O's game blog: Dylan Bundy pitches Oakland series finale

Orioles right-hander Dylan Bundy has been pretty good when pitching on extra rest this year. He takes the mound today with 10 days rest as he tries to pitch the Orioles past Oakland in the third and deciding game of this series.

Bundy's last start was Aug. 12 against the same Oakland team he faces today. He got the win that night, allowing three runs over six innings. In his last three starts, Bundy is 3-0 with a 2.14 ERA.

In four starts with six days or more rest in 2017, Bundy is 3-1 with a 2.52 ERA. In 25 innings in those games he has walked two and fanned 24. The Orioles are spacing out his starts to help not only rest him but hold down his season innings total. He finished with 109 2/3 innings last year and is at 140 1/3 innings now.

Bundy recently told me that pitching on extra rest provides some positives and also some challenges.

"It's a hard question," he said. "Of course, you love the rest because it's more days and you're going to feel stronger on the day you start with extra rest. But sometimes you feel like you are out of synch a little bit, or a little rusty out there because you haven't been on the mound for a couple of extra days. You can be rusty mechanically for the first couple of innings. I felt that a bit before the break. But I'm getting used to it. I'm trying to work really hard on my bullpens," he said.

Bundy leads the Orioles with 16 quality starts and the club is 14-9 in his 23 starts. In 12 starts at home, he is 6-4 with a 3.82 ERA.

Oakland lefty Sean Manaea (8-8, 4.58 ERA) was originally scheduled to pitch today for the A's, but they made a change and will start right-hander Daniel Gossett (3-6, 5.17 ERA). On Aug. 12 at Oakland, Manaea lasted just 1/3 of an inning and gave up six hits and six runs as the Orioles led 7-0 after the top of the first that game. But they won't face him again today.

Instead they get Gossett, who has not started in the majors since Aug. 2 when he went seven innings versus San Francisco and gave up three hits and one run on 94 pitches. In his last two Triple-A starts, he pitched a combined 12 innings allowing 14 hits and four runs. In his 10 big league starts in 2017, lefty batters hit .297 off him, right-handers hit .267 and Gossett yields a batting average against of .275 when pitching with runners in scoring position.

The Orioles begin this series finale at 61-65 and 4 1/2 games back of the second wild card. There are five teams between the Orioles and Minnesota (65-60), the team that currently holds the second AL wild card spot.

The Orioles are 2-3 on this homestand, have lost five of seven and nine of their last 14 games. They are 37-26 at home, 13-15 in one-run games, also 13-15 in games versus AL West teams and 10-10 in August.