Pitching notes and another Chris Tillman update

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - Tyler Wilson is the Orioles' confirmed starter for Saturday's split-squad game against the Twins in Fort Myers.

The Twins are sending Ervin Santana to the mound.

Kevin Gausman will oppose the Rays' Drew Smyly in the night game at Ed Smith Stadium.

As for today's game in Port Charlotte, the Orioles also brought Trey Mancini, Ozzie Martinez, Dariel Alvarez, Xavier Avery and Alfredo Marte from major league camp. They brought pitchers David Hess, Joe Gunkel and Donnie Hart and infielders Adrian Marin, Corban Joseph and Michael Almanzar from minor league camp.

Steve Pearce is taking batting practice with the Rays, still wearing No. 28, and his former teammates keep trickling over to hug him.

Chris Tillman will throw another bullpen session on Friday as he continues his recovery from a left hip flexor. Tillman told me that he'll also face hitters in another session before making his Grapefruit League debut.

The Orioles could start him Thursday against the Yankees in Sarasota instead of the previous day against the Phillies in Clearwater to allow for more recovery time. Yovani Gallardo will start the other game.

It's just a matter of how Tillman is feeling and how far the Orioles want to space his bullpens.

If you're doing the math, a Thursday assignment would line up Tillman, pitching every fifth day, to start opening day on April 4 versus the Twins at Camden Yards. But we're getting ahead of ourselves here. And it's easy to manipulate the exhibition schedule to keep Tillman in turn.

Tillman joked that his leg is falling off, a playful sign that he's tired of talking about his hip. But he knows it's the media's job to obsess over injuries and update them on a daily basis whenever possible.

"It's getting better. Getting there slowly but surely," Tillman said earlier this morning.

"I'm having as normal of days as I possibly can, so that's a good thing."

Tillman received a cortisone injection in his hip on Tuesday as a precaution. He threw his first bullpen session since the injury earlier that morning and felt good, but the Orioles scheduled the procedure.

"Just because it's bothering me and I think there's a little of inflammation," Tillman said. "They wanted to make sure that was the problem they thought it was. So if it made it feel better, they knew it was the right diagnosis, I guess."