Showalter on injuries, Janish and a tarp controversy

Orioles manager Buck Showalter was waiting this afternoon to gather more information on Zach Britton's throwing session, which took place on flat ground and on the bullpen mound.

Showalter noted how Britton's sprained ankle is feeling better today.

"He did some things he couldn't do yesterday," Showalter said. "I'll get where we are with it after we get through here. I know it's better. Like I said, did some things he didn't feel comfortable with yesterday, so I'm hoping we go in there and find out he might be available tonight."

The Orioles will err on the side of caution, of course. They haven't discounted a trip to the disabled list, but seem fairly confident that it can be avoided. They'll wait it out as long as possible while staying with a short bench.

"I look at this as Day 4 with an off-day there, also, so you're talking about 10 or 11 days," Showalter said. "With a guy like Zach, you don't want to get five days into it and say, 'Geez, I'm 100 percent and ready to go.' That's one of the reasons why we're carrying 13 pitchers right now, to try to five this as much time as possible to not make that mistake.

"I've had it happen before, where you kind of jump the gun on it. If it was an actual turn of the ankle and something you can put a timeframe on, but it was more of just jamming the capsule in there. You've all seen the replay, I'm sure. So this is a little different. The other one, you could say this is going to be X-amount of days.

"You also go by the history of guys. Just about everybody has had something similar to this and you get a baseline of how they heal. Everybody heals differently. Some guys are quick and some aren't. But we don't really have much of a baseline to go on this. He's worth waiting on. We'll take it day-to-day. I'm hoping to hear some good news today that he's made a pretty significant jump."

The weather is a consideration, along with Britton's need to field his position on the numerous choppers and slow rollers he induces near the mound.

"It should be part of the thought," Showalter said, "but then you'll go five outings and not have any of those plays come in."

Showalter joked with Britton that if it's just covering first base, "just tell Chris (Davis) that he has to take everything and you just stay right there on the dirt and take our chances."

"But that's not realistic," he said. "You can't make plays not happen, you can't make them hit the ball to your best defender. The white ball will find you. Well, it's actually a gray ball in today's game."

Manny Machado is starting at shortstop again tonight, but Showalter said he's taking it one game at a time. His options are limited with only three reserves.

"Right now, Britton's situation is kind of dictating this," Showalter said. "Let's face it, we're one tweak of something from having to make a move. We're in a position to go where we need to go if something comes up."

J.J. Hardy's left foot also is feeling better, but he hasn't put any weight on it. Hardy sustained a hairline fracture Sunday on a foul ball and will miss at least four weeks.

Hardy will stay in Baltimore next week while the Orioles are in Minnesota for a three-game series. He'll work out with vice president of baseball operations Brady Anderson.

Pitcher Yovani Gallardo will accompany the team to Minnesota and continue his cuff exercises. He's on the disabled list with right shoulder tendinitis.

"I was talking to Richie (Bancells) yesterday about when he might start throwing if things progress," Showalter said. "I'm not going to get into exactly when that is. It's sooner rather than later if he continues down the path."

Paul Janish is flying home to Houston and going on paternity leave. Doctors will induce labor on his wife Friday or Saturday as the couple awaits its third child.

How soon will the Orioles wait on Janish if they want a fourth bench player?

"If we have a need, tomorrow," Showalter replied. "This is his third child. God bless him."

OK, let's get to the tarp controversy.

A note in the New York Post suggested that Showalter was using gamesmanship yesterday when the grounds crew covered the field after the Orioles took batting practice. The Yankees weren't able to hit outside, which manager Joe Girardi noted in the middle of his media session in the visiting dugout.

"They hit and they're covering the field," Girardi remarked.

That's it. Nothing more was said on the record, but the Yankees were miffed.

Showalter shrugged off the controversy, except for how it impacted head groundskeeper Nicole McFadyen. The Orioles had to provide an explanation to major league officials, complete with reports on the approaching storm that veered off course.

"What they've told me is Joe just said, 'Hmmm, they're putting the tarp on after they go through hitting,' and that was the extent of it and somebody ran with it," Showalter said. "I understand how this goes.

"You think we get up in the morning trying to figure out a way to keep them from hitting? What we should do, maybe we'll go inside tomorrow and they hit outside. Nobody's voiced that to me, but I do know Nicole was upset about it, which bothered me. It insulted her integrity and she's the best in the business, I think. She's not real happy about it.

"I think if you have experience being next to the Chesapeake Bay and the weather says it's going to storm in two minutes ... Actually, she told us it was supposed to rain around five o'clock and we actually started our BP early so our guys could and we actually got off the field early to present a window for them to hit."

Showalter wasn't done. His voice never reached an angry tone, but he wanted to make a point.

"First of all, if you know Nicole, if someone came up to her and instructed her how to do a tarp something, we know where she would tell us ... and we've all had that told to us," Showalter said. "She takes a lot of pride at being the best in the business. That's really an insult to her that a writer or somebody would insinuate that, but we have a lot more things to worry about than that."

Later in the media session, someone brought up the topic again and asked whether Showalter minded that the Yankees are accusing him of gamesmanship.

"I don't know if they do," Showalter replied. "Basically, they're saying Joe said something and then someone wrote an article that said, 'Hmmm, they're taking the tarp off.' I haven't heard anything else. God bless them."

The clincher came when the same reporter suggested that the controversy is "fun."

"Fun for who? For Nicole? For Nicole?" Showalter asked.

"This is serious. When you insult her integrity, that bothers a lot of people here. She's really good.

"That someone would let themselves be told what to do with something they're responsible for? I don't think so."

Showalter also scoffed at the notion that he's got enough "reach" to make it happen or at least plant the idea in an opponent's head.

"That is comical," he said.