More moves coming for Orioles before series opener (updated)

The Orioles are expected to make more adjustments to their pitching staff after another extra-inning game yesterday that required Jimmy Yacabonis to cover the first four and Yefry Ramirez to follow with five scoreless.

Ramirez didn't have to shut out the Mariners for five innings, but he went the extra mile in regulation.

It's always a guessing game with an off-day on the horizon - the next one arrives on Monday - and the unpredictable nature of a team that's slipping deeper into evaluation mode. The opponent also can dictate who gets called up and sent down.

I'm hearing rumblings about Triple-A Norfolk right-hander Ryan Meisinger and left-hander Paul Fry, who aren't on the 40-man roster. They both broke minor league camp with Double-A Bowie before earning promotions.

Meisinger moved up to Norfolk on May 18 and has gone 1-0 with a 2.05 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in 15 games. He's allowed five runs, walked five batters and struck out 30 over 22 innings.

Fry, who accompanied Meisinger to Norfolk, was 3-0 with a 2.84 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 15 games with Bowie and has registered a 3.47 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 13 games with the Tides. He's allowed nine earned runs, walked four batters and struck out 29 in 23 1/3 innings.

The Orioles recalled Fry in April 2017 and optioned him a few days later before he could make his major league debut.

No roster moves were announced following yesterday's 4-2, 10-inning loss to the Mariners. The pitching staff still included Yacabonis and Ramirez, and neither one would be available for at least the next few days after throwing 67 and 52 pitches, respectively.

Did Ramirez earn a job in the bullpen with his outstanding performance, or maybe as a starter down the road if, for example, David Hess continues to labor or Dylan Bundy has a setback in his recovery from a sprained ankle?

Ramirez doesn't win over all the scouts who have tracked him through the minors. As I wrote earlier this month before his major league debut, you often hear the word "fringy" to describe his stuff, and his ceiling tends to be fifth starter or long reliever. But the Mariners barely touched him yesterday.

You also might hear the word "ambushed," with Ramirez and his changeup in a mid-afternoon game tying up an unsuspecting opponent. Or maybe he was just that good and can be a useful member of the staff in whatever capacity. Don't overthink it.

The Orioles have the worst record in baseball and could blow past the 1988 team on the way down. Manager Buck Showalter made it clear yesterday that winning still matters to him, but he supports the idea of trying to get his arms around the potential of young pitchers and hitters to contribute moving forward.

"I don't like losing any games. It eats at you," he said. "But you should be doing those things all the time, because things are always evolving, especially in our situation compared to some of the people we compete against in this division."

The Orioles seem truly committed to making Yacabonis a starter and can't shuttle him back and forth to change roles. It's understandable that circumstances don't always allow for continuity. A desperate need for a fresh bullpen arm again could affect him. But ideally, he should be allowed to take the path that the Orioles laid out for him

Tossing jagged rocks at his feet isn't the best way to get him where he needs to be.

The Orioles will hold their usual advance meeting prior to tonight's series opener against the Angels. It's more of a refresher course, given the three games played last month in Anaheim and how Showalter and his coaches routinely take the next opponent into consideration while making moves.

Ramirez was recalled yesterday to provide length behind Yacabonis, who showed up with a projected ceiling of five innings. The alternative was using Hess in that role and starting Ramirez tonight.

Donnie Hart was optioned again because he isn't used in multiple innings - he totaled 1 2/3 this month in three appearances - and Showalter already studied the Angels' active roster and found only three left-handed hitters.

A team leaning so heavily to the right theoretically will match up more favorably against left-handed pitching. The Angels actually had posted a .250 average in 2,123 at-bats versus right-handers before yesterday, and a .230 average in 644 at-bats against southpaws, but it isn't a discrepancy that's going to influence matchups.

Right-handers are 6-for-12 against Hart in eight games. Left-handers are 6-for-21, including Kyle Seager's 11th-inning single last year and the three batters with hits off him in a June 23 game in Atlanta.

Hart was deemed expendable again with the Angels coming to town, but perhaps another left-hander is set to arrive while Tanner Scott is unavailable following appearances in three of the last four games. Showalter wanted to rest him yesterday and couldn't do it.

The Angels swept the Orioles in Anaheim while outscoring them 25-12. Brad Brach, Bundy and Chris Tillman absorbed the losses.

Update: Confirming that the Orioles will select the contracts of Meisinger and Fry later today.