Gausman talks about possibility of starting Sunday

NEW YORK - The Orioles confirmed today that Kevin Gausman will start Sunday's regular-season finale at Yankee Stadium.

Just don't hold them to it.

Gausman may be replaced if the Orioles already clinch a playoff berth, a topic that brings great discomfort to manager Buck Showalter. He doesn't want to go down that road with at least nine innings slated for today.

Gausman could be on the mound as the Orioles try to cement a wild card spot and perhaps home field in the game.

"It's going to be fun," he said. "Hopefully, we can get the job done today and kind of put our stamp on one of those two spots, but yeah, it's going to be fun.

"If you had told me at the beginning of the season this is the situation that I was going to be in and had the chance to secure a spot for us, I'd say I'd take that chance and take that responsibility, so it's pretty exciting. It's going to be fun"

It also would present a milestone for Gausman - his 30th start of the season. It's an important level for a young pitcher who broke camp on the disabled list and trying to get established in the rotation.

"Yeah, I think so," Gausman said. "One of my goals this year was to make 30-35 starts, so I missed a couple at the beginning of the season because I was on the DL, but just happy that I made every start since then. I haven't missed a start, so to get 30 is obviously big.

"You always hope to get more and I wish I was at 35, and hopefully I'll get to 35 with the postseason, but I think that is a milestone, especially for a young starting pitcher."

Gausman feels better prepared for the big stage and for such an important game at the end of the schedule.

"Yeah, I think I always get better as the season goes on," he said. "It seems like every year I'm at my best toward the end of the year. That's kind of what you strive for.

"I'm excited. I'm ready to take the ball tomorrow. Hopefully, we get it done today. It will be fun tomorrow to help and hopefully kind of be a stopper and punch our ticket."

The Orioles entered the world of October baseball today and hope they're just scratching its surface.

"You feel it in the last week," Gausman said. "That's when I personally started watching some other scores. You look at what the division looks like, what the wild card looks like. I think I heard there are still 13 scenarios that could happen today and there were 29 yesterday. It's fun.

"Every game obviously matters. It means a lot right now. I just hope that we continue to play good baseball. I think we're doing everything well right now. We're pitching well, playing defense great like we always do. Obviously, we're hitting the ball a long way, too, and that's fun.

"Anytime we come here, I think we always play pretty well and hopefully we kind of keep that coming."

The Orioles want Gausman's success against the Yankees to sustain itself. He's 2-1 with a 0.80 ERA in five starts this season and 5-3 with a 1.87 ERA in 16 career outings.

Gausman worked exclusively as a starter in 2014 before moving to the bullpen in the postseason. He's not switching roles this year.

"I think it's going to be fun," he said. "I think in 2014, I really didn't know for sure what I was going to do and then obviously they told me and I was excited about that, because after having a full year starting under my belt, I felt like I was throwing great. When I went out there it was kind of doing the same thing and you just throw a little bit harder. You get that adrenaline in the playoffs, so I'm excited to kind of start the game and be the guy who gets the ball to start a postseason game.

"I've always thought being a starting pitcher, it's your game, especially more in the postseason than ever. You kind of control the outcome of the game. So, I'm definitely excited about that."

The Orioles first have to get there. They could clinch tonight long after the final out in their game.

"That would be a little weird," Gausman said. "Unfortunately, I won't be celebrating. I'll have to go to sleep and get some rest and that might change if I even start tomorrow. There's a lot of question marks right now, but I just hope we continue to play good baseball.

"Whether we win or lose tonight, I think we're playing our best baseball right now, which is obviously very good."