Orioles manager Buck Showalter shed some light on his rotation for the next week, and, technically, for the next month.
Mike Wright will pitch the “fifth starter’s” game in Houston this week and Alex Cobb won’t be making his Orioles’ debut before April 14.
Wright, 28, was competing with Miguel Castro for early season starts until Cobb is ready to pitch in the majors. Neither Wright nor Castro finished with good numbers this spring: Wright had a 6.63 ERA in 19 innings while Castro had a 6.39 ERA in 12 2/3 innings.
Wright, a former third-round pick who is out of options, hasn’t started for the Orioles since June 17, 2016, when he allowed eight runs in 3 2/3 innings versus Toronto.
But he posted a 3.69 ERA in 16 starts with Triple-A Norfolk last year. All 13 of his appearances for the Orioles in 2017 were in relief.
Showalter said his rotation in Houston will be Chris Tillman on Monday, Wright on Tuesday and Dylan Bundy on Wednesday. That gives Bundy, the club’s Opening Day starter, an extra day’s rest.
Wright has started one game in Houston in his career, allowing five runs in five innings in a loss on June 2, 2015.
Whomever the Orioles selected to pitch in the fifth slot – Wright or someone else – wasn’t expected to be there for long, barring injury by one of the regulars. Cobb, who was signed to a four-year deal in March, is expected to make his club debut in mid-April, but it won’t be before April 14 at Boston.
Showalter said Saturday that Cobb threw four innings and 48 pitches in extended spring Friday and will be stretched to five innings in his next time out in Florida. He will likely throw another outing of six innings, but it likely will be a simulated game.
Cobb is currently on the Double-A Bowie roster and will work out in Bowie, but Showalter said that he doesn’t want Cobb throwing a minor league ball, and he won’t be able to use a major league ball in a Double-A game. There is a slight difference in the stitching of the two and the Orioles don’t want Cobb, who has had reconstructive elbow surgery, to change his feel for pitches while adjusting to an unfamiliar ball for likely only one outing.
Two other quick notes: Mark Trumbo (quad) will take batting practice Monday in Sarasota and then will play in an extended spring game there April 6. Chance Sisco will start at catcher Sunday against the Twins.
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Dan:
Just saw you with Tom Davis on Os pre-show and saw your walk off opening day list. What happened to the most memorable one (I was there) when Scrapiron Clint Courtney hit a 10th inning HR to win at Memorial Stadium opener off Harry Dorish of the White Sox (who a few years later would pitch for the Os?)
Mr Will
Hey Will: it’s been 64 years so it’s very easy to mix memories. Courtney indeed homered in the first home opener against the White Sox. But it was in the third inning versus Virgil Trucks. Dorish did pitch in that game, which the Orioles won 3-1 in nine innings. Here’s the weirdest part: Courtney is the first to homer as a modern day Oriole in Baltimore. But he never did it again. According to Baseball-reference.com he had four other homers as an Oriole but they were all on the road. He did hit another in Memorial Stadium but it was when he was with the Washington Senators. Came off Milt Pappas. All this info is from Baseball-reference.com
Why the different stitching on the minor league ball? I wasn’t aware and I’m just curious if you knew the reason behind it.
No idea. Didn’t realize it myself. Stuff Buck pays attention to that the rest of us normally don’t.
Tillman to Wright, oy vey. Let's give Bleier a start...