More on Bundy, O'Day, Kim and Britton (O's win 4-3)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter doesn't expect right-hander Dylan Bundy to require any major adjustments while going from a relief role to Sunday's starting pitcher.

Bundy basically has been working on a starter's schedule with the amount of rest between outings.

"It was part of the process," Showalter said while explain the decision to start Bundy. "Really, he's not going to be doing a whole lot different than what he's been doing. He's had three or four days off, sometimes five, and pitched multiple innings. That's kind of what he's going to do now.

"The process started in the offseason. We've followed a pretty strict regiment to get to this point. There are 75 games left and you're always trying to manage what's best for the player and what the needs of the club are. I've talked to a lot of people about it medically, trainers and pitching coaches, and everyone's in agreement. There's no set (blueprint). All this stuff about increment jumps and all that, it's very convenient to say all those things, but there's nothing to back it up. It's all individual.

"Dylan feels good and like I said, there's not going to be a whole lot of changes other than he'll have a work day in between, which he had some."

Showalter gave Bundy the news yesterday at the workout.

"I walked by him out here," Showalter said. "I waited and said, 'What are you doing today?' He said, 'I've got a little touch and feel.' I told him, 'Why don't you take it a little further and start the game on Sunday instead of coming in in the fourth or fifth inning?" So that's fine. He's a smart kid, probably our top chess player from what I hear."

The next question is: How far can the Orioles extend Bundy?

"I'm not going into it with any preconceived ideas," Showalter said. "The other team is going to kind of tell me, Dylan is going to kind of tell me. I'm going to keep an open mind about it. We'll do what's best for Dylan and the Orioles, which is one in the same.

"We think he has a chance to help us in that capacity, just like he's been able to help us. You've seen kind of the evolution from where he was in the spring and where he is now, and we just think this is the next step for him. It's not like we're doing something drastically different than what we have been doing.

"It was tough. It was a real tribune to guys like (Vance) Worley and (T.J. ) McFarland and (Odrisamer) Despaigne and people who were able to pitch multiple innings to keep all of our guys out of the league leaders and to keep our people healthy. It was really paramount - we knew coming out of spring - to have two guys just about all the time who could pitch multiple innings, which is hard to do in the American League. It's hard to find those guys and we're lucky to have them."

Bundy figures to get more than one chance as a starter, but the Orioles aren't offering any guarantees.

"We'll find out," Showalter said. "Like I said, Tampa will tell us. The next team will tell us. We've been adjusting since Sarasota, the first day. We take information in and try to put our best foot forward. Right now, we think Dylan is potentially our best foot forward."

The Orioles are trying to acquire another starter, but not without considering the internal options.

"We want to make sure the answers aren't in our own backyard before we start coveting a bunch of other people's players," Showalter said. "It's also a lot cheaper. We don't have to trade a single player for Dylan or (Donnie) Hart."

The Orioles could get back an important bullpen piece by activating Darren O'Day from the disabled list. His right leg is much better and he's throwing bullpen sessions.

"If we get him back on the mound tomorrow again, then we may have a baseball decision to make, so that's encouraging," Showalter said. "He did a lot of stuff today covering first, moving around, so we'll see. If he does that tomorrow and feels good on Sunday, then we'll start moving that. Then we get into sim games, rehab starts.

"We're going to take one step at a time, obviously, but that's what's next is whether. 'OK, do we do a sim or do we go right to rehab? Does he even need rehab? Can he just go off a couple sim games?' We're not talking about a guy who's going to pitch four or five innings."

Hyun Soo Kim may be forced onto the disabled list with a strained hamstring. The Orioles will decide within the next few days.

"Kim ran yesterday," Showalter said. "Feels a little better. Not 100 percent yet. We'll probably take that through Sunday and see where we are on it.

"If he said one more day (after Sunday), we'd wait another day, but after Wednesday is when you lose ... 10 days is the most you can backdate it. Counting today would be five. I could use him today if I had to."

