Orioles pitching rotation takes shape for New York series

TORONTO - The Orioles rotation for the final series of the year is starting to take shape. The tentative plan right now calls for right-hander Yovani Gallardo to start Friday night against the Yankees in New York and lefty Wade Miley to pitch on Saturday afternoon.

"Gallardo is going to leave (Toronto) tomorrow and he'll start in New York," manager Buck Showalter said this afternoon. "He's going to fly out tomorrow. Miley had a workday today and he'll fly in late tomorrow night to New York. He (Miley) will probably start Saturday, we'll wait and see. Kind of moving parts right now. We convene after each game and see where we are with things."

Miley is back at his home in Louisiana after the birth of his son and was planning to throw today at a local college near his house.

If those two pitchers do start on those days, each would be working with six days of rest since their most recent games. Miley has allowed just one run over 12 2/3 in his past two starts and lost a shutout with one out in the ninth inning on Saturday against Arizona. But this year in one start versus New York, he is 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA, giving up four runs in five innings on Sept. 4.

Gallardo allowed two runs in six innings on Friday against Arizona. He is 0-2 with an ERA of 11.88 in two starts against the Yankees this year. That includes one outing where he gave up four runs over seven innings and an Aug. 26 start where he allowed eight runs (seven earned) in just 1 1/3 innings.

If Gallardo does go Friday and Miley on Saturday, Showalter would have a choice of either Dylan Bundy or Kevin Gausman for Sunday's game. That would leave whichever pitcher doesn't go on Sunday, along with Chris Tiillman, available to pitch Monday if a tiebreaker game is needed and/or Tuesday if the Orioles advance to the wild card game.

Meanwhile, a reporter asked Showalter today about his team's struggling offense and if the Orioles hitters need to "try easier." Miley said he used that approach recently off a suggestion from O's minor league instructor Scott McGregor. It is just another way of saying play with less pressure on and try to relax. Probably quite easy to discuss, but harder to do.

O's hitters need something to change soon. They have scored just 24 runs in their past 10 games.

So should O's batters "try easier?"

"Of course," Showalter said. "That's the easy answer, but how do you do that? Guys are grinding. They want something. It's something they've worked very hard (for) and they want to bring it to fruition. I wish it was that easy. We try everything we can to lighten their load and make their path easier, but you can't make the other team not be good."