Notes on Schoop's glove, Wieters' elbow and more

PITTSBURGH - The Orioles won't be facing Indians right-hander Josh Tomlin Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series at Camden Yards. Tomlin is pitching in relief today in the 11th inning. The Indians bullpen is being chewed to bits. The Orioles sent left-hander Wei-Yin Chen to Baltimore today ahead of the team. He left the clubhouse a little while ago in preparation for Thursday night's start. Single-A Frederick right-hander Matt Hobgood has been reinstated from the seven-day disabled list. He had some discomfort in his right shoulder. A few observant fans noticed that Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop has been using Manny Machado's glove. Turns out, Machado gave it to Schoop more than a week ago so he could try it out. Schoop liked it so much, he ordered a few from Rawlings and he's waiting for the shipment to arrive. It's a slightly larger model than the glove he previously wore. No wonder he made that leaping catch last night. "It was given to me and I really liked it, so I ordered the same one. The same (model) and everything, but with my name on it. But it didn't get in yet. They said four weeks from now," Schoop said. "I have big hands and a shorter glove. I used (Machado's) and I liked it." Matt Wieters still isn't throwing and concedes that he won't come off the disabled list when eligible on May 26, but he said the elbow has improved. "It's getting better," he said. "We want it to feel about normal before we get back to throwing, and we're not going to worry about setting timetables until it gets feeling good, and then we'll set a schedule from there." Wieters said the restrictions on his elbow aren't related to the Platelet Rich Plasma injection he received nine days ago. "The injection was only to speed up the healing, some more concentrated healing on the elbow," he said. "That's all the injection was for. And the other stuff was just waiting for time and letting it heal at its own pace." Wieters will know more about the condition of his elbow once he's cleared to throw. "Any time I come in feeling fairly comfortable without doing anything, once it feels comfortable without doing anything, that's when we'll start with a throwing program," he said. "It's more stiffness than anything. Just trying to get it all out before we start throwing again. It's gotten better. It's definitely gotten better and improved. Each day we get treatment, it gets a little bit better, but at the same time, you want to make sure it gets to a level you feel comfortable with." Wieters remains confident that he can avoid season-ending surgery. "Oh yeah," he said. "There's no reason not to think that. We're going to continue to improve and once we get to the point of throwing, we'll know more. But we're not going to set a date that we have to throw by." In the meantime, Wieters continues to catch bullpen sessions. "Oh, yeah, to keep the legs in shape," he said. "Really just more than anything, keep in touch with the pitchers and do as much as I can without using the elbow right now. "It's something where we're just trying to get it back to where I can play for the rest of the year. Whenever that is, it is. The main thing is getting it healthy to where I'll be able to stay on the field for the rest of the year."