O’Day goes on DL with right rotator cuff strain
His absence poses new test for bullpen
SAN FRANCISCO — The Orioles placed right-hander Darren O’Day on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with a right rotator cuff strain, losing their veteran lateinning reliever for the second time this season.
O’Day received a cortisone injection in his shoulder, and manager Buck Showalter said the reliever should be ready to return when eligible to be activated Aug. 27.
The move comes after O’Day flew back to Baltimore on Friday and was seen by team orthopedist Dr. Michael Jacobs on Saturday. O’Day complained of shoulder discomfort after a rocky outing Thursday in Oakland.
“I have a lot of confidence that we’ll get it resolved in that period,” Showalter said. “He also doesn’t want to leave our bullpen short. He knows it could be a challenge.”
The Orioles recalled righthander Tyler Wilson to fill O’Day’s spot in the bullpen. Wilson joined the club Friday on the 24-hour taxi squad while the Orioles awaited word on O’Day.
O’Day struggled in recent outings, allowing five runs in 12⁄3 innings over his past three appearances. He lasted just onethird of an inning in two of those three outings, including his most recent appearance in Oakland on Thursday, when he let three of the four hitters he faced reach base and yielded two runs.
O’Day missed more than seven weeks this season with a right hamstring strain, and again the bullpen will have to get by without him.
“We’ve already kind of done that and we’ll continue to do it,” Showalter said of having other relievers filling key roles in O’Day’s absence. “That’s who we are and how we have to do it.”
O’Day had never missed time because of shoulder problems since joining the Orioles but went on the DL late in the 2011 season with shoulder inflammation while with the Texas Rangers, missing 17 games.
The loss of O’Day comes as Showalter has been trying to give added rest to late-inning arms Brad Brach and closer Zach Britton, both of whom were used frequently during sparkling first halves that took both to the All-Star Game. It could also put rookie right-hander Mychal Givens, who has struggled against lefties, into more key situations late in games. Long reliever Vance Worley could also receive more late-inning appearances.
While Britton has been perfect in save chances this season, converting all 36, Brach had a 5.14 ERA over his eight appearances before Saturday. Pearce sits against lefty: Showalter was hoping he’d be able to get Steve Pearce in the lineup Saturday against San Francisco Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner. But Showalter said the only way he’d be able to start Pearce would be if he moved Chris Davis to the outfield.
Pearce hasn’t played since leaving Sunday’s game in Chicago with a right flexor mass strain, but he has avoided going on the disabled list for now.
Showalter said Pearce would have started at designated hitter Saturday if the Orioles weren’t playing in a National League park.
Showalter added that with the Orioles set to face left-handed starters Tuesday and Wednesday at home against the Boston Red Sox, he didn’t want to jeopardize Pearce being able to DH then.
Pearce entered Saturday hitting .345/.449/.672 against left-handed pitching this season. Davis coming out of slump? After hitting his second homer since the break and recording his third straight multihit game Friday, Davis is showing signs of breaking out of his slump.
Davis, who homered off Giants right-hander Matt Cain in the fifth inning with a solo oppositefield shot, is 6-for-11 with three runs and two walks over his three games before Saturday. After going homerless in his first 19 games coming out of the break, he homered twice in six games. Around the horn: Major League Baseball made a scoring change from Friday night’s game, taking an infield hit away from third baseman Manny Machado in the fourth inning. On the play, Machado hit a ground ball that deflected off of Cain. Even though Machado reached, outfielder Hyun Soo Kim, who was on second base, was caught in a rundown between second and third. After the league office reviewed the play, the base hit was removed in accordance with rule 9.05(b)(3). It was ruled a fielder’s choice for Machado, and made him 1-for-5 in the game.