How should Britton be used? (and other notes)

MILWAUKEE - The Orioles haven't reached the All-Star break, but they're halfway through their schedule with a 40-41 record. Eighty-one games are left in the regular season. And no, they aren't going to be sellers. Executive vice president Dan Duquette has made it clear in multiple interviews.

They're going to check on available pitchers while also keeping their collective fingers crossed that the in-house crew steps up. Kevin Gausman appears to be doing it, looking a lot more like the pitcher who was so good in the second half last year.

The Orioles will focus mainly on the Brewers tonight while also checking Zach Britton's outing at Single-A Frederick that wraps up his injury rehab assignment. Britton's left forearm is pain-free and the Orioles are praying that nothing fluky happens to him.

The assignment was moved from Triple-A Norfolk due to the weather forecast.

Britton's velocity is up and his sinker has that familiar bite. He just needs to avoid comebackers and slippery dugout steps.

The Orioles intend to activate Britton on Wednesday, and not because they transferred him to the 60-day disabled list.

"It was the plan all along," said manager Buck Showalter, who's been endorsing the club's cautious approach. "This is spring training. We started all over. We knew all along that to put this to bed and put it at rest ... But who knows when he gets into a big league game? It may flare up again. I don't know. But we're not going to take any chances with it.

"I don't think it's overcautious. I just think it's the right program. There's a lot of people, including Zach, who weighed in on this program. Take him 10 days ago and have it happen again? It doesn't seem very smart."

Showalter then posed a question to one of the reporters in his Saturday pregame session.

"You're the manager and he comes back, does he close the first night if it's there?" Showalter asked.

"Ideally, no," he was told.

"You sound like me," he replied.

"I'm not going to tell you. It's a competitive issue. I don't know. We've got some good guys to pick from."

I'll spin the question to you. Does Britton immediately regain his job as closer, or should the Orioles ease him into it, as they did with Darren O'Day as primary setup man?

I'm removing the governors, as Showalter likes to say, and letting Britton close.

The injury news also is good on first baseman Chris Davis, who threw for the first time yesterday. So far, he's pain-free in the oblique area and the Orioles will make sure today that nothing has changed.

Davis could begin an injury rehab assignment during the break and be activated immediately after it.

The Orioles made two trades after yesterday's 7-1 win over the Rays, sending international signing bonus slots to the Dodgers and Yankees for left-hander Jason Wheeler and right-hander Matt Wotherspoon, respectively. Both pitchers were assigned to Norfolk. One of them will likely be referred to at least once as "Witherspoon."

To explain again why the Orioles don't hold onto these slots, it's an organizational/ownership philosophy that the money can be spent more wisely, with less risk. They use the slots like bargaining chips. Agree or disagree, that's the reason.

The Twins selected Wheeler in the eighth round of the 2011 draft out of Loyola-Marymount, and the Dodgers purchased his contract last month. He allowed three earned runs (five total) in three innings against the Astros in two relief appearances this year, with six hits and four walks. He was 4-1 with a 4.50 ERA in eight games (seven starts) with Triple-A Rochester.

Wotherspoon was a 34th-round pick of the Yankees in 2014 out of the University of Pittsburgh. He was 2-1 with a 1.67 ERA in 15 relief appearances at Double-A Trenton and 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in six appearances (one start) at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He's 16-10 with a 2.96 ERA in 97 career minor league games.

Left-hander Jayson Aquino will join the Orioles in Milwaukee and likely start Wednesday while Chris Tillman goes on paternity leave. Aquino is 2-7 with a 4.46 ERA in 12 starts with Norfolk. He's made three appearances with the Orioles, including one start, and allowed eight runs and 10 hits with six walks and six strikeouts in eight innings.

I'm making my second trip to Milwaukee and my first to Miller Park. It was so long ago since I covered a series at County Stadium that I don't remember a single detail about it.

My research tells me that the series was in 1997, a year before the Brewers moved to the National League. The Orioles took four of six games in Milwaukee and lost four of five at home.

The Orioles won two of three at Camden Yards in 2003 and lost two of three at Miller Park in 2008 and 2014.

Jonathan Schoop homered twice in the series opener on May 26, 2014 and the Orioles won 7-6 in 10 innings on Nick Hundley's RBI single that scored J.J. Hardy, who had three hits that night. Brewers pitcher Yovani Gallardo, later an Oriole, had a pinch-hit walk-off double in the 10th inning the following night.

Nelson Cruz went 5-for-10 in the series with two doubles, three home runs, four RBIs, four runs scored and three walks. Last time I checked, he's no longer in the organization.

The Orioles last swept the Brewers in a three-game series in Milwaukee in 1996. The Brewers last three-game sweep at home was in 1991.

One day I plan on forgiving the Brewers for their 10-2 win over the Orioles in the final regular season game in 1982. I'll get over Ben Oglive's catch in the left field corner that television cameras didn't capture live. I'll stop yelling about Don Sutton scuffing the ball.

One day.