PITTSBURGH – Left-hander Cade Povich is at PNC Park today, with the Orioles placing him on the medical taxi squad.

A possible corresponding roster move is pending. The Orioles could use another starter Monday or Tuesday, depending on whether Trevor Rogers is pushed back a day.

Zach Eflin’s elbow injury has created an opening in the rotation. Dean Kremer started yesterday at Triple-A Norfolk and the Orioles are building him up.

The Orioles optioned Povich in spring training and he made one start with Norfolk, allowing five runs and six hits and striking out eight batters in five innings.

*Manager Craig Albernaz explained his decision yesterday to let Samuel Basallo hit against hard-throwing left-hander Mason Montgomery with two on and two outs in the seventh inning. Ryan Mountcastle was on deck to pinch-hit for Dylan Beavers when Basallo struck out.

Albernaz said “it depends” when asked whether he’d usually stick with Basallo in that situation.

“Just when hitting Mounty there for Basallo, where it’s now we’re going three innings without the extra catcher,” Albernaz said. “There was one factor. But also, Basallo has shown that he can handle left-handed pitching. It even goes back to last year when he hit the walk-off off Tanner Scott. I think Tanner Scott’s a pretty good reliever that’s left-handed.

“Also, with Montgomery, he’s not like a high lefty split. And we were more than comfortable with Basallo taking that at-bat. He got his swing off, he just missed some pitches. But ultimately, Montgomery won, he got nasty on him. But that’s something where, we feel comfortable with Basallo handling left-handed pitching, especially him being 21, and his ceiling that he could be.”

*The Orioles haven’t faced a left-handed starter and aren’t expected to do it in Chicago for the next series. They also could go face only right-handers in the Giants series at Camden Yards that begins the next homestand.

Going into today, the Orioles, Guardians, Tigers, Rockies and White Sox are the only teams that haven’t faced a left-handed starter.

The situation for the Orioles complicates attempts to get Mountcastle and Tyler O’Neill in the lineup.

“I think when you have righties and not facing left-handed pitching, yeah, it makes it difficult, but also, you try to find the right matchups for guys, too,” Albernaz said.

“The righty-righty matchup is not as drastic as the lefty-lefty matchup, but we also have a lot of good left-handed hitters, as well. So it’s just weighing the optimum matchup for all of our guys. Right now, that’s what we’re problem solving and figuring out. But we definitely foreseen O’Neill and Mounty getting some starts here coming up soon.”

For the Pirates
Oneil Cruz CF
Brandon Lowe 2B
Bryan Reynolds LF
Ryan O’Hearn RF
Marcell Ozuna DH
Konnor Griffin SS
Spencer Horwitz 1B
Nick Gonzales 3B
Joey Bart C

Carmen Mlodzinski RHP