masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgO’s manager Buck Showalter said today the Orioles have not made a final decision yet on whether pitching prospect Zach Britton will be a September callup.

Britton is 9-6, 2.70 this year between Double-A and Triple-A. He’s now pitched 136 2/3 innings after pitching 140 last year and a career-high 147 1/3 the year before at Delmarva.

How many innings Britton has left to pitch is for sure a big factor in that decision.

“It’s more, what’s his career high (in innings). You look at that…O’s manager Buck Showalter said today the Orioles have not made a final decision yet on whether pitching prospect Zach Britton will be a September callup.

Britton is 9-6, 2.70 this year between Double-A and Triple-A. He’s now pitched 136 2/3 innings after pitching 140 last year and a career-high 147 1/3 the year before at Delmarva.

How many innings Britton has left to pitch is for sure a big factor in that decision.

“It’s more, what’s his career high (in innings). You look at that rather than just last year. I’ve got those on my board. Career high, last year, this year. Then you depend on the pitching coaches for the stress of those outings, too. It’s not going to be just a blanket innings evaluation,” Showalter said.

“He’s certainly on the radar screen. A guy from our minor leagues that is pitching well this year at the Double-A, Triple-A level. Obviously, he’s not currently on the roster.

“He had a good outing last night. We’ve got some other people, too, that we’ll be calling up. Just keep running him out there in Triple-A and we’ll get close.

“We’ve talked about it, but we haven’t come up with a final decision. We’re going to look at all the dynamics of calling him up.”

So with Britton nearing his career high in innings pitched, could he be a callup and come to Baltimore and work out of the bullpen?

“I think if he came up here, he would start. If he came up here,” Showalter said.

Britton is 2-3, 3.08 in nine Norfolk starts and has pitched to an ERA of 1.88 over his last two starts there.

Showalter was also asked today about Chris Tillman returning in September.

“Very similar (to Britton’s situation) the difference being he’s on the roster. I think there’s that potential for him to come up. He’s coming.”