The Orioles are preparing for the possibility that starter Dylan Bundy is headed to the 10-day injured list after a medical exam this morning revealed tendinitis in his right knee.
Bundy lasted only one inning and 37 pitches last night, allowing a season-high seven runs and revealing afterward that he felt discomfort while throwing in the outfield and in the bullpen and throughout his abbreviated start.
"We're going to monitor here and have some more discussions about it in the next hour about what we're going to do about that - how long it's going to be, if he's going to miss a start, those type of things," said manager Brandon Hyde.
"If he has to miss a start, then probably (IL). So we don't know the timetable yet. The trainers are talking about it with Mike (Elias) in the next hour or so."
Bundy told Hyde that he's had a similar injury in the past.
"I don't know if it just flared up pregame yesterday or what happened," Hyde said.
Hyde didn't find out about the soreness until Bundy returned to the dugout and the decision was made to pull him from the game, which the Orioles lost 16-4. Bundy was charged with seven runs and eight hits.
"I give credit to a guy who tries to gut through stuff," Hyde said. "Dylan's obviously a really tough kid. I probably would like to know, but I give him a lot of credit for trying to grind through things."
Right-hander Tayler Scott is in the clubhouse and on the taxi squad. He could be recalled from Triple-A Norfolk after Game 1, perhaps to replace David Hess, who's the 26th man and likely the backup to opener Aaron Brooks. Scott also could take Bundy's roster spot if the IL is needed.
"A few different scenarios with Dylan and the possibility of the IL, what happens in this first game," Hyde said.
"We're in a tough spot. We've been doing this all year, it feels like, except for the last couple of series where we actually could almost manage a bullpen in a normal situation. But all year long we've been trying to just piece things together and try to finish games. Unfortunately, that happened yesterday.
"I didn't really want to use Gabby (Gabriel Ynoa) yesterday because Gabby was going to piggyback after Aaron today, but we had to try to finish a major league baseball game somehow with a doubleheader the next day. So now we have a starter going in the first game of a doubleheader who's going to go one, two, maybe three innings if possible, and then try to figure it out and try to play again tonight.
"We'll see how it goes. I don't know. Try to piece it together."
The Orioles claimed Scott off waivers from the Mariners on June 25 and optioned him to Norfolk. He's on the 40-man roster.
Scott, 27, is the first pitcher from South Africa to play in the majors. He served as the Mariners' opener against the Orioles in Seattle and walked the bases loaded in two-thirds of an inning. In five appearances, he registered a 9.39 ERA and 2.217 WHIP in 7 2/3 innings.
The Tides used Scott for four relief appearances and he tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings with no walks and seven strikeouts.
A week has passed since Scott pitched for Norfolk.
Coming to the Orioles organization has "been exciting," he said.
"I know it's an opportunity that's going to be here, so I was very excited to get going and see if I could get up here," Scott said.
"Anytime you go to a new team it's a fresh start and there's time to impress the coaches and manager, so it's definitely a fresh start."
When Scott is most effective, