J.J. Hardy on sitting, mentoring and final homestand

NEW YORK - The first sign that Orioles manager Buck Showalter was ready to empty his bench Thursday night came in the bottom of the sixth inning when Austin Hays headed out to center field as the replacement for Adam Jones. Showalter would step out of the dugout again before the top of the seventh to alert plate umpire Brian O'Nora of more changes.

As the bottom half unfolded, Hays shifted over to right field and Joey Rickard took over in center. Rule 5 pick Anthony Santander played left field, Caleb Joseph replaced Manny Machado at third base, Ryan Flaherty played second, Trey Mancini moved from left field to first base and Chance Sisco replaced Welington Castillo behind the plate.

Only Tim Beckham remained on the field among the starting position players, holding firm at shortstop as the Yankees barreled toward a 13-5 win in the Bronx to shoot another dagger in the Orioles' fading playoff hopes.

J.J. Hardy leaned against the dugout railing, still waiting for his first chance to swing a bat or reclaim his old position, even for a couple of innings, since he came off the disabled list Sept. 8.

Showalter spoke yesterday of the respect factor, a nod to Hardy's service time and how mop-up duty wouldn't have been a comfortable choice. Hardy had the same sense.

"I think there was a respect thing from Buck and not putting me in in a blowout game," he said yesterday while sitting at his locker. "If you think about that and how it would look, yeah, I haven't played a whole lot, but to come in a game that's a blowout game and go from a starter for 12 years or 13 seasons to a guy who's going to fill in in a blowout game would look bad. And I think it was a respect thing from Buck and I respect that.

"For him to do that and just kind of take it on him, like, 'I'm not going to put you in a game like that,' it just shows how aware he is of the situation."

Hardy broke into the majors with the Brewers in 2005 and is accustomed to playing when his body allows it. He appeared in 158 games with the Orioles in 2012 and 159 in 2013. Watching from the bench, or railing, while healthy isn't the usual routine.

"It's been different, it's been different," Hardy said. "You look at what Tim has done and I think even if I got off to a better start this year, I think the situation would be the same. When someone comes in and does so well, you stick with the hot hand, and that's what he's doing. I can't question it and won't question it.

"Is it different for me? Yeah, it's different. I've been a starter and played as much as I could every year that I've played, but I get it."

Hardy, who's batting .211/.248/.308 in 64 games, can contribute without finding his name in the lineup. It's one of his finer qualities.

"He's talking baseball - defense, situations - all of the time," Showalter said. "If you watch Jon (Schoop) or Manny or Tim, Ryan, they're always talking about it. We've had some real interesting infield depths the last two or three games. There have been a lot of conversations. J.J. and I were talking about it.

"Even (Wednesday), we played a three depth in the third or fourth inning with (Kendrys) Morales at third. Second and third. And a lot of times you play the infield back there. But with (Marcus) Stroman pitching ... and Tim made a heck of a play there to hold that run. A lot of people forget about that. A lot of plays, Tim understanding depth. Not that he didn't before he got here, but just how we try to do it. It doesn't make us right or wrong. Tampa's good at it, too.

"You get that affirmation behind us talking to him. 'Hey, here's why we do it that way.' It helps a lot. J.J.'s always interested in making somebody's path easier than harder. What happens a lot with guys like him, somewhere along the line they may have had the opposite done to them. A guy got hazed or is a threat to somebody's position. J.J. is just the opposite. He wants to make somebody's path easier than the one he may have had."

Showalter said Hardy likely will play this afternoon or Sunday. The tutoring and encouragement will have to come between at-bats. And he'll assume his role as the leader of the infield.

"I've talked to people," Hardy said. "I'll do whatever I can to help in this situation. I mean, the Orioles have invested in me two different times in three-year extensions and I wouldn't be who I am today without the Orioles and Buck writing my name in the lineup as much as he has. For me to have any hard feelings about this would be completely selfish and stupid. Yeah, I'd do anything that they asked me to do."

There are seven home games left on the schedule, the last on Sept. 24 against the Rays. Hardy, a pending free agent assuming the club declines his $14 million option for 2018, could be closing out the Orioles chapter of his career.

It figures to hit him harder in the coming days.

"I haven't thought about it," he said. "I don't know how to answer that. I mean, right now I'm here for whatever they need me for, whatever they want. The fans have been really good to me for seven years, so ..."

Hardy's eyes redden and begin to moisten, and he doesn't finish his thought. Nothing else needs to be said and the conversation ends.

It's going to hit him harder. How could it not?

Meanwhile, the Orioles are sending Jeremy Hellickson to the mound this afternoon for the third game of their series against the Yankees.

Hellickson retired 15 batters in a row in his last start in Cleveland, but Roberto Pérez and Francisco Lindor opened the sixth inning with back-to-back home runs. Hellickson was charged with three runs and four hits in six innings.

In his previous start, Hellickson faced the Yankees at Camden Yards and allowed three earned runs and five total in 2 1/3 innings as part of a strange final line. He gave up two hits, walked four batters and hit one, but the Orioles rallied for a 7-6 win.

Hellickson is 4-2 with a 3.60 ERA and 1.280 WHIP in 10 career games, including eight starts, versus the Yankees over 50 innings. He owns a 3.92 ERA and 1.210 WHIP in four games, including three starts, in the Bronx over 20 2/3 innings.

The Orioles can't possibly need any more information on left-hander Jordan Montgomery, who's making his fifth start against them this season. He's allowed eight earned runs (11 total) and 21 hits in 21 innings for a 3.43 ERA to go with his 1.333 WHIP.

Montgomery faced the Orioles most recently on Sept. 4 in Baltimore and was charged with two earned runs and three total in 4 2/3 innings. Beckham and Chris Davis homered off him.

Are the Orioles catching Montgomery at the right or wrong time? He hasn't gone more than 5 1/3 innings in last seven starts. He went 6-4 with a 3.65 ERA in 16 starts in the first half, but has gone 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA in 10 starts since the break.

The rookie is fading or he's due. Perhaps it's both and I'm just tossing out a trick question.

Schoop has a double and home run in nine at-bats against Montgomery, who goes by the nicknames "Gumby" and "Monty." The latter is boring and predictable, which coincidentally are my nicknames from college.