New left-hander Wade Miley was kept on turn for his Orioles debut Thursday at Camden Yards, with manager Buck Showalter not wanting to mess with his routine coming off a July where he had a 3.45 ERA.
"I think having him sit around too long [could hurt]," Showalter said. "He's pitching well and we'll keep the ball in his hand. I also wanted to give [Chris Tillman] an extra day, just one, and I didn't want [Yovani] Gallardo to sit around for four or five extra days. He's been throwing the ball pretty well. I want to keep that intact for everybody."
Showalter glad for tough Bundy decision: Twice in a week, Showalter has had to do the calculations to figure out how far he'd be willing to let prized young pitcher Dylan Bundy carry a no-hitter in the infancy of his career as a major league starter.
Bundy retired the first 16 batters he faced on July 27 against the Colorado Rockies, then didn't allow a hit until the sixth inning again Tuesday. Showalter was emphatic Tuesday night, and again Wednesday afternoon, that Bundy would have been limited to seven innings in his most recent start regardless of the no-hitter.
"What would happen if he had a no-hitter going into the eighth with 85 pitches?" Showalter said. "He would have been done. We would have taken him out. For what reason would he continue? …
"It's not easy. I'm just telling you what we would have done. There's nothing easy about it at all. There's things you think about with your heart as much as your head, but usually what's right in your head is what's good for the Orioles. It's more about what's best for us."
Bundy is now 2-2 with a 3.00 ERA in four career starts, with 24 strikeouts and five walks in 21 innings.
Around the horn: Showalter said he considers Rickard (right thumb ligament tear), left-hander T.J. McFarland (knee sprain) and left-hander Brian Duensing (elbow surgery) candidates to return around the time rosters expand on Sept. 1. McFarland has a bullpen session scheduled for soon, Showalter said. … Thirteen-year-old chef Bryce Taylor, a Baltimore native who was a finalist on the Food Network's "Chopped Junior," threw out the ceremonial first pitch Wednesday and judged a cooking contest during the day featuring center fielder Adam Jones.
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