be different."

Joseph tied his career high with four hits last night. He first did that on Aug. 31, 2014 versus Minnesota. For the season, Joseph is batting .240 with two doubles, a homer and four RBIs. Since he began the season 0-for-12, Joseph is batting .316 at 12-for-38.

"It just feels good to be able to contribute and help the team win in ways you know you can. That feels good," he said.

Joseph is back in there tonight for the Orioles, catching and batting ninth as Ubaldo Jiménez (1-1, 6.58 ERA) pitches against Max Scherzer (4-2, 2.66 ERA). It's Jiménez's first start since April 29 against New York. His last outing was in relief, last Wednesday at Boston, after starter Gausman was ejected. Jiménez threw three scoreless on one hit against the Red Sox.