The Orioles decided to kick the tires on 49-year-old lefthander Jamie Moyer, giving him a three-start trial run at Triple-A Norfolk to see if he could help the club.
Moyer, who made that third start on Wednesday, can now opt out. Coming off an off-day Thursday and having another one Monday, the Orioles don't need a fifth starter until conceivably a week from tomorrow.
So the Orioles offered Moyer one more start at Norfolk and are now waiting to hear whether the veteran left-hander will accept the offer or part ways with the organization.
Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said before Friday's game against the Nationals that he wasn't optimistic that Moyer would accept the offer.
In three starts at Norfolk, Moyer went 1-1 with a 1.69 ERA, allowing just 11 hits in 16 innings and striking out 16 with zero walks. In his last outing Wednesday, he allowed one run on three hits over four innings with four strikeouts.
Moyer is no longer listed among the Tides' probably starters over the next five games -- and left-hander Dontrelle Willis will make his first start there on Saturday -- but Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Moyer could easily rejoin the Norfolk rotation.
"He could come back make a start," Showalter said. "They could very quickly put him in there if they chose. I think what I'm saying is, he has the right to or not."
The Orioles have announced their starting pitchers through the end of this weekend's series, but not after Monday's off day.