With center fielder Adam Jones and second baseman Brian Roberts both unavailable to start Saturday because of injuries, the Orioles were down to two healthy reserves on their bench against the Los Angeles Angels.
Sept. 1 and the ability to call up reinforcements can't come soon enough for the Orioles. The question is who will be making the jump to the majors.
"The average team calls up about six or seven guys, and I would imagine we'll be in that range," said Orioles president Andy MacPhail, who spoke at length with manager Buck Showalter before Saturday's game about potential reinforcements.
Expect outfielder Nolan Reimold and starter Chris Tillman to be promoted, but 22-year-old left-handed sensation Zach Britton almost certainly won't be joining them.
The call-ups are expected to come in waves, with Sept. 1 the first possibility, then again after Triple-A Norfolk's season ends Sept. 6 and potentially again when Double-A Bowie finishes, which could be Sept. 6 or later if the Baysox make the playoffs.
Asked about the possibility of players jumping from Bowie to the majors this September, MacPhail said, "That's not out of the question, that's for sure."
There are no Bowie position players and only one active Baysox pitcher, Pedro Viola, on the Orioles' 40-man roster. But that doesn't seem to concern the Orioles, who must feel as if they can tinker with the 40-man roster within the next month.
One thing that looks certain — although MacPhail wouldn't confirm it — is that Britton will not be making his big league debut this season. The club is expected to leave the lefty at Norfolk, where he is 3-3 with a 3.09 ERA in 10 starts. He was 7-3 with a 2.48 at Bowie this year in 15 games. Britton has compiled 142 1/3 innings this season and, with his next start, likely will surpass his high of 147 1/3 innings set in 2008.
"You want to make sure there are innings available, and also you don't want to overtax your pitching," MacPhail said. "Zach will get up to his career high in innings this year. He is certainly a big part of our future. Whether it's the immediate future or not, there are just a lot of variables.
A spot in the rotation will have to be created for Tillman, and the club wants to see Rick VandenHurk, acquired July 31 in the Will Ohman deal with the Florida Marlins, start a game or two as well. That limits the opportunities for Britton.
"We'll sort of play it by ear, but those are parts of the equation we have to consider," MacPhail said. "We'll just see. There are a lot of factors we have to consider, and it can all change tomorrow if somebody sprains their ankle."
The Orioles likely will call up at least one reliever, with Kam Mickolio, Dennis Sarfate and Troy Patton possibilities. Pitchers Armando Gabino and Frank Mata, both of whom have pitched for the Orioles this year, likely will not be recalled.
As for position players, there are several possibilities but no slam-dunks besides Reimold. Rhyne Hughes, Michael Aubrey, Robert Andino and Lou Montanez have past Orioles experience, but MacPhail stressed that the players must fit now and for the future.
"We don't want to bring somebody up and just have them sit and not play," MacPhail said. "You have to try and figure out how you can accomplish two things: whether they are going to get some playing time and whether we can learn something about them going forward."
Pulling out of Bluefield
The Orioles announced Saturday that they are ending their 53-season relationship with Bluefield, W.Va., where the club has its Rookie-level Appalachian League affiliate.
The Orioles have had a minor league team in Bluefield since 1958, the longest such relationship between one parent club and a baseball town in affiliated baseball. But with two teams at a new complex in the Dominican Republic, another short-season team in nearby Aberdeen and the Gulf Coast League Orioles playing in the organization's minor league headquarters in Sarasota, Fla., the Bluefield affiliate became expendable.
"That's a painful thing to do because the people in Bluefield have been so good to us and it has been such a long affiliation," MacPhail said. "It was getting unwieldy, and, ultimately, for us to be as efficient as we can be and not lose anything, we really need to streamline a club, and that unfortunately was the odd club out."
Most of the organization's better young players are sent to Aberdeen or higher once they sign. And international players are staying longer in the Dominican, MacPhail said. In fact, of the Orioles' 25-man roster, only two players, pitchers Brad Bergesen and Jim Johnson, played for Bluefield.
The sleepy West Virginia town likely will find another affiliate to play there, MacPhail said.
"Obviously, it's a little sad because they were there for so long, it's almost like a throwback place," said Johnson, who pitched at Bluefield in 2002 and 2003. "It definitely is a unique experience when you first go there. A real small town, it was nothing like I had ever seen before. But good people. … It's kind of sad, but it might be for the better."
Roberts, Jones sit
Jones missed his fourth consecutive start Saturday with a left shoulder bruise he suffered when hit by a pitch Tuesday, and Roberts was also out of the lineup with left hip soreness aggravated with a swing and a miss Friday night.
Showalter said he considers both players day-to-day and could envision a scenario where they are back in the lineup for today's finale against the Los Angeles Angels or in Tuesday's opener at Camden Yards against the Boston Red Sox.
"Adam, he's a little better every day, so we'll see," Showalter said. "It's like Brian, we'll see what tomorrow brings, and, if not, we'll see what Tuesday brings. I am going to dwell on the guys we have out there, and we have some capable people. You can't will [a return] to happen."
Jones again tested his shoulder before the game and said the discomfort is still palpable. After leaving Friday's game in the fourth inning, Roberts assumed he wouldn't play Saturday. There have been no scheduled tests such as a magnetic resonance imaging on Roberts' hip, Showalter said, but the club isn't concerned about another lengthy period without its leadoff hitter, who has played in just 34 games this year because of injury.
"If he is ready to play [Sunday], he will play," Showalter said. "If [athletic trainer Richie Bancells] marks him able and Brian feels good, we'll play him. I'm not going to say that's going to happen. I am not going to close the door on either possibility."
Around the horn
Starter Kevin Millwood pitched a perfect first inning Saturday. He had allowed multiple first-inning runs in 12 of his previous 16 starts. … With Friday's win, the Orioles clinched the season series against the Angels for the first time since 2003. … First-round pick Manny Machado homered Saturday for the GCL Orioles. It was his first hit as a pro.
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