HOUSTON — It didn't take long for manager Buck Showalter to grow tired of home plate umpire Brian Gorman's wide strike zone in the Orioles' 3-2 win over the Houston Astros on Thursday afternoon.
Showalter had already seen enough by the middle of the second inning, and it led to his first ejection of the season.
After Ryan Flaherty took a strike two call on an outside pitch with two outs in the top of the second, Showalter began yelling out of the Orioles dugout at Gorman. One pitch later, Gorman called strike three on Flaherty on another outside pitch to end the inning, drawing the ire of Showalter.
Gorman ejected Showalter, who wasn't finished making his point. Showalter walked out onto the field, past Gorman and stood in front of home plate, demonstrating with his hands how far off the plate he believed the pitches were.
Asked whether he has ever made such a display at home plate, Showalter said, "I'm sure I have."
"It was very obvious," he continued. "I had to rechalk it. Brian is a good umpire. That's why I was surprised about it, giving him that much plate. There wasn't a plate out there. Nowadays, you're very sure before you make a point."
It was Showalter's first ejection since Aug. 10, 2014. The Orioles have had three player ejections this season.
There was a large strike zone early on Thursday, and both starters benifited from it. Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin Chen recorded five strikeouts in his first two innings, including three called. Astros left-hander Dallas Keuchel also had five strikeouts through the first two innings, including three called.
After the game, Showalter admitted that he might have been motivated by putting a charge in his team, which entered the day having lost five straight.
"You're in an element," Showalter said. "Any time things aren't going well, you think anything might change the karma a little bit. My mother might have thought it was bad. We had a great point — they were obviously balls. This guy certainly doesn't need any help, that's for sure."
The Orioles' three player ejections this season were: Ubaldo Jimenez on April 17 in Boston for hitting Pablo Sandoval with a pitch, left-hander Brian Matusz on May 23 in Miami for a suspected "foreign substance" on his right forearm and third baseman Manny Machado after he slammed his bat after a called strike three in Game 1 of the May 28 doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox.
Hardy fills in late, will start Friday
Shortstop J.J. Hardy was out of the starting lineup for the fourth straight game Thursday with discomfort in his left side, but entered Thursday's game as a defensive replacement in the bottom of the ninth inning. He is expected to be in the starting lineup for Friday's series opener in Cleveland.
"I think it's safe to say Hardy is going to play tomorrow," Showalter said. "If he has a problem [Friday], you know it's going to be longer than 15 [days], so you don't worry about it."
Hardy felt so good after taking 15 swings in the indoor batting cage before Thursday's game that he went into Showalter's office and told him he could play. Showalter decided to give him an extra day of rest.
"I told Buck that I felt comfortable that I could go out there and not hurt myself," Hardy said. "I felt good and it was real positive. I left it up to Buck, just told him I could go out there if he wanted me to. … It's real good. … It was definitely a relief."
Hardy missed the season's first month with a strained left shoulder and also missed time with a lower-back injury. When he returns to the lineup, he expects to continue getting treatment so the discomfort is completely resolved.
"I think we're going to be cautious," Hardy said. "I don't think I'm going to go out there and take a bunch of extra BP every day and overdo it. We'll still probably treat it for a while until I can go out there and not think about it at all."
Even though Hardy felt good swinging pregame and saw time in the field Thursday, both the shortstop and his manager said that the real test will be when he's swinging full strength in a real game.
"There's still just a little at the end of his swing," Showalter said. "I am really hoping for tomorrow. J.J. would have played yesterday but I'm not going to put him in jeopardy because of our need. I'd like to play him. This is something that you don't get it right, it's a month."
Sunday starter still in limbo
Showalter still hasn't announced his starter for Sunday afternoon's game in Cleveland. After throwing four scoreless innings at Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday, right-hander Bud Norris is in line to start that day, but it's also rookie right-hander Mike Wright's day to pitch.
The decision could hinge on whether the Orioles receive a ruling on left-hander Brian Matusz's appeal hearing by then. If Matusz has to begin serving his suspension, the Orioles would be down a man in the bullpen. One consideration would be sending Wright to the bullpen to put it at full strength.
After not allowing a run in his first two major league starts spanning 14 1/3 innings, Wright had allowed eight runs in 10 innings over his past two starts. On Tuesday, he allowed five runs — four of them coming on two home runs — in the third inning alone, but still gave the Orioles five innings in a 6-4 loss to the Astros.
"I think the question is what you do with Mike," Showalter said. "It's a good problem. He presented himself well. I was almost more impressed with what he did after he gave up the runs as opposed to the other outings."
Around the horn
Showalter is still expressing confidence that the Orioles will receive good news on Matusz's eight-game suspension. "I wouldn't be surprised if Brian's isn't significantly reduced or thrown out, but I'm biased," he said. … Center fielder Adam Jones recorded his seventh game this season with at least three hits. … Following Thursday's win, the Orioles are 8-7 in one-run games.
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