Right-hander Miguel Gonzalez entered in the ninth inning Sunday and threw one perfect inning — his first relief outing since July 1, 2012. The Orioles wanted him to pitch against live hitters at least once in between his most recent start, last Tuesday, and his next one, Friday in New York.
With two team off days in less than a week, Showalter chose to give Gonzalez the most rest to keep him fresh for the stretch run.
Gonzalez admitted that he was nervous entering a game in the ninth and not the first, even with the score 10-3.
"Of course I was, it doesn't matter [what] the score is. We want to win this ballgame and obviously I want to get my work in," said Gonzalez, who has made 22 starts this year. "And the good thing was I faced some hitters. That was important for me, to see some guys out there and make pitches."