PITTSBURGH -- Catcher Matt Wieters celebrated his 28th birthday Wednesday on the road with his team.
But Wieters is still waiting out the stiffness in his right elbow, and he remains unsure about when he'll be able to test it by throwing. Initially, doctors said he needed to wait two weeks before throwing. That two-week mark was Wednesday.
"It's getting better. We want it to feel about normal before we get back to throwing," Wieters said. "We're not going to worry about setting timetables until it gets feeling good, and then we'll set a schedule from there."
Wieters is eligible to come off the disabled list Monday, but that won't happen. Surgery is a looming possibility if he is still feeling discomfort around July 1. At this point, Wieters said he is still optimistic he can avoid surgery.
"Oh yeah. There's no reason not to think that," Wieters said. "We're going to continue to improve, and once we get to the point of throwing, we'll know more."
If Wieters has elbow surgery, the club would like it to occur by July 1 so that he has enough time to recover by the beginning of next season.
"We talked about that. But it could come earlier if he doesn't feel like anything is resolving," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "We keep hoping each day he will come in and say, 'Yeah, I want to test it. See how it feels.' We may not get there. Trying to stay positive."
Glove love for Schoop
Rookie infielder Jonathan Schoop said earlier this month that infield instructor Bobby Dickerson suggested that he try a larger glove because of the size of his hands. So he borrowed an extra one from third baseman Manny Machado.
And that one fit like a … well, Schoop really liked it. So he has been using a black Rawlings glove with "Machado" stitched on the left thumb — and television cameras have shown it numerous times recently. Soon enough, he'll have one that reads, "Schoop."
"I ordered the same one, the same [model] and everything, but with my name on it," Schoop said. "But it didn't get in yet. They said four weeks from now."
More on Davis' powerful night
First baseman Chris Davis' three-homer night Tuesday was the second of his career and 20th in Orioles modern-day history; 15 Orioles total have done it.
Davis is the third Orioles player to have reached the milestone multiple times, joining Boog Powell and
Nineteen players have homered three times in an interleague game; Davis is the first Orioles player to do it. He's also the 12th active player with more than one three-homer game in his career.
Pirates honor '79 World Series team
Baltimore Orioles Insider
Before Wednesday's game, the Pittsburgh Pirates honored the 35-year anniversary of the 1979 "We Are Family" team that beat the Orioles in seven games in the World Series.
Willie Stargell, the Most Valuable Player of that series, passed away in 2001, but his wife attended the ceremony. So did Dave Parker, Omar Moreno and most of the other members of the team, including current Orioles scout Bruce Kison and former Orioles Lee Lacy and Grant Jackson.
The introductions ended, of course, with closer Kent Tekulve.
Around the horn
Davis grounded out in the first to snap his streak of homering in three consecutive at-bats. … Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen, who will start Thursday for the Orioles, flew ahead to Baltimore on Wednesday. Chen was supposed to pitch against Cleveland right-hander Josh Tomlin on Thursday, but Tomlin pitched two innings in the Indians' 13-inning victory over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday. Cleveland hasn't announced a replacement. … Right-hander Suk-min Yoon left Norfolk's game in the fifth when he was struck in the leg by a comebacker. He had thrown 47 pitches and allowed two runs in four innings. … Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (knee) will throw approximately 75 pitches or five innings Thursday for Double-A Bowie in his first start off the disabled list. Ranked the third-best prospect in the Orioles' minor league system, according to Baseball America, Rodriguez has not pitched for the Baysox since April 14. He is 1-2 with a 6.75 ERA in three starts. … Tripp Norton, the Orioles' director of baseball administration, will represent the club at the amateur draft in New Jersey in June. … Right-hander Dylan Bundy's next extended spring training appearance will come against the Tampa Bay Rays organization Saturday. … Right-hander Matt Hobgood (shoulder) came off the disabled list and rejoined High-A Frederick.
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