One of the bigger health scares of the Orioles season seems to have come to a quiet resolution, with right-hander Chris Tillman on track to start Saturday after being bumped from Wednesday's rotation spot with shoulder discomfort.
Tillman threw a flat-ground session in the outfield at Camden Yards on Thursday under the supervision of bullpen coach Dom Chiti — pitching coach Dave Wallace's stand-in while Wallace is home tending to a personal matter — and assistant athletic trainer Brian Ebel.
"He's ready to go for Saturday," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "I'm glad we took the time."
Tillman initially felt the discomfort last Friday, the morning after he pitched a gem against the Oakland Athletics to stop the Orioles from being swept in a four-game series there. By Wednesday, he said he'd probably have been able to start if the team needed him to.
But the caution appears to have paid off, with the team's top starter taking his 15-4 record and 3.46 ERA to the mound Saturday.
O'Day absence might linger
Reliever Darren O'Day might not be back as early as the Orioles initially expected, with Showalter saying he might not return from the disabled list when he's eligible on Aug. 27 or even when rosters expand on Sept. 1.
O'Day is "inching forward, little by little," Showalter said, as the setup man waits for marked improvement after getting a cortisone shot to alleviate rotator cuff soreness in his right shoulder.
Because of that, there's no assurances he'll only need the 15 days required for his absence.
"I wouldn't characterize it as confident," Showalter said. "It's a possibility. He's getting a little better every day, but I'm hoping the day comes where there's a big leap in what he's feeling. We haven't gotten there yet, so it's tough to handicap when."
As for how they'd tell, Showalter said it was mostly how O'Day would respond to treatment.
"They're doing a lot of treatment, but the day after, even shampooing your hair or day-to-day actions, he felt it," Showalter said. "That's kind of going away. But now, they do some range-of-motion exercises and everything, and at what point can they take it where he doesn't feel anything."
Around the horn
Thursday marked the first start in a week for designated hitter Pedro Alvarez, who sat with no DH allowed in San Francisco and with the Orioles facing the Boston Red Sox's two left-handed starters. … Showalter said right-hander Dylan Bundy, who rolled his ankle Wednesday while trying to field a ground ball, didn't have any lingering effects from that. ... Jenae Cherry, wife of Orioles reliever Brad Brach, will debut her Orioles-inspired song, "Don't Miss the Magic," on Friday at Camden Yards before the postgame fireworks show. ... Orioles Hall of Famer Rich Dauer was honored with a video package during Thursday's game. He is the Houston Astros first base coach.
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