masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgARLINGTON, Texas – The Orioles apparently will try to perform a neat trick and play tonight’s game without a healthy reserve.
The three-man bench was emptied last night after catcher Pedro Severino left the game with a bruised head and no concussion symptoms, second baseman Jonathan Villar with a sore right thumb and outfielder DJ Stewart with a sore right ankle after rolling it while in pursuit of a fly ball.
Manager Brandon Hyde said all three players should be able to avoid going on the…

ARLINGTON, Texas – The Orioles apparently will try to perform a neat trick and play tonight’s game without a healthy reserve.

The three-man bench was emptied last night after catcher Pedro Severino left the game with a bruised head and no concussion symptoms, second baseman Jonathan Villar with a sore right thumb and outfielder DJ Stewart with a sore right ankle after rolling it while in pursuit of a fly ball.

Manager Brandon Hyde said all three players should be able to avoid going on the injured list. None of them are expected to be in tonight’s lineup and are day-to-day, which leaves no room for another injury.

“We’re just going to have to play a little short,” Hyde said following a 2-1 12-inning loss to the Rangers. “And that’s part of it, that’s part of a long season, a six-month season. Sometimes these things happen and you run into periods of time when you’re a man or two down and we might be like that for a couple of days.”

Left-hander John Means had to wait around while the Orioles changed catchers and maintain his concentration and composure through six innings. He allowed only one run and four hits.

“You just try not to think about it,” he said. “You just kind of worry about the safety of those guys. Like DJ, that looked like a pretty bad fall, so I’m glad he was going to be all right.”

John-Means-Delivers-at-TEX-Gray-Sidebar.jpgMeans is winless in his last four starts despite posting a 3.27 ERA in 22 innings. He retired 11 of the last 12 batters he faced last night.

“I think it got better as it went on,” he said. “I think early on I was battling. I didn’t really have my best stuff and as the game went on I found my changeup, found my better fastball, and it worked well from there.”

“There were some long innings there and John Means was fantastic,” Hyde said. “He throws strikes, he works in and out, he changes speeds. They didn’t barrel a whole lot of baseballs. He did a great job.”

The Orioles were 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11. Richie Martin tied the game with a solo home run off Shawn Kelley with one out in the ninth to prevent the Orioles from suffering their fifth shutout.

“We’ve played a ton of close games and I think our guys are used to playing one-run games a lot,” Hyde said.

“I was so happy for Richie, to come through off a closer like that and get a slider, I think it was a slider, hit it out of the ballpark to tie the game. Last night we drove the ball all night long and tonight we just had a tough time.”

“I knew it was going to be a pitcher’s duel,” Means said. “(Mike) Minor is having a great year, so tip your hat to him. He had a great outing, so we were just going back and forth. You’re going to have those games.”

Earlier in the day, the Royals drafted Means’ younger brother, infielder Jake Means of Indians State, in the 22nd round.

“I’m so excited for him,” Means said. “He’s a fifth-year senior in college, so the fact that he gets a chance to play and experience what I’ve experienced is going to be a lot of fun.”

First baseman Chris Davis will return to the lineup tonight with the Rangers starting right-hander Ariel Jurado and no other choices on the bench. He sat last night against Minor but entered after Stewart’s injury.

Davis came off the injured list Tuesday and was 0-for-5 with two strikeouts to lower his average to .164 with a .554 OPS. He struck out in both at-bats last night and is hitting .162/.245/.301.

If searching for anything positive, Davis saw 10 pitches in his first at-bat Tuesday and seven in his second and he smoked a ball to deep center field.

“I thought his at-bats were more competitive than they were before he went on the IL,” Hyde said.

“That’s what I was looking for, for him to compete in his at-bats, and I thought he did that. He just miss-hit one to center. I thought he was into the at-bat. He was a little bit more on time, seeing the ball better. Before he went on the IL he was late on the heater and chasing the breaking ball in the dirt and just really in between. I thought he wasn’t as in between last night, so that was a good start.

“He was 0-for-5, so it wasn’t a great night offensively, but I thought that there were some good takes. I thought the ball to center field, it was a nice pass at that ball, so we’re just looking for progress.”

Left-hander Richard Bleier still hasn’t gotten back to his previous form after undergoing lat surgery in June and hitting the injured list in April with left shoulder tendinitis. But there are glimpses.

Bleier didn’t allow an earned run in three straight appearances and four of five before letting three inherited runners score in the ninth inning Tuesday and being charged with three runs of his own. He retired only one of five batters and came out of the game.

Called upon again last night in a 1-1 tie, Bleier retired the side in order in the ninth and left two runners on base in the 10th.

“I thought Rich threw the ball good the last couple of outings before (Tuesday) night,” Hyde said. “For me, what I like about Rich is he’s going to throw strikes. Somebody I trust down there who’s going to pound the strike zone. And when he’s good he’s down in the zone. The cutter’s down, the sinker’s down. Gets a ton of ground balls, attacks hitters, throws strikes.

“(Tuesday) night, the balls were elevated. It was a good situation for him – switch, left, left, right, left – and it just seemed he wasn’t able to locate down like he was the past couple of appearances.”

Bleier got back to locating last night.