More on Britton's knee and Ynoa's latest opportunity

The news that closer Zach Britton isn't expected to require a surgical procedure on his left knee can be taken two ways.

The obvious one is with glee. Who roots for surgery?

However, I've continued to wonder why another MRI didn't show anything structurally wrong, but he's continued to pitch through the discomfort since 2014. What's the cause and why should the club be confident that the knee will "heal itself" over the winter?

It hasn't happened up to this point or there wouldn't be a brace or more MRIs or a team that's shutting down its closer.

I'm not looking for Britton to go under the knife. I'd just like an explanation.

My limited medical background leads me to ignorance. I get it. I only play a doctor on the blog and Twitter. But it just seemed puzzling to me.

Britton told reporters last night that he's got a strained MCL and will receive a stem cell injection this afternoon before he arrives at Camden Yards. Maybe that's how he's finally going to heal.

"Obviously, I've got the arm injury past me," he said. "Started to feel pretty good on the mound, managing the knee, which has been pitching through pain for two months, trying to help the team win."

No reason to continue with nine games left and the Orioles seven below .500.

The former starter could use a fresh start in 2018. No forearm strains, sore knees or interruptions. Just the incessant questions about his contract status.

The Orioles made their determination on Britton after he underwent a second MRI on the knee in two months as part of his exit physical. The entire team gets checked at this time of the year.

"I'm pretty sure they do everybody and then something that has been an issue during the season, we make sure we take it to the nth degree," said manager Buck Showalter. "There's nothing worse than all of a sudden in January, 'Hey, I think I'm going to need surgery.' I see it sometimes in the offseason and I go, 'How does that happen?'"

It can't always be avoided, of course. Nick Markakis underwent a procedure in January 2012 to repair a hip abductor muscle and abdominal tear after thinking for months that the pain was caused by a deep bone bruise.

"Richie (Bancells) and our staff stay in constant communication with these guys about things, and we think it's important to get ahead of those things and know if Chris (Davis) or Adam (Jones) or Manny (Machado) or Jon (Schoop) ... on and on," Showalter said.

"There's multiple MRIs so you've got a baseline. If they call you two months from now and say, 'Hey, I'm having a problem with that,' you're able to put that MRI against the other one and see what's changed. I think that's kind of what's going on with Zach, because we had one recently, about a month ago. But there are so many things that go on in the off-season.

"The 40-man roster, everybody has to turn in addresses because there's constant drug testing in the off-season. So, if one of our players decides to go to Montana for three weeks, he's got to let them know where he is in case they go up there and test. Everybody gets tested in the off-season."

And speaking of tests ... and awesome segues ...

Gabriel Ynoa is making his third start for the Orioles tonight, which is a sign that manager Buck Showalter wants to evaluate the right-hander or he doesn't have many other choices.

It could be both.

I'm going with both.

Ynoa has allowed a combined five earned runs (six total) and 12 hits in nine innings, with two walks and seven strikeouts while facing the Indians and Yankees on the road. All five of his relief appearances came at home.

Showalter shortened the leash on Ynoa in the Bronx, removing him after only 64 pitches. He didn't like the matchups and noted the loud outs against Ynoa, who departed after a one-out walk to Aaron Judge.

Judge stole second base against Miguel Castro and scored on Didi Gregorius' two-run homer.

Ynoa is only 24 years old, and scouts in spring training wondered why the Mets let him go so easily, trading him to the Orioles in February for cash considerations. The arm impressed.

It didn't produce the necessary results at Triple-A Norfolk. Ynoa had to get hot to lower his ERA to 5.25 in 21 starts over 106 1/3 innings. He was 1-7 with a 7.13 ERA and 1.83 WHIP in his first 11 appearances. However, he went 5-1 with a 2.87 ERA in nine starts in the second half, including a 2.72 ERA in August.

"The consistency started to roll, and it especially started toward the end of June. He just started to get consistency," said Norfolk pitching coach Mike Griffin.

"We all talked about letting the process play out with Gabe, and the best thing about Gabe was he had patience and that allowed him, starting toward the end of June, to put things into place and start mixing his speeds a little bit more. And when that happened and he got more consistent with that, all of a sudden his command started to get more consistent. And all of a sudden he starts getting on a roll.

"He finished our season on a major roll, on a major upswing, and hopefully he can continue it up here."

It's nearly impossible for a younger pitcher to avoid viewing any work as an audition for 2018. The rotation might have three openings beyond Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman. Miguel Castro's possible insertion would leave a spot for a multi-inning multi-purpose reliever.

Ynoa's never faced the Rays, and their exposure to him is limited to three players. Wilson Ramos is 1-for-1 with an RBI and a walk, Adeiny Hechavarria is 1-for-1 with an RBI and Danny Espinosa is 0-for-1.

Matt Andriese has made three starts this month and allowed five runs and six hits in five innings in Chicago, six earned runs (eight total) and seven hits in 1 2/3 innings in Boston and two runs and five hits in 4 1/3 innings against the Red Sox at Tropicana Field - the latter game lasting 15 innings.

Andriese is 1-3 with a 7.50 ERA and 1.611 WHIP in six career games (three starts) versus the Orioles. He's surrendered eight runs and 16 hits in 12 innings at Camden Yards. Jones is 5-for-11 with a double and Davis is 4-for-9 with two home runs.

J.J. Hardy is 3-for-7, in case Tim Beckham's tooth extraction pulls him out of the lineup.