More on Tillman, roster, fifth starter, more (O's win 5-4)

Kevin Gausman is warming in the Orioles' bullpen this afternoon while pitching coach Roger McDowell stands behind him. We're a few minutes away from the anthem and the season's fourth game.

Chris Tillman's work already is done for the day. I wrote earlier that Tillman threw 25-30 pitches during a live batting practice session in Sarasota. He'll take off the next two days and pitch Tuesday in an extended spring training game, the goal being two innings and around 30 pitches.

"He's going to have to get built up," said manager Buck Showalter. "We had a gun and we filmed it today. I'm not going to broadcast that, but he's not where he's going to be and needs to be. But that's expected, especially at 10 o'clock in the morning. You've got to really push the intensity level."

The Orioles are expected to send Tillman to Double-A Bowie for his first rehab start.

"We've mapped it out with the minor league games and he'll move around some. Try to keep him where he can work out of the locker room here," Showalter said.

"I don't know if we're ever going to really feel like there's a point where Chris is completely, 'OK, he's done that, so everything's fine.' Each time he takes a work day and each time he throws, you're anxious to see how he feels the next day. I really would like to keep him in that environment down there as little as possible. Hoping after his two-inning stint we can get him back in this environment.

"We're really lucky to have Scott (McGregor) down there, a guy who's had a lot of history with Chris and knows when it's right and when it's not. But he was positive in his report today."

The roster will undergo a change on Sunday with left-hander Wade Miley coming off the disabled list. The Orioles have an extra bench player and reliever and will subtract one of them.

Could the Orioles keep their bench intact beyond April 15, when a fifth starter is needed?

"It's a possibility," Showalter replied. "It's something that Dan (Duquette) and I have been talking about the last few days. Obviously we've got eight guys in the 'pen and we've also got an extra guy on the bench. That comes with three starters. And then on the 15th, barring bad weather where something changes, we're going to have to make another move.

"At some point we're going to have to get back to a conventional roster. There is a way to keep it. It would just take a lot of constant maneuvering."

Showalter won't manage with an eye toward the upcoming moves.

"We're trying to win the game. And how it falls after that ... " Showalter said.

"Roger and I sat down today about our bullpen and where we are with it, and we'll sit down again after batting practice and see what feedback we're getting, see how Zach (Britton) is. But if you're saying are we going to, the guy who's going to be turned loose or sent down, same thing, are we going to abuse the heck out of him, so we know who it is today? No. We're not going to abuse anybody. But we've got some good pieces we'd like to hold on to."

All of the previous fifth-starter candidates remain in play, according to Showalter.

"Even Mike Wright and (Gabriel) Ynoa, who pitched the last two nights," he said. "Who knows? Even some starter in Double-A. We've got a lot of potential there. We've left ourselves some wiggle room.

"Obviously, if you see a guy pitch Wednesday or Thursday down there, he's not going to be able to make that. At some point there will be a walk away. But I know we'll have two or three guys in play as we get real close to it. We're not going to be pitching anybody on three days' rest."

Rule 5 outfielder Anthony Santander remains on the disabled list and the Orioles eventually will be faced with a tough decision.

"Not until he's said OK, he's ready to go," Showalter said. "Have I asked Dan (Duquette) what we're going to do when this day comes? We've talked about it, but not in exact terms yet. He's not close to that point yet, but he's making progress. He's got no restrictions on swinging the bat now.

"He's a guy you'd love to keep."

Update: Gausman stranded two runners in the first inning, but Ronald Torreyes delivered a two-run single in the second inning to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. Gausman has thrown 36 pitches.

Update II: The Orioles got a run back in the fourth on Manny Machado's leadoff walk, his first stolen base since Oct. 1, 2015 and Welington Castillo's RBI single.

Update III: Gausman allowed four runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings, with three walks, four strikeouts and a balk that let a run score. He threw 97 pitches, 56 strikes, before Oliver Drake replaced him following Starlin Castro's RBI single.

Update IV: The Orioles scored twice in the fifth inning on Machado's RBI double and Mark Trumbo's fielder's choice. They had the bases loaded with one out, down 4-3, but failed to score again.

Update V: The Orioles took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the seventh inning on Chris Davis' double off left-hander Tommy Lane, a one-out RBi single by Mark Trumbo off Dellin Betances and Hyun Soo Kim's RBI single with two outs.

Update VI: The bullpen tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings to increase its total to 16 2/3, and the Orioles stayed unbeaten with a 5-4 win over the Yankees.

Mychal Givens got the win and Zach Britton stranded a runner in the ninth for his third save.