Left-hander Brian Duensing, who underwent surgery last month to remove cartilage particles in his elbow, is supposed to throw Saturday for the first time. Lefty T.J. McFarland, on the DL with left knee inflammation, is throwing on flat ground.

"They want a certain amount of time before they let him get back on a mound. He's getting close to that," Showalter said.

Closer Zach Britton is available tonight and Matt Wieters is behind the plate after they contracted food poisoning in San Diego. The risks associated with being All-Stars.

"I think it must have been the sushi," Showalter said. "Wieters had to fly back on a commercial flight. He said it was the longest flight of his life. He was pretty sick. But they both seem to be OK now. Zach had a pretty good day yesterday here, but he was pretty sick coming back. They both ate the same thing."

Britton wasn't going to let a bad stomach ruin a good experience in San Diego.

"It was fun," he said. "I kind of knew what to expect going in there, so I felt like I enjoyed it a little bit more. And I was there with my teammates, too, so we had a good time."

Britton earned the save in the American League's 4-2 victory that assured home field in the World Series.

"Ned (Yost) told me when I got there that if there was a save situation, I was going to be the guy, which was pretty cool for him to tell me," Britton said. "I kind of just sat there and waited to see how the game was going to play out."

Just another save situation?

"I guess a little bit," he said. "Obviously, not a lot of familiar faces around, but I tried to prepare myself. The game matters. It could be a game that affects us, so I wanted to take it seriously and be prepared like I'd normally do it. It was nice to get the save and that was something I'll remember for a while."

Brad Brach warmed up, but he didn't make it into the game.

"I thought he was going to get a chance to go in and it would have really been nice for him and he definitely deserved to go in that game and pitch, but I think (Yost) was trying to save some relievers just in case it went into extra innings, so unfortunately he didn't get in."

Showalter provided an updated on Double-A Bowie left-hander Chris Lee, who's on the disabled list with a strained lat.

"He started throwing and had some discomfort there, so they just shut him down again and kind of give him a little bit longer healing period," Showalter said. "They don't think it's anything structurally there. It just didn't quit get enough time for that to manage itself. That's what Dr. (Michael) Jacobs felt.

"I don't know how much time. They just slowed down again."

Update: Yovani Gallardo threw 29 pitches in the first inning, but he allowed only one run on Steven Souza, Jr.'s bases-loaded ground ball. Souza and Corey Dickerson, who flied out to end the inning, swung at the first pitch.

Chris Archer has retired the first six Orioles and struck out three.

Update II: Gallardo is up to 58 pitches in two innings and the Orioles are down 2-0.

Gallardo has allowed four hits, including Logan Forsythe's RBI single in the second, and walked four batters.

Update III: Pedro Alvarez homered with one out in the third to reduce the lead to 2-1. He's the sixth Oriole to reach double figures in home runs, and Wieters has nine.

Update IV: Gallardo is up to 77 pitches in three innings and the Orioles are down 3-1 after Luke Maile's two-out RBI single. Eleven of 19 batters have reached against him.

Update V: Alvarez has another RBI, his double off the top of the left-center field fence scoring J.J. Hardy in the fifth inning and reducing the lead to 3-2.

Update VI: The Orioles tied the game in the sixth on Matt Wieters' fielder's choice grounder to short. Manny Machado scored after a leadoff double and Mark Trumbo's single.

Gallardo allowed three runs and eight hits in five innings, with four walks and two strikeouts. He threw 108 pitches, 67 for strikes.

Update VII: Jonathan Schoop led off the top of the eighth inning with his 15th home run to give the Orioles a 4-3 lead. Brad Brach is warming.

Update VIII: The Orioles defeated the Rays 4-3 for their fifth victory in their last six games.

Brach retired the Rays in order in the eighth and Zach Britton recorded his 28th save after putting runners on the corners with one out and striking out Logan Morrison and Souza.

Schoop is second on the team with 10 game-winning RBIs, trailing Chris Davis (11).