Showalter on rotation: "Going to be a day-to-day thing" (O's trail)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Kevin Kiermaier homered off Dylan Bundy with one out in the bottom of the first inning to give the Rays a quick 1-0 lead over the Orioles.

Bundy gave up three home runs in the first three innings at Tropicana Field in his first major league start on July 17.

The Orioles are looking forward to further expanding their roster next week by adding starter Chris Tillman and reliever Darren O'Day.

Both bullpen sessions were "very encouraging," according to manager Buck Showalter.

Tillman will start Sunday in Detroit unless he experiences a setback during Friday's light bullpen session. O'Day will pitch a simulated game Monday or Tuesday.

"And then after that we'll consider activating him if that all goes well," Showalter said.

Good luck projecting the starters for the rest of the month. There are just so many variables.

We know it's Kevin Gausman, Ubaldo Jimenez and Tillman in Detroit, and left-hander Wade Miley most likely on Monday in Boston.

And then?

"We want to wait and see how Dylan (Bundy) looks and feels today, see where he fits next," Showalter said.

"It's going to be a day-to-day thing. We've got this thing here that says everybody's record against the people we're playing the rest of the year home and away, how they pitch against each team historically. Then, you bridge that with how somebody's currently pitching. You bridge that with how many innings someone's thrown or not thrown, how many pitches they threw their last outing. Who's a hot pitcher, who's not?

"Just trying to take in all the factors we have and try to put our best foot forward."

Chris Davis' left hand is getting a rest the next two days before his expected return to the lineup on Friday.

"Just trying to take advantage of the off day a little bit. He's fine," Showalter said.

"Someone said, 'How did he do it? I don't think people sometimes completely respect the pounding that guys' hands take hitting. There's so many more swings taken by guys today than they used to take. Just wear and tear.

"He's gotten base hits on balls ... in fact, the home run he hit yesterday, he got jammed a little bit. Stung him pretty good."

Players won't ease up just because it's September.

"They're not going to do it. They're not," Showalter said.

"There's a real pride about guys at this level - I know our guys - there's a real pride about posting up. I tried to take Jonathan (Schoop) out of the game last night. They have so much respect for J.J. (Hardy), and they also don't want to take the grief of being a young guy coming out, so you almost have to take it out of their hands.

"I've tried it a couple times with Manny (Machado) and Jon. They said they'll do it, obviously, but please, take J.J. out, don't take me out. They have such a respect for J.J. But I say it every night, everybody out there's got something. There's so many things you have to do with your feet and your hands and your legs."

Schoop was hit on the right wrist last night, but he stayed in the game and said this morning that he was fine. Showalter saw the pitch nail Schoop and feared the worst.

"Oh yeah. I'm concerned about everybody," Showalter said.

"It hit me as I was coming back, how fleeting, how quick - one errant pitch and your whole, I don't want to say 'whole season,' but things can change so quickly," Showalter said.

"That's why you acquire people like Steve Pearce, that's why you have Ryan Flaherty, that's why you have Pearce who can play second base. Because they're not going to stop the Ferris Wheel and say, 'OK, everybody stop, the Orioles have somebody hurt at a key place.' They didn't stop when Darren left us or Tillman or (Joey) Rickard or Bundy or Gallardo. They didn't stop and say, 'Hey, let's feel sorry for the Orioles,' because everybody's got their tale of woe.

"If you're looking for sympathy, you're in the wrong business here."

Update: J.J. Hardy had his second two-run double in less than 24 hours and the Orioles took a 2-1 lead in the second inning.

Caleb Joseph almost had his first RBI of the season, but Kiermaier made a leaping catch on the warning track to rob him. Joseph's last RBI in the majors was Sept. 11, 2015 against the Royals. He's now gone 125 plate appearances and 118 at-bats without one.

Update II: Nick Franklin hit a two-run homer in the second to give Tampa Bay a 3-2 lead, but it didn't last long.

Michael Bourn led off the third with his first Orioles home run to tie the game, and the Orioles took a 5-3 lead after loading the bases with no outs. Catcher Luke Malle had a passed ball and Jonathan Schoop lifted a sacrifice fly to center field.

Update III: Corey Dickerson's two-out double into left-center field off Mychal Givens scored Mikie Mahtook and gave the Rays a 7-6 lead in the seventh inning.

The Orioles took a 6-5 lead in the ffith on Jonathan Schoop's double and Drew Stubb's single, his first RBI with the Orioles. The Rays pushed across the tying run in the bottom of the fifth on Dickerson's RBI single off Oliver Drake, another big two-out hit.