masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgMichael Gonzalez’s bullpen session in Sarasota today didn’t go well, and he’s been instructed to rest the next two days and try again on Tuesday.

Interim manager Juan Samuel was told that Gonzalez’s velocity is still down and the left-hander couldn’t hit his spots.

“That’s what I was informed by our pitching coach. His session wasn’t that good,” Samuel said.

Gonzalez is scheduled to throw Tuesday, rest two more days and take the mound again on Friday.

I’m not feeling real good…Michael Gonzalez’s bullpen session in Sarasota today didn’t go well, and he’s been instructed to rest the next two days and try again on Tuesday.

Interim manager Juan Samuel was told that Gonzalez’s velocity is still down and the left-hander couldn’t hit his spots.

“That’s what I was informed by our pitching coach. His session wasn’t that good,” Samuel said.

Gonzalez is scheduled to throw Tuesday, rest two more days and take the mound again on Friday.

I’m not feeling real good about the Orioles activating him from the disabled list during that West Coast trip to San Francisco and San Diego.

Will Ohman will remain the closer, according to Samuel. David Hernandez is still viewed as a late-inning reliever, the same way Dave Trembley began using him.

Samuel said he’s looking to give catcher Matt Wieters a little more rest, hoping that fresher legs will translate to better results at the plate. One idea would be sitting Wieters for one game during a week that also includes an off day.

“I think he needs a little break here and there,” Samuel said. “I just think early in the season, in our situation, he caught 15 or 16 straight games. We’re thinking of how to give him an off day here and there to get his legs back. We did notice that with hitters. When their legs are not there, they try to compensate with other parts of their body, and that’s what we see here.”

Samuel explained the decision to put Brad Bergesen in the bullpen.

“Like we told him, we don’t know how long he’s going to be down there with our pitching situation, going through so many pitchers last night. And having an off day coming up, we don’t need a starter,” Samuel said. “I think he can help us more in the bullpen at this point. We’ll see as the days go by when we’ll need our next starter.

“He accepted it, he was very in favor of it. We know his last outing wasn’t what we’re accustomed to. Maybe that’s what he needs right now to get his arm slot where it needs to be.”

The Orioles don’t have any immediate plans to bring up another starter from the minors.

Samuel thinks Bergesen’s issues can be “easily fixed.”

“He feels that he wasn’t really on top of the ball like he needed to be,” Samuel said. “The No. 1 thing is he recognized it.”