Hardy on his health, Showalter on Ripken and more

Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy returned to his locker before batting practice today covered in sweat. He joked about sitting outside and watching catcher drills in the heat, but he actually took ground balls to make sure he didn't experience any discomfort in his groin.

"I feel fine," he said. "Just took a bunch of ground balls and really wasn't holding back at all and I feel fine."

Hardy said he will "sprint and run" over the next few days, the more serious tests before the Orioles consider activating him on Sept. 8.

"Get stronger, just get ready to go when i come off," he said, adding that he should be ready when eligible to return.

Hardy isn't trying to get ready for a rehab assignment.

"I want to be ready for the game, I can come off the DL in New York," he said.

A rehab schedule has been discussed.

"A little bit," he said. "I don't think it's final yet, but we've talked about it."

Hardy will watch Cal Ripken, Jr. throw out the ceremonial first pitch tonight as part of the 2,131 celebration.

"I know that I still have the Tucson newpaper from when it happened," he said. "It's with all my baseball cards. So even back then, I knew it was a big deal. It's pretty cool to see this tonight. I can't believe it was 20 years ago."

Ripken ended The Streak at 2,632, a record viewed as unreachable by today's players.

"No, not anymore, no way," Hardy said. "I just don't see it. To play 162 in one year is a really big accomplishment now. To do that for how many years? Sixteen? It's pretty ridiculous. Amazing."

Buck Showalter was managing the Yankees on Sept. 6, 1995.

"We were in the middle of being the first wild card team in the American League," Showalter said.

"Manny (Machado) is (the only) guy in the majors who's played every game this year. Multiply it by 16 times. Trust me, nobody is going to touch it, and it won't be Manny. And God bless him.

"I heard some of the grumbings about he was hurting the team by playing every day. Spare me. Go ask his teammates and the other team. Some guys at 80 percent are better than some guys at 100 percent. I know Adam (Jones) gives me that a lot of times when I ask him how he's doing.

"I played 140-150 games in a season. I don't know how anybody does it. It takes so much discipline, and it's still something that I still think kind of lives on here with a guy like Adam and a guy like Manny. They talk about it."

Showalter has talked to head athletic trainer Richie Bancells about Ripken's durability and everything that went into The Streak.

"There are good tissue guys and good healers and bad healers," Showalter said. "Richie said, 'He was the best healer I've ever seen.' And the discipline it requires to get your rest and be there every day, and all the things that happen and don't happen in the course of the day. And get incredibly lucky. We lose guys every year with someone stepping off a curb wrong or whatever.

"You know Cal. He wasn't walking around like, 'Don't touch me. I might get hurt.' He's playing basketball. That might be some of it. Caution, you can't play the game that way."

Still no word on the 45-minute MRIs on Miguel Gonzalez's right shoulder and elbow. He's at the ballpark and shagged fly balls during batting practice.

"As I've said many times, our doctor does have other people and other cases, so it's not that pressing," Showalter said.

I wrote earlier the Orioles may move back Kevin Gausman's start to Friday in Toronto. Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen's next start would come against the Yankees.

Chen is 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA in four career starts against the Blue Jays and he's allowed six earned runs (seven total) and 13 hits in 11 innings in two starts at Rogers Centre.

The Blue Jays lead the majors with a .285 average and .838 OPS against left-handers.

Showalter said the Orioles activated Chaz Roe tonight instead of Wednesday in case the game goes extra inning and another reliever is needed.