As Rodrigo Lopez plowed through the Seattle Mariners' lineup last night, taking a shutout into the sixth inning, he also pushed Calvin Maduro out of the Orioles' rotation.
With Lopez avoiding an early exit, manager Mike Hargrove could save Sean Douglass for today's series finale. Douglass will take Maduro's turn, ending days of speculation that began when Maduro was rocked by the Oakland Athletics for a second consecutive start.
Maduro allowed five runs in 4 2/3 innings in Tuesday's 5-2 loss. He has one victory since April 14, and previous experience working out of the bullpen that should aid his latest transition.
Hargrove withheld making an official announcement until last night's game played out. He hoped to keep Douglass idle, just as he did Friday despite Travis Driskill's early struggles.
Driskill fell behind 5-0 in the third inning but made it through the sixth without giving up another run. A late rally kept him unbeaten with the Orioles.
"I thought we were going to have to use Sean [Friday] night, and Driskill settled down and pitched real well," Hargrove said.
Sitting in the dugout yesterday, Hargrove tried hard not to tip his hand. But the local media kept trying to peak at his cards. "It's only two guys. It depends on what happens tonight," he said.
Pressed to name a starter, Hargrove continued to tread lightly around the subject.
"The plan probably going into it, and I talked to Calvin about this, is to use Douglass to start tomorrow. But if we have to use Sean in tonight's game, obviously that won't happen. That's why I've held off saying anything official about it," he said.
Douglass will need a compass to find the mound. He's made two relief outings since his last start May 6 vs. Cleveland, once going 15 days without pitching. He's 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA.
"The good thing about starting is you know when you're going to pitch. You get in a routine," he said. "I'm a starter. My whole career I've been a starter. But if they want me to pitch in relief, I'll pitch in relief."
He soon could be pitching in Triple-A Rochester. Jason Johnson continued his injury rehab assignment at Double-A Bowie last night while moving closer to a return. Johnson tossed five scoreless innings against Norwich, allowing four hits, walking one and striking out six. He threw 67 pitches.
Asked when Johnson would make his next Orioles start, Hargrove said, "We have an idea." He'd only confirm that another change in the rotation is forthcoming, and Douglass and Driskill are the prime candidates to return to Rochester. More could be riding on today's game than a victory.
"Jason's coming back. Somebody has to come out of the rotation. But I don't want to say because I don't think it's fair to talk about something you haven't talked to your players about," Hargrove said.
"It's not a bad question, but I can't answer it and be true to what it is I need to be true to. I've told you all I can tell you about the rotation and who's starting tomorrow and who's starting today. It will play out."
Breaking into a grin, he added, "Sometimes you [guys] don't need to know as much as I do."