Castillo scratched from lineup (O's down 5-0)

CLEVELAND - Catcher Welington Castillo has been scratched from the Orioles lineup and replaced by Caleb Joseph, who's batting ninth behind right fielder Seth Smith. Castillo had been eighth.

The Orioles will provide an explanation later.

Manager Buck Showalter wanted to speak with J.J. Hardy earlier today, but he had to wait until the veteran shortstop was done conferring with Tim Beckham.

Hardy continues to make himself available to the player who's seized his job, which is a typical gesture and one of the many reasons why Showalter holds him in such high regard.

No longer on the 60-day disabled list, Hardy is available to play tonight in the opening game against the Indians at Progressive Field. Exactly how he's used remains a mystery. A plan hasn't been laid out for the media.

"It's good, obviously," Showalter said. "Anytime you can add a guy that we've been missing for this long, it gives us some really good options. We'll see how it progresses. He took BP and took a lot of work today just to make sure. He's ready to go. As ready as he's going to be."

Showalter indicated shortly after the non-waiver trade deadline that Hardy would be the starter upon returning to the active roster. But Beckham has been a terror at the plate and given the Orioles a leadoff hitter while Adam Jones moves back down to the cleanup spot. The landscape has changed.

"We've already talked about it," Showalter said. "When we were talking about activating him and what he had to do, having the conversations we had with him down in Norfolk about what was going on and what he could do and what he couldn't do.

"There's a lot of things I know that we're not going to broadcast for the other teams, but we've got a real solid role that he can help us with the rest of the way."

Hardy won't fight it. The bench isn't an easy sell, but Hardy understands that Beckham needs to play and the Orioles appreciate his acceptance.

"That's J.J.," Showalter said. "Believe me, there's a real competitive fire that burns in there and you don't do the things he's done over a long career without having that. But he's one of those guys that thinks about the weight his words carry and how it reflects on his teammates and I think that's why he's so well-respected in the game, because he knows there are certain things that are bigger than him. And there aren't many people here who could take an opposite approach more than J.J.

"His resume speaks for itself. But it's also why he has that and has always been in demand, because of the way he carries himself. He's a pro. I wouldn't count him out."

Gabriel Ynoa will make his first start with the Orioles on Saturday afternoon following five relief appearances totaling 14 2/3 innings.

"I was surprised," Ynoa said through translator Ramón Alarcón. "I was not expecting it, but now I just want to take advantage of this opportunity."

Ynoa's finest moment came on May 5 at Camden Yards when he tossed six scoreless innings against the White Sox after replacing Wade Miley in the first inning.

"It was a learning experience," he said, "but all the previous experience last year and this year as a starter and coming out of the bullpen, it helped and obviously build my confidence and I'm looking forward to it tomorrow."

Unfortunately for Ynoa, he went on the disabled list the next day with a hamstring injury and it's been a process getting back in the majors. He made three relief appearances in June and threw two scoreless innings on Monday.

"It's an awkward feeling because it's the first time that I've ever had an injury in my professional career, so from that standpoint it was very weird," he said. "But now I'm healthy and ready to go and ready to compete tomorrow."

Chris Tillman is back in the bullpen, but the soreness in his wrist that's subsided apparently didn't factor into the decision to again remove him from the rotation.

"Not really," Showalter said. "I think it was a little thing, but it wouldn't have kept him. I think it's more as we go forward in these last 22 games, we're going to look for every little potential edge we can get. Obviously, starting pitching has been a real challenge for us, so we'll continue to kind of mix and match and see if we can find a hot hand in a given situation.

"Our options are what they are. Every one of these guys have the chance to run off a good game. We're going to need it against teams like Cleveland."

The Orioles will try to snap the Indians' 15-game winning streak, a run that's hard to fathom at this level of play.

"They're running out six and seven starting pitchers that for a lot of people would be their No. 1 starter," Showalter said. "They have the No 1 ranked bullpen and starters in baseball. When you get that type of consistency out of your pitching, you can put some things together.

"It's a well-put together club. They defend, they have a lot of different weapons and obviously they've got as good as there is putting people in position to be successful in Terry (Francona). They're going to be a real factor to be reckoned with for a long time. They've put together things that replenish their needs.

"They've got some key people out and their farm system and the people they've been able to bring up, it's a model organization."

Update: Edwin Encarnacion hit a three-run homer off Wade Miley in the first inning to give Cleveland a 3-0 lead. Encarnacion is 7-for-14 with three home runs lifetime against Miley.

Update II: Carlos Santana doubled with two outs in the sixth to score Yandy Diaz, who led off with a double, and give the Indians a 4-0 lead.

Update III: Francisco Lindor scored on Richard Bleier's wild pitch in the seventh after Miguel Castro loaded the bases, giving the Indians a 5-0 lead.