Rickard, Britton, the lineup, Brach and Asher (O's down 7-1)

CINCINNATI - Orioles manager Buck Showalter expects outfielder Joey Rickard to go on a short injury rehab assignment before coming off the disabled list.

Rickard won't be ready on Wednesday when he's eligible.

"Joey's making progress," Showalter said. "He's gotten to where he can grip a bat and a ball. He's not going to make tomorrow, but that was a good step for him. When he hits and doesn't have any swelling or discomfort the next day, then it will be pretty short after that."

Asked about the rehab assignment, Showalter said, "Probably, but don't hold me to it.

"It depends on, if he stayed in that 10-day where he was hitting with us after eight days, that would have been different. We might not have done it. But now that he's going to spend the full 10-plus, I would think he would need to take some at-bats, maybe a game or so at the most. I'd probably lean toward that."

Rickard, on the DL with an injury to his left middle finger, conceded that Wednesday might be too soon for him to play.

"Things are still progressing better than we hoped. I don't think I'm too far behind," he said.

"It's just really stiff still because of all the swelling that hasn't gotten out of there yet. I think it shouldn't be too much longer."

Rickard's patience is tested by his second trip to the disabled list in two seasons.

"It's tough," he said. "It helps that I get to travel this time. It's not like last year when I got sent to Florida. It is tough just going out there watching guys grind away. It sucks sitting back, but it's something you've just got to respond to."

Rickard said he hasn't started baseball activities.

"We're not too worried about that, considering it's only been a week or so since I've played in games," he said. "We're just working on getting the strength back, getting the mobility back. As soon as that's better, I think I'll be ready to go."

Closer Zach Britton's left forearm keeps improving, along with the Orioles' collective mood regarding his injury.

"He's getting a little better each day," Showalter said. "That's good to see that he hasn't plateaued. He's getting a little better each day. That's good to see. Zach's making good progress.

"I think the big thing is when he throws and then the next day, how he feels. Kind of like (Chris) Tillman. He's gotten over the hump. Chris threw well (at Bowie). They had a bunch of left-handed hitters and he got to throw his changeup a lot.

"I think when Zach gets a ball in his hand and throws and feels better the next day, we'll have a pretty good idea of when."

Tonight's lineup is missing Trey Mancini and Hyun Soo Kim while the Orioles lose their designated hitter. I asked Showalter about the challenges he faced while deciding on the starters.

"The challenge is that (Kevin) Gausman has to hit. Kevin is a left-handed hitter and has his right arm exposed," Showalter said.

"No, it's a challenge. One of the problems with interleague play is it's a lot more advantageous for the National League club because they've always got somebody they'd love to DH. The big challenge is getting ready. I'm glad we had a day off. But I look at it as everybody in this format has a chance to play tonight.

"It gives us an advantage unlike a lot of American League clubs. You've got (Craig) Gentry and you've got Kim and you've got Mancini and you've got the versatility of (Ryan) Flaherty, and of course Caleb (Joseph). You can do some things during the course of the game, especially with the way they're using their pitching staff. You're going to have to match up with some things later on in the game. We know we've got a left-handed starter tomorrow, so some things will change tomorrow. I might have looked at it differently if we had five or six right-handed pitchers in a row.

"I just look at the National League game being a little different as far as people who start the game on the bench. Everybody's involved in the game and like I told the guys in the advance meeting, you've got to be ready because it could be the fourth inning. It could be the fifth inning. It could be the third inning. That's why it's good to have a guy like Gentry. He's always ready. He knows how the game is played."

Showalter thought he might have Rickard back for the series, but the bench has plenty of options for him.

"And it's not because you're not expecting somebody not to do well who's starting," he said. "It's just that we can present some challenges for a bullpen that's real deep. They've got 10 guys in their bullpen tonight."

The Orioles don't have their closer, and Brad Brach figures to get first crack at a save opportunity with his six scoreless appearances this month.

