Baltimore Orioles
Orioles' Bundy in uncharted territory as he faces A's (Aug 23, 2017)
Baltimore Orioles

Orioles' Bundy in uncharted territory as he faces A's (Aug 23, 2017)

Published Aug. 23, 2017 2:38 a.m. ET

BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Orioles are being very careful with starter Dylan Bundy at this point of the season.

Bundy (12-8, 4.17) has been the lone member of the rotation to show any consistency this season. However, he also has a history of injury problems, including Tommy John surgery, and the 2016 season was his first full year in the major leagues.

That is why when Bundy starts Wednesday afternoon in the series finale with the Oakland A's, it will be the first time the right-hander has pitched since an Aug. 12 start against the same team, when he earned the victory in a 12-5 win.

Oakland will call up right-hander Daniel Gossett (3-6, 5.17 ERA) from Triple-A Nashville to make the start. Sean Manaea was supposed to pitch, but the A's (55-71) announced the change after their 6-4 victory over Baltimore on Tuesday.

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Manaea is 0-3 with an 8.17 ERA in his past six starts, leaving him 8-8 with a 4.58 ERA for the season.

The Orioles (61-65) have spread Bundy out more in the second half of the season. The right-hander already has pitched 140 1/3 innings this year, the most he has thrown in a year during his professional career. Last season, he threw 109 2/3 innings.

Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said Bundy understands the situation.

"I think he's handled the rest well," Showalter said. "I know he's charting every game in the dugout. I've been real impressed with the maturity he's handled it with. Believe me, he wants to be out there every fifth day."

Bundy is 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA against the A's in two career appearances.

Gossett, who has never faced Baltimore, has started in all 10 major league games he has appeared in this season. The right-hander most recently pitched for Oakland on Aug. 2, when he held the San Francisco Giants to one run on three hits in seven innings during a 6-1 victory.

He went 1-1 with a 4.60 ERA in three starts for Nashville after being sent down following the San Francisco game. Gossett struck out 17 and walked five over 15 2/3 innings during those outings.

Oakland shortstop Marcus Semien's status for Wednesday was not known, as he came out early from the Monday game and sat out Tuesday. Manager Bob Melvin said Semien was dealing with irritation of the scar tissue in his surgically repaired right wrist.

The A's have an off day Thursday, and that could also factor in Melvin's decision to play Semien on Wednesday, as three consecutive days off could help.

Melvin also enjoyed that his team's Boog Powell met the Orioles legend of the same name before the Tuesday game, especially because it came one day after the young outfielder hit his first major league homer.

"You see a lot of cool things, unique things, in this game," Melvin said. "Sometimes things surprise you, some don't. That (homer) was a little bit of a surprise, being his first home run and hitting it in the direction that he did (near the elder Powell's barbecue stand at Camden Yards)."

The A's also dealt with some trouble Tuesday when starter Paul Blackburn had to exit after being hit on his pitching arm by a shot from Trey Mancini. Blackburn had a 5-0 lead in the fifth but had to leave the game.

Melvin said after the game that X-rays showed no fracture or break, adding that Blackburn might have been fortunate.

"We're calling it a bruised hand/wrist," Melvin said. "We'll see how he is in the next couple of days. He (was) sailing along pretty good ... and maybe as good command-wise as we've seen him pitch."

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