Tonight's game and Duquette on possible in-house reinforcements

The Orioles moved to within two games of the second wild card last night and 4 1/2 games of the first-place Yankees in the American League East.

Zach Britton didn't stay in the bullpen last night. He worked the final 1 2/3 innings after Wei-Yin Chen's superb start and recorded his 28th save in 29 opportunities. He also threw a season-high 36 pitches while allowing an unearned run in the ninth with a two-out strikeout-passed ball.

Britton's fastball topped out at 99 mph during Kyle Seager's at-bat with two outs in the eighth. Britton struck him out on an 86 mph slider. That's not even fair.

Shortstop J.J. Hardy committed only his second error of the season, allowing Nelson Cruz to reach leading off the ninth. Not a problem. Hardy fielded Robinson Cano's bouncer and started a 6-4-3 double play.

How many second basemen turn the double play better than Jonathan Schoop?

Let's give a warm welcome to Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman, who's starting tonight for the first time since July 29.

Tillman was on a roll before rolling his left ankle. He's allowed five runs in his last 41 1/3 innings, with six walks and 30 strikeouts.

Tillman keeps rubbing salt into the Mariners' trade wound. He's 6-0 with a 2.09 ERA in seven career starts against them, and he's allowed only one run in 14 2/3 innings in two starts at Safeco Field.

Rain shortened Tillman's most recent start against the Mariners on May 21 at Camden Yards. He allowed one run and one hit in three innings, but he also walked three batters.

The roster has undergone a few changes since that game. Delmon Young started in right field, Alejandro De Aza started in left field, Steve Pearce played second base and Ryan Lavarnway was behind the plate. Tommy Hunter was credited with the win.

Tillman needs to be careful with Cano, who's 12-for-29 with a double and two home runs against him. Kyle Seager is 3-for-14 with four strikeouts, Austin Jackson is 2-for-15 with four strikeouts, and Cruz is 1-for-9 with a home run and five strikeouts.

Mariners right-hander Taijuan Walker is 8-7 with a 4.67 ERA in 22 starts. He's lost once since June 3, going 6-1 with four no-decisions.

Walker threw a complete-game one-hitter against the Twins on July 31, allowing one run and striking out 11.

The Orioles put up a much better fight in Walker's only career start against them on May 19. He allowed four runs and seven hits and walked four batters in 3 2/3 innings.

The current Orioles are 5-for-15 against Walker. Jimmy Paredes has the most at-bats, going 1-for-4. Adam Jones is 1-for-3, and Hardy, Caleb Joseph and David Lough are 1-for-2.

Teams continue to make trades past the non-waiver deadline, reminding us again that it's not much of a deadline. Players pass through waivers and are dealt. Why do we obsess over July 31?

The Orioles could bring in another player from outside the organization, but they're definitely focused on in-house candidates who could provide a lift.

"We've got some pretty good guys at Triple-A who should help us later on in the season," said executive vice president Dan Duquette.

Duquette was in Norfolk last week and watched outfielder Junior Lake before the Orioles recalled him on Friday and designated Travis Snider for assignment. He rattled off a few more names during a phone conversation over the weekend.

"(Dariel) Alvarez looked good, (Rey) Navarro looked pretty good," Duquette said. "The pitching was pretty solid. Steve Johnson threw the ball well, (Cesar) Cabral looked pretty good. They said Andy Oliver's been throwing the ball well, although I didn't see him. (Henry) Urrutia looked pretty good, too."

Alvarez hit his 15th home run last night, a three-run shot in the first inning that pointed the Tides toward a 6-3 victory over Durham. His 67 RBIs are tied for fourth in the International League.

Duquette didn't give a complete roll call. He could have included reliever Oliver Drake, who earned his 19th save last night and owns a 0.75 ERA in 36 innings. Opponents are batting .152 through 34 appearances.

Catcher Steve Clevenger, who homered last night, and first baseman Christian Walker figure to be included on the expanded September roster at the latest.

I asked Duquette about Terry Doyle, 29, who went 12-1 with a 1.97 ERA in 19 games (14 starts) at Double-A Bowie and is 1-1 with a 4.05 ERA in two starts at Norfolk.

"He's got a good curve, he's a good fielder," Duquette said. "He's a veteran guy. He's pretty solid. We've got a little pitching depth that we'll have to rely on here down the stretch."

The Orioles want to bring back Tyler Wilson at some point, but he's headed to the minor league disabled list with a strained left oblique. They still didn't have his MRI results late last night, but the only question was how long he'd be unavailable.

With Mike Wright on the major league disabled list and Zach Davies in the Brewers organization after the Gerardo Parra trade, the Orioles are trying to beef up Norfolk's rotation instead of just shuffling pitchers between affiliates to plug holes. Wilson's injury prompted them to acquire right-hander Matt Buschmann from the Reds for cash considerations.

Duquette saw Buschmann pitch for Triple-A Louisville during his visit to Norfolk.

Tides manager Ron Johnson tied Frank Verdi last night for the second-most wins in franchise history with 282, leaving him two shy of Gary Allenson's record.