Notes on rotation, Hardy and tonight's game

BOSTON - With Sunday's starter against the Rays listed as TBD, I wonder whether the Orioles will turn to Dylan Bundy on normal rest or try again to give him an extra day now that he's up to 99 2/3 innings on the season.

It's Wade Miley's turn in a six-man rotation, but he could be pushed back a few days or sent to the bullpen. Manager Buck Showalter has more time to make a decision.

Miley faced the Rays on May 10 and allowed four runs in six innings in a 6-4 win. His next start came at Camden Yards and he shut out the Orioles on two hits over six innings.

Miley is 4-2 with a 2.81 ERA in eight career starts against the Rays, a track record that Showalter will take under consideration.

* A viewer of "Wall to Wall Baseball" on Saturday asked why shortstop J.J. Hardy always takes the first pitch. I hadn't really given it much thought, but Hardy offered confirmation and a smile yesterday and added, "You never noticed that?"

Hardy estimated that he's swung at the first pitch about 10 times this season. Last night, he took a knuckle-curve for a ball in the second inning before homering, a 95 mph fastball for a strike in the fourth before walking, a 97 mph fastball for a strike in the sixth before flying out and a 94 mph fastball for a ball in the eighth before walking.

Hardy is 1-for-5 with two RBIs on the first pitch of an at-bat, and he knows that the hit came off the Angels' Tim Lincecum. It was an RBI single in the sixth inning of a July 10 game at Camden Yards.

* I've got a Cy Young vote in the American League and two leading candidates can be found tonight at Fenway Park. Closer Zach Britton will be in the Orioles' bullpen and Red Sox starter Rick Porcello will be on the mound in the top of the first inning.

Porcello is 20-3 with a 3.21 ERA and a 1.022 WHIP in 29 starts. He was 9-15 with a 4.92 ERA and 1.360 WHIP in 28 starts last season. You figure it out.

I don't obsess over a pitcher's win total, though 20 is a nice accomplishment. Is a 3.21 ERA good enough to take home the prize? He leads the majors with a 5.5 strikeouts/walks ratio.

Porcello hasn't lost since Aug. 3 in Seattle, and he allowed only three runs over eight innings. He's gone 6-0 with a no-decision since that night. He's got one loss since May 17, nine quality starts in a row and 13 in his last 14 games. He's registered a 2.57 ERA with two complete games in 11 starts since the All-Star break.

Porcello will get his share of first-place votes unless there's some sort of collapse the rest of the month.

The Orioles faced Porcello on June 2 and totaled five runs in six innings in a 12-7 win. He didn't get the decision.

Porcello is 3-7 with a 5.61 ERA and 1.455 WHIP in 13 career starts against the Orioles over 77 innings. Could Ryan Flaherty get a rare start, since he's 6-for-11 with a home run against Porcello? He probably won't replace Hardy, who's 9-for-22 with two doubles.

Manny Machado is 8-for-21, Mark Trumbo is 6-for-19 with two home runs, Matt Wieters is 4-for-13 and Drew Stubbs is 3-for-10 with a double and triple.

The Orioles will try to hand Porcello his first home loss in 2016. He's 13-0 with a 3.03 ERA in 14 starts at Fenway Park.

Kevin Gausman hasn't lost since Aug. 13 in San Francisco, when he put up one of the more unusual pitching lines that you're going to see. Four innings, two hits, two runs, six walks, nine strikeouts. He's posted four quality starts in a row, allowing three runs in 25 innings.

Gausman's hadn't allowed a run in three consecutive starts over 19 innings before surrendering three in six innings in Detroit. He didn't get the decision in a 4-3 loss.

Gausman has faced the Red Sox twice this season and allowed 11 runs in nine innings. He gave up six runs and seven innings in three innings in a 6-4 loss on June 15 at Fenway Park. The right-hander is 2-3 with a 4.74 ERA in 12 career games (seven starts) against the Red Sox and 0-2 with a 6.30 ERA in seven games (three starts) at Fenway Park.

David Ortiz is 8-for-18 with three doubles and two home runs, Xander Bogaerts is 6-for-19, Dustin Pedroia is 6-for-16 with a home run and Mookie Betts is 5-for-14 with two home runs. Jackie Bradley Jr. is 0-for-6 with four strikeouts.