masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgLast night’s postponement pushes the Orioles’ starters back a day in the series and bumps Dylan Bundy from facing the Yankees.
Andrew Cashner gets the ball tonight – weather permitting, of course – followed by Kevin Gausman on Saturday and Alex Cobb on Sunday.
The Orioles are off Monday, other than working the First-Year Player Draft, which keeps Bundy waiting until Tuesday night against the Mets at Citi Field.
Bundy is 2-3 with a 5.34 ERA and 1.582 WHIP in seven career games against the…

Last night’s postponement pushes the Orioles’ starters back a day in the series and bumps Dylan Bundy from facing the Yankees.

Andrew Cashner gets the ball tonight – weather permitting, of course – followed by Kevin Gausman on Saturday and Alex Cobb on Sunday.

The Orioles are off Monday, other than working the First-Year Player Draft, which keeps Bundy waiting until Tuesday night against the Mets at Citi Field.

Bundy is 2-3 with a 5.34 ERA and 1.582 WHIP in seven career games against the Yankees. He’s never faced the Mets, but he’s 3-2 with a 2.93 ERA and 1.141 WHIP in six interleague games, including five starts, over 30 2/3 innings.

Because he pitched Tuesday against the Nationals, Bundy will be working on six days’ rest instead of the normal four. He owns a 2.85 ERA and 0.993 WHIP in eight career starts on six-plus days.

Tickets and parking for last night’s game won’t automatically be honored for the July 9 single-admission doubleheader. Fans must exchange the value of their tickets and parking at the Camden Yards box office toward any remaining home game this season, including the doubleheader, based on availability.

Fans holding tickets for the originally scheduled 7:05 p.m. game on July 9 should use those them for both games of the doubleheader.

All ballpark gates will open at 3 p.m. and parking lots will open at 2:30 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on MASN and on the Orioles Radio Network, including flagship station 105.7 The Fan.

Three of the Orioles’ four rainouts this season have come at home.

The Yankees are starting Sonny Gray, Masahiro Tanaka and Domingo Germán in the final three games of the series. Maybe there’s a window.

* The Orioles added a third left-hander to their bullpen again this week by recalling Donnie Hart from Triple-A Norfolk as the replacement for Danny Valencia, who was on paternity leave. Tanner Scott appears to have solidified his spot and it makes sense to keep him here and really find out what they’ve got, whether it’s situational, multi-inning or potential closer.

Zach Britton and Brad Brach are pending free agents and could be dealt later this summer. The bullpen could undergo significant changes before 2019.

Scott-Orange-Sidebar-0511.jpgScott made eight appearances in May after his latest promotion and pitched in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. And trusted in some tight situations.

Over 11 appearances this season, Scott has worked more than an inning in five of them. He was tabbed to remain a starter while moving up to Triple-A Norfolk this season, but the Orioles decided to put him in the bullpen and return him to a role that he actually prefers.

Could he be a starter somewhere down the road or is his future as a reliever?

“We talk about that a lot,” said manager Buck Showalter. “It’s kind of like with (Jimmy) Yacabonis. I’m not going to pigeonhole him in that. I know how I feel, from what I’ve seen and talking to people. A lot of people talk about how many starters are pitching with two pitches. Then again, that’s to say he doesn’t have a third pitch and he does throw a changeup.

“The problem is, a lot of times you pigeonhole a guy because of your need instead of what he’s best equipped to do. I actually think he kind of presents himself on either side of that ledger.”

It would be ideal for the Orioles to have more than five potential starters and Scott could become an Andrew Miller-type who’s capable of setting up and closing. The fastball and slider make him downright nasty at times. And there’s no fear.

* Britton could move his next rehab outing to Triple-A Norfolk, depending on Saturday’s forecast, and the Orioles are counting down the days until he’s activated from the disabled list.

Having Britton in the bullpen removes some pressure from the others and deepens the unit. And this is especially true after Darren O’Day returns. Britton, O’Day, Brach and Mychal Givens are a formidable foursome. Richard Bleier’s ERA has climbed from 0.40 on May 9 to 2.33, but he’s also been forced into some situations that can be avoided or at least reduced with more options at Showalter’s disposal.

Let’s not fool ourselves into thinking the Orioles want Britton back in the ‘pen only to increase their chances of winning. He becomes a valuable trade chip once scouts are convinced that he’s fully recovered from Achilles surgery and dropping that heavy sinker to flummox hitters.

The Orioles aren’t likely to re-sign Britton and shell out big bucks for him to close. He’d rather stay in his current role and not go back to starting, a move that the Orioles have discussed with him. Teams will make another run at him near the non-waiver trade deadline, as they did last summer.

The Astros came close to prying Britton from the Orioles and speculation continues that they’ll try again. Their overall bullpen numbers aren’t bad – a 3.02 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and .225 average against before last night – but they’ve produced 12 saves in 19 opportunities and too many tense moments.

The Indians definitely could use him with their 6.02 ERA and 1.44 WHIP before last night. Miller allowed seven runs and seven hits and walked six batters over 4 1/3 innings in May after coming off the disabled list.

Will the return for Britton be lighter due to his rental status? You’d think so, though I was told last summer that some offers for him were “insulting.” Teams need to put healthy prospects on the table. That’s always a good idea, especially when dealing with the Orioles.

* Steve Wilkerson played in his first game Wednesday night at Norfolk, going 1-for-4 and starting at second base. He started at third base last night and was 1-for-4 with a run scored.

Wilkerson served a 50-game suspension that cost him the opportunity to compete for a utility job. He batted a combined .305/.375/.423 in 112 games last season at Single-A Frederick and Double-A Bowie.

The Tides will move Wilkerson around the infield and also get him some innings in the outfield. He’s also capable of being the emergency catcher. A handy guy to have on the roster. And he’s a switch-hitter.

* Catcher Austin Wynns hit his fourth home run last night for Norfolk, the ball carrying over the picnic area roof in left field and hitting the scoreboard.

Wynns is batting .264 this season, but he’s 18-for-38 (.474) against left-handers.

* Chris Davis is out of minor league options.

I’m not breaking news. I’m providing the latest reminder as people keep tweeting me that the Orioles need to “send him down.”

They can designate him for assignment and attempt to outright him after he clears waivers. He can refuse. That’s it.

Unless “send him down” is code for something else.

* An Araujo was placed on the disabled list yesterday, but not the Rule 5 reliever.

Single-A Frederick left-hander Elvis Araujo went on the seven-day DL with a left pectoralis injury. The 26-year-old native of Venezuela is 2-0 with a 3.65 ERA in nine relief appearances with five runs and 13 hits allowed in 12 1/3 innings. He’s walked one batter and struck out 20.

The Orioles signed Araujo as a free agent on Feb. 1 after he pitched last summer in Japan. He appeared in 72 games with the Phillies in 2015-2016 and had a 4.35 ERA and 1.613 WHIP in 62 innings. He averaged 5.2 walks and 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings.

Pedro Araujo remains on the Orioles’ 25-man roster.