Hyde explains need for extra reliever (O's lead 6-4)

The two-man bench utilized by the Orioles will be a short-term arrangement.

Manager Brandon Hyde explained the need for an extra reliever, with Branden Kline recalled for the fifth time. Hyde said Miguel Castro has been under the weather and unavailable.

Castro didn't sit in the bullpen last night.

"We have a few guys who are unavailable," Hyde said.

"We wanted to make sure that we were healthy and had enough people going into the Yankees series."

Also, the Orioles are expected to go with a bullpen game Monday night against the Yankees. Asher Wojciechowski will start Tuesday and left-hander John Means will come off the injured list to start Wednesday.

Gabriel Ynoa is a candidate to stat Monday or back up the opener.

The Orioles designated for assignment infielder José Rondón earlier today. The list of reserves is down to Jace Peterson and Chance Sisco.

Hyde said an outfielder is "more than likely" going to be added when the Orioles return to a more normal bench alignment, though third baseman Rio Ruiz is eligible to be recalled on Sunday. Perhaps DJ Stewart gets another shot.

"I think you look at body of work, you look at what they've been doing lately. I think you look at the whole picture," Hyde said.

"When you promote somebody you want to feel like they're in a good place and they're playing well in the league they're in and they've shown you enough success over a certain amount of games to warrant a promotion."

Stewart has eight hits in his last six games and is slashing .284/.391/.545 in 61 games with Norfolk.

Meanwhile, Dwight Smith Jr. remains on the injured list with a strained left calf.

"He's progressing," Hyde said. "He's not there yet, but he's getting better every day."

Jonathan Villar has appeared in all 109 games this season, but Hyde said he isn't making 162 a goal. It's just worked out that way.

"Honestly, that's not important to me," Hyde said. "Jonny Villar loves to play, and he plays with energy and I know he never wants to come out. I haven't started him in a couple of games, but he's come in the game. He never wants a day off, and there's a lot of days where I feel like I probably should have given him one. I'll talk to him about that and we'll go from there.

"What's nice is I love having guys who want to play every day, and that's a luxury to have is guys who are like that, but you also have to make sure they're taken care of."

The Orioles have allowed two or more home runs in seven consecutive games to increase their season total to 214. It's a theme that Hyde can't avoid.

"It's real. We give up a ton of home runs. Pretty annoying. But it's kind of where we are," he said.

"We play in a hitter's ballpark in the American League East and we don't throw ... A lot of times it's, we just don't execute very well. I wish we pitched in more, to be honest with you. I think if you watch the Blue Jays you see how many times we've hit the ball off our shins and knees and ankles. It's because they pitch in, and I wish our guys had the confidence and skill to be able to pitch in and be able to pitch in effectively to open up both sides of the plate, but we're not there yet.

"A lot of our guys are still trying to survive and getting their feet wet in the American League, and I think that's why you see certain guys improving and certain guys still having a high ERA, because it's not easy to do. It's really hard to pitch in the major leagues and some guys figure it out later than others. Some guys figure it out right away.

"John Means doesn't give up a ton of homers, or he hasn't, because he throws to both sides of the plate. He's got an equalizer with a changeup they can't sit on. He pitches in. So I just wish we pitched in more. That doesn't mean hit people. That means being able to throw a fastball on the inside corner and off the inside corner to be able to open up stuff so guys can't lean out on you."

The Orioles claimed left-hander Ty Blach off waivers from the Giants and assigned him to Norfolk.

Blach, a fifth-round pick in 2012 out of Creighton, made two relief appearances for the Giants this season and allowed 10 runs and 14 hits in 6 1/3 innings. He also walked four batters.

In 87 games with the Giants spread over the past four seasons, Blach has gone 15-19 with a 4.56 ERA and 1.397 WHIP over 305 2/3 innings. Left-handed hitters slash .264/.321/.326 against him and right-handers slash .291/.340/.461.

The Giants designated Blach for assignment on July 27.

Hyde had a little fun today with a question about pitchers who might be able to hit with the team carrying only two reserves.

"I don't know," he said. "Paul Fry is athletic. Does a nice job shagging. Miguel Castro is a power-shagger. I think you saw (Dylan) Bundy's at-bats. He talks a big game without a whole lot of substance, even though he continues to say he switch-hits. But does it matter? That's about it."

For the Blue Jays
Bo Bichette SS
Freddy Galvis 2B
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. LF
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 3B
Justin Smoak 1B
Randal Grichuk DH
Derek Fisher RF
Teoscar Hernández CF
Reese McGuire C

Thomas Pannone LHP

Update: The Orioles fell behind early again tonight, with doubles by Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the first inning giving the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead.

Update II: Freddy Galvis homered in the third inning for a 2-0 lead.

Update III: Villar had the Orioles' first hit and it was a leadoff home run in the fifth.

Update IV: Trey Mancini's three-run homer in the fifth gave the Orioles a 4-2 lead.

Update V: Reese McGuire hit a two-run homer off Richard Bleier in the seventh, with one run charged to Shawn Armstrong.

Update VI: Hanser Alberto had a run-scoring single in the seventh and Mancini contributed an RBI grounder for a 6-4 lead.