This, that and the other (Bundy update)

The good news yesterday regarding Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy was that his left shoulder felt fine. He wasn't grimacing in the seventh inning because of pain shooting down his arm as he swung the bat.

Fans watching the game guessed shoulder or hamstring on my Twitter timeline. No one submitted "back" as an answer. But that's why Hardy came out of the game.

His back felt tight when he showed up at the ballpark and manager Buck Showalter could tell that something was wrong just from watching Hardy sit in the dugout and run to first base.

Hardy expects to be in the lineup tonight. Showalter expects Hardy to be in the lineup. The Orioles don't need another injury situation while they wait for Hardy's double play partner, Jonathan Schoop, to come off the disabled list.

While critiquing the Orioles' 20-22 start, please keep in mind that Hardy has appeared in 16 games, Schoop nine and Matt Wieters none. Between waves of panic, of course.

Ryan Flaherty played third base yesterday at Triple-A Norfolk and went 0-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs. He's scheduled to start again tonight as he nears a return.

Once he's ready, the Orioles need to figure out how they're going to make room for him. As I've written, Everth Cabrera no longer has an option and can refuse an outright assignment.

Tyler Wilson was removed after 1 2/3 scoreless innings yesterday, keeping him available if the Orioles decide to recall him for Thursday's doubleheader. Mike Wright will start the other game.

I'd view Wilson as the favorite right now, though T.J. McFarland also is an option. McFarland starts tonight at Norfolk and will also be pulled early, with knuckleballer Eddie Gamboa following him to the mound.

Must be fun to be a Triple-A manager and try to keep your team competitive.

Steve Clevenger went 4-for-4 yesterday for the Tides and is batting .352. He's hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games, batting .432 (19-for-44) with a home run and seven RBIs. He's thrown out 12 of 37 runners attempting to steal.

Nolan Reimold is batting .588 (10-for-17) during the first five games of Norfolk's current homestand.

Left-hander Cesar Cabral worked 1 2/3 scoreless innings yesterday and hasn't allowed a run in 16 appearances.

Wei-Yin Chen is winless at Camden Yards since Sept. 15, 2014 against the Blue Jays, going 0-for-2 with a 3.55 ERA in five starts.

Chen hasn't walked a batter in his last two starts, the first time it's happened since June 6-11, 2014. Of course, he only worked five innings yesterday.

Manny Machado is batting .333 during an eight-game hitting streak.

The Orioles bullpen has allowed six earned runs over its last 30 1/3 innings for a 1.78 ERA. The unit has surrendered one hit and struck out 10 in the last eight innings. But I saw one poster here say something a few nights ago about how the bullpen was reverting to its usual form.

And you wonder why my head almost explodes.

Chris Tillman is 2-1 with a 2.41 ERA in three career starts against the Astros. No. 4 is coming tonight in the second game of the series.

Colby Rasmus is 6-for-20 (.300) with two doubles and two home runs against Tillman. Rasmus, who chose the Astros over the Orioles this winter, is batting .231/.294/.500 with nine doubles, a triple, eight home runs and 17 RBIs in 40 games.

The Orioles thought they had an agreement with Rasmus, but he decided to hold out a little longer and received $8 million from the Astros. The Orioles weren't that interested.

Scott Feldman is 4-2 with a 4.85 ERA in 14 games (eight starts) against his former team, and 7-4 with a 4.57 ERA in 17 games (13 starts) at Camden Yards.

Feldman is 3-4 with a 5.17 ERA in nine starts this season. He's making $10 million in the second year of his three-year, $30 million deal - if you keep track of those things.

David Lough is 4-for-5 with a home run against Feldman. Machado is 5-for-8 with a double, triple, two home runs and six RBIs. Hardy is 3-for-8 with a double.

Adam Jones is 2-for-20.

I'll close this entry by mentioning that the Orioles are only two games out of first place in the American League East and they have the same number of losses (22) as the two teams ahead of them. Again, if you keep track of those things.

Update: I'm hearing that Dylan Bundy's shoulder exam went well. Anti-inflammatories and rest at this point.

The Orioles were hopeful that Bundy had a case of mild tendinitis.

Bundy was scratched from tonight's start at Double-A Bowie. Matt Wieters would have caught him.