"We kind of just discussed a little bit that he's not really going to name a closer when Zach's gone," Brach said. "It's just going to be situational and just play it game-by-game and go from there. So basically the same thing. He always wants to keep you on your toes. He's never going to say, 'You're the ninth-inning pitcher,' or 'You're the eighth-inning pitcher.' It's just kind of game to game and situation to situation.

"I think it's the luxury we have here with our bullpen. We just have so many quality arms that if anybody goes down you can pretty much just slide somebody in their spot and they can do just as good if not better than the other person. The last couple years it just seems like I've been that guy, but before me, I'm sure there were guys they could just slide in and move into somebody else's role and they did a good job."

It's the Orioles' version of next man up.

"Yeah, I think so," Brach said. "I think that's pretty much all it is. Buck just very shortly discussed it with Darren (O'Day) and I and said it's kind of game to game. He said he didn't want to name a closer, so it's just kind of go out there and be ready to get three outs whenever I'm asked."

Showalter often reminds us that the ninth inning isn't like the others. Not everyone has the stomach to close, but Brach did it successfully in the minors.

"It's been a few years, but I just enjoy the game kind of being on the line," he said. "I feel like it plays into my mentality out there on the mound and I really thrived on it when I was in the minor leagues, so if I get a chance to close in the coming weeks I'll just look forward to it and try not to change anything I've been doing because it's been working for the last couple years."

Meanwhile, the Orioles continue to prove their resiliency. The No. 1 starter, closer and valuable platoon outfielder are on the disabled list and the club is in first place and coming off a series where it took three of four games in Toronto.

"I think the best part about it is nobody makes excuses because there are none," Brach said. "Everybody's expected to be able to fill in for somebody if somebody goes down and I think it's just been really impressive to watch position players just go out there every day. It doesn't matter who's out. They don't look at our pitching rotation and this guy's out or that guy's out. It's just go out there and put up runs and give us a chance to win. And same way with the pitching staff.

"It's been guys coming up from the minors or guys on the team stepping up and taking the carriage by the reins, I guess you could say. Nobody makes excuses. We just go out there and try to win every game."

Showalter takes pride in not burning out his bullpen. He's careful to rest guys and look at the big picture. Does it become more difficult with Britton shelved?

"I hope not," Brach said, "but I think we try to cover up as best we can and I think we do a good job of it. But obviously, Zach's one of the best pitchers if not the best reliever in baseball. Having a guy missing like that can affect somebody but I think we've been able to do a good job having guys replace him and hopefully that just continues."

Showalter hasn't decided whether Alec Asher will get another start this weekend after being charged with only one run Saturday in 6 1/3 innings.

"We're going to wait and see how we get through here," he said. "See the next couple of days and make a decision whether he'll start or go in the 'pen or whether we bring somebody else in, so that's our options. In the next day or two we'll know.

"We're waiting on a couple of things with some nagging stuff with a couple of guys to make sure we don't have to change anything with the off-day we just had and the off-day we've got on the backside."

Mychal Givens appears to be one of the relievers dealing with an undisclosed issue. He hasn't pitched since April 12 in Boston, when he tossed two scoreless innings and earned the win in a 12-5 victory over the Red Sox.

Update: Kevin Gausman threw 26 pitches in the first inning and allowed two runs and three hits. He also walked a batter.

The Reds loaded the bases with no outs and scored on Adam Duvall's sacrifice fly. Zack Cozart's infield hit with two outs produced another run, and the Reds loaded the bases again on Manny Machado's fielding error.

The Orioles got a run back with two outs in the second on Welington Castillo's double and Jonathan Schoop's soft single over Cozart's head.

Update II: Gausman loaded the bases again in the second on an infield hit, hit batter and walk, and Duvall delivered his first career grand slam to give the Reds a 6-1 lead.

Cozart walked with two outs, Scooter Gennett singled and Tucker Barnhart followed with an RBI double to increase the lead to 7-1. Gennett was out at the plate.

Gausman has thrown 64 pitches in two innings.