Showalter on rotation and the chance to celebrate at home
By Roch Kubatko
BOSTON - Orioles manager Buck Showalter still hasn't confirmed his starter for Tuesday night's game against the Blue Jays at Camden Yards. The field, however, has been narrowed to T.J. McFarland, Joe Saunders and Ubaldo Jimenez.
Yesterday, Showalter mentioned minor leaguers Mike Wright and Tyler Wilson as possibilities in extreme circumstances.
Showalter is expected to make the announcement on Saturday. My guess is McFarland.
There's nothing new on shortstop J.J. Hardy. He's still expected to play Friday after the MRI on his back yesterday didn't show any structural damage.
"He's doing good," Showalter said. "I think we'll have a better idea tomorrow."
Hardy had a cortisone injection yesterday, which usually requires a 48-hour shutdown period.
The Orioles never had the chance to celebrate at home in 2012 after making the playoffs. They were on the team charter headed to Tampa when they learned that they qualified, and they later won the wild card game in Texas.
"I remember at the time I was so happy our guys finally got to in Texas," Showalter said. "The plane was rocking. Up at 30,000 feet, you don't push the envelope too much."
The only champagne craziness at Camden Yards took place in 1997 after the Orioles eliminated the Mariners in the Division Series. They have an opportunity to end the dry spell, so to speak, by clinching the division during their upcoming 10-game homestand.
Don't broach the subject with Showalter, who still isn't willing to shift his focus.
"If that comes to be, the potential for that to happen - that's a long way away - but if there comes a day where that is the day that something like that... we could be fortunate enough for that to happen... then we can talk about it," Showalter said. "But we've got a lot of roads to cross there."
You can hear the discomfort in that quote.
The Orioles have four games coming up against the Yankees, starting with Friday's doubleheader. A sweep could put them in the postseason, depending on what happens in the next few days.
"You know how hard it is to win a major league baseball game?" Showalter said. "Do you know how hard it is?"
Sorry, but the question is coming anyway.
Would it be sweeter to clinch at home and lock up the division against the Yankees?
"That's something to talk about. I understand," Showalter said. "I don't think it matters who it is. Like I say all the time, we're playing the Nationals, we're playing somebody in the spring, if the fans think it's important, than it should be important to us. So, if something like that gives them some joy in their love of the Orioles, yeah, but you never take any joy in somebody else's struggles or failures or whatever.
"There's such a fine line between us this year and Boston this year. It's not near as huge a separation. There are so many factors involved that can change so quickly. A misstep by someone going down the line, someone getting in a bad angle with a pitch. It's so fleeting, so when you get a chance to get there and roll that dice in October, you really want to take advantage of it, so we're trying to get there now. And then it becomes, let it rip and see where baseball takes you.
"I haven't gotten involved in the math. I've gotten into the math of the nine innings we're playing today, and I think our club's had that mentality, too. I've kind of fed off their mentality as much as they've probably fed off some of the junk they have to listen to with me. It's been fun, though."
There's nothing new on shortstop J.J. Hardy. He's still expected to play Friday after the MRI on his back yesterday didn't show any structural damage.
"He's doing good," Showalter said. "I think we'll have a better idea tomorrow."
Hardy had a cortisone injection yesterday, which usually requires a 48-hour shutdown period.
The Orioles never had the chance to celebrate at home in 2012 after making the playoffs. They were on the team charter headed to Tampa when they learned that they qualified, and they later won the wild card game in Texas.
"I remember at the time I was so happy our guys finally got to in Texas," Showalter said. "The plane was rocking. Up at 30,000 feet, you don't push the envelope too much."
The only champagne craziness at Camden Yards took place in 1997 after the Orioles eliminated the Mariners in the Division Series. They have an opportunity to end the dry spell, so to speak, by clinching the division during their upcoming 10-game homestand.
Don't broach the subject with Showalter, who still isn't willing to shift his focus.
"If that comes to be, the potential for that to happen - that's a long way away - but if there comes a day where that is the day that something like that... we could be fortunate enough for that to happen... then we can talk about it," Showalter said. "But we've got a lot of roads to cross there."
You can hear the discomfort in that quote.
The Orioles have four games coming up against the Yankees, starting with Friday's doubleheader. A sweep could put them in the postseason, depending on what happens in the next few days.
"You know how hard it is to win a major league baseball game?" Showalter said. "Do you know how hard it is?"
Sorry, but the question is coming anyway.
Would it be sweeter to clinch at home and lock up the division against the Yankees?
"That's something to talk about. I understand," Showalter said. "I don't think it matters who it is. Like I say all the time, we're playing the Nationals, we're playing somebody in the spring, if the fans think it's important, than it should be important to us. So, if something like that gives them some joy in their love of the Orioles, yeah, but you never take any joy in somebody else's struggles or failures or whatever.
"There's such a fine line between us this year and Boston this year. It's not near as huge a separation. There are so many factors involved that can change so quickly. A misstep by someone going down the line, someone getting in a bad angle with a pitch. It's so fleeting, so when you get a chance to get there and roll that dice in October, you really want to take advantage of it, so we're trying to get there now. And then it becomes, let it rip and see where baseball takes you.
"I haven't gotten involved in the math. I've gotten into the math of the nine innings we're playing today, and I think our club's had that mentality, too. I've kind of fed off their mentality as much as they've probably fed off some of the junk they have to listen to with me. It's been fun, though."
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