Wondering how rotation works through the weekend

The Orioles are back to work tonight, moving past multiple breaks in the schedule this week and beginning a stretch of seven games in a row at home and six straight on the West Coast.

A pause in the middle would have made more sense, but the Orioles play when they're told.

The weekend starters are unsettled. Jorge López goes tonight, but the Orioles are TBD for the next two games.

Dean Kremer was optioned, but left-hander John Means should be starting Saturday on an extra days' rest. Matt Harvey would be working on regular rest in Sunday's series finale.

Rookie Bruce Zimmermann is lined up to start Monday's game against the Yankees at Camden Yards.

Now forget all of that.

After double-checking my math, which is always wise, it appears that the Orioles need a fifth starter Tuesday and Kremer isn't eligible until the following night.

The Orioles must insert a spot starter, which explains the TBD designations.

They seem unlikely to push Means beyond Saturday, though they didn't confirm his assignment in the last batch of game notes. How much rest do they want to give their ace, especially after he was dealing again Sunday afternoon in Texas?

A fifth starter for Sunday would provide Harvey and Zimmermann with an extra day. If we're playing "Guess Along With the Orioles," which is sort of like "American Ninja Warrior," but the home version.

I'm exhausted just trying to do the math and get confirmation on what I've heard.

You know what else saps my energy, which actually is at a higher level than usual because I'm no longer carrying hair products on road trips? Figuring out tonight's opponent.

I know the identity, but what's happening with this team is fascinating.

The Athletics must be working on a "Moneyball" sequel with 11 consecutive wins following a brutal start. Their minus-2 run differential suggests that they had a lot of ground to make up.

According to STATS, they're the first team in major league history to win 11 games in row at any point in a season after an 0-6 start. And it's been packaged in the same month. Weird, wild stuff.

(So which actor plays manager Bob Melvin? And will he be portrayed more accurately than Art Howe in the original?)

The current winning streak is the club's longest since the 20 in a row in 2002 that spawned the film. López will try to interrupt it tonight.

Yelling "cut" won't work.

López turned in his finest outing in his last start, with two runs and two hits allowed, and eight strikeouts, over five innings versus the Rangers. He retired the first 11 batters with seven strikeouts and didn't surrender a hit until David Dahl's leadoff home run in the fifth, which was followed by Nick Solak's opposite-field shot.

Tonight marks López's second career start and third appearances against the A's. He's allowed seven runs and nine hits in 7 2/3 innings.