Wojciechowski goes 5 1/3 innings in 6-3 loss (updated)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles have an opportunity to relax their rotation following tonight's 6-3 loss to the Rays. The next four starters are known and already with the team. No one is coming up from the minors or outside the organization.

Asher Wojciechowski made his debut with the club tonight and worked into the sixth inning. He walked off the mound just as uncertain about his immediate future. Does he get the ball again after the break or is he headed to Triple-A Norfolk?

Tom Eshelman made his major league debut last night, strung together four scoreless innings after the first and was optioned today to make room for reliever Josh Lucas, who came off the injured list. Wojciechowski could join Eshelman and provide some needed depth.

The Orioles have four games left before the All-Star break and are covered with rookie left-hander John Means on Wednesday night, followed by Dylan Bundy, Andrew Cashner and Gabriel Ynoa in Toronto.

Bundy threw this afternoon after the Orioles decided to push him back a few days. He'll start the first game of the second half versus the Rays at Camden Yards.

The teams play a doubleheader on July 13, but the Orioles are off July 15 and 18. Being short in the rotation isn't a major crisis, at least for a while.

The Orioles could decide to call up Eshelman as the 26th man for the doubleheader. They'd really like to avoid bullpen games if possible, knowing that the opener strategy doesn't work for them when they don't get the proper length from the second pitcher.

Wojciechowski tonight made his first major league start since September 2017 and allowed four runs and five hits with two walks and six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. He threw 96 pitches, 64 for strikes.

He was better than the final line indicated. He was pounding the strike zone, exactly what manager Brandon Hyde has been pleading for while dissecting his staff.

Wojciechowski had an eight-pitch second inning and a nine-pitch fourth. He was offering low-90s fastballs that he could locate.

The big sin was committed in the third with the leadoff walk to Joey Wendle, who stole second base and scored on Brandon Lowe's single. Lowe homered with one out in the first, but at least he had to earn it. The free pass to a leadoff hitter is a sore subject for Hyde.

Working a third time through the order, Wojciechowski allowed a leadoff single to Lowe in the sixth on a grounder to the left side against the shift - a sure double if Lowe hadn't fouled a ball off his foot that forced him out of the game after he reached first base.

Tommy Pham walked and both runners moved up on a wild pitch, though the ball glanced off Chance Sisco's glove on the fly. They held on Ji-Man Choi's grounder to short, but Avisaíl García followed with a two-run single into left field.

Pham had a two-run double off Jimmy Yacabonis in the seventh, one run charged to Paul Fry. Sisco hit a two-run homer off Chaz Roe in the ninth after Trey Mancini singled.

Sisco has reached safely in all 13 starts, but the Rays stole three bases tonight.

The Orioles struck out 16 times. Charlie Morton had 12 in seven innings.

Chris Davis tied the game 1-1 in the third with a home run to left field, his first since May 12.

The Orioles were trying to win back-to-back series for the first time since opening the season by taking two of three games in New York and in Toronto.

Update: Hyde said the Orioles aren't making a roster move prior to Wednesday's game.

Hyde on Wojciechowki: "I loved his aggressiveness. I thought he showed a good fastball, a good, hard slider. I liked the way he pounded the zone and threw strikes. Good presence on the mound. Did a nice job keeping us in the game into the sixth inning."

Hyde on whether he considered removing him after the fifth: "I thought he was continuing to throw the ball really well. He just got unlucky there with Lowe to lead off the sixth. I thought he had really good stuff going into that inning, so we were confident with him trying to get through six and it just didn't happen."

Wojciechowski on Sisco: "Chance, played with him in Norfolk. I know him and a lot of guys here, they know my stuff. Really wasn't an unfamiliar (thing), it was like throwing to someone I've thrown to before."

Wojciechowski on whether he was nervous: "Every game you have nerves. I was nervous, but I get nervous before any type of game I go in. Once you get out there, it's just pitching and playing baseball again."

Sisco on Wojciechowski: "He looked good. He's got a fastball, slider, curveball, change. All of it he was throwing for strikes. Just took advantage of one pitch in the first inning, but after that he settled in really nicely. Made a lot of good pitches in some big situations. He did his job well."

Sisco on Morton: "Command. Fastball, curveball looked really good tonight. He was throwing both for a strike whenever he wanted, really. With a guy like that, obviously, he's an All-Star for a reason, so he was getting ahead of you 0-1, 0-2 pretty quickly. It's kind of tough to get out of that."

Sisco on power uptick: "Barreling the ball. Kind of being in a better position to hit, really. Honestly, that's really it."