Notes on Miley, Tillman, Bundy, Britton, Wright, Hardy and more

BOSTON - Left-hander Wade Miley will start Sunday afternoon's series finale against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, with Chris Tillman opening Monday night's series against the Mariners at Camden Yards.

Miley has been away from the team for the past few days for a family matter, but the veteran pitcher will return over the weekend.

"He'll be back tomorrow for the game and then the plan is for him to pitch on Sunday," manager Buck Showalter said.

Tillman will start the following night unless he's needed in relief this weekend.

Dylan Bundy will attend his grandmother's funeral on Monday and start Tuesday or Wednesday versus the Mariners. Bobby Bundy, Dylan's older brother and a pitcher at Double-A Bowie, also is attending the funeral.

Showalter said Dylan Bundy threw on flat ground and "he's ready to go."

Mike Wright is the only pitcher recalled from Triple-A Norfolk because closer Zach Britton's left knee is fine, an MRI on Thursday revealing nothing that would necessitate a stop on the disabled list.

"We got the good news that we were expecting and hoping to get on Zach, that nothing structurally changed," Showalter said. "He got the off-day yesterday. I'm not going to divulge when he'll pitch again, but very soon, I hope.

"That was good. There hasn't been a whole lot of change since ... He's really been dealing with it for a while. It's like, a lot of guys have different things they deal with.

"That's the thing. You could take every pitcher especially and I can tell you something they deal with from spring training until the end of the season. Some things you know from physicals and what-have-you, and you just manage it. That's where great trainers and strength and conditioning people come into play, because they're able to maintain that and know where the problems are and you know what to look for."

Showalter didn't want to go into detail on how he's backed off Britton as the knee became sore.

"There has to be some caretaking with some of the things that you know, that you don't broadcast," Showalter said.

"Like I said, there's something about every guy that makes a difference in some of the moves you make, but you don't broadcast them for competitive reasons, but also in fairness to the player. I don't want to put them in that position. There's a lot of things we know that we don't talk about publicly. You just kind of wear it because that's what you have to do."

Wright was scratched from his start yesterday in Game 2 of a doubleheader and given his latest promotion.

"I was a little caught off-guard because I knew they had an off-day and everybody up here has been pitching well," he said. "I was like, 'Who's spot am I going to take?' Because like I said, everybody's doing their job. It was a little shocking, but I knew crazier things have happened before."

Shortstop J.J. Hardy remains on his injury rehab assignment at Triple-A Norfolk.

"J.J.'s doing well," Showalter said. "Same thing we thought. It's just like in spring training with the shoulder and everything, I think that's going to be the last thing to come and when J.J. feels like that's there, he'll be here. But he's doing well.

"He knows what it takes to play up here and we trust him."

Showalter seems fairly confident that the focus will be on baseball and the Players Weekend, rather than the litany of controversies that marred the series between the two teams earlier this season, including Manny Machado's late slide into Dustin Pedroia, pitches thrown behind Machado and the racial slurs directed at Adam Jones from the center field bleachers.

"We're just excited that we're not coming here in September with the 40-man call-ups with the locker room," Showalter said.

"Hopefully, get a chance to play here in October. That would be great. Obviously, looks like they're going to. But no, I don't think our players or anybody have given it much thought. And I know the Red Sox and their people have done everything possible to have the focus be on the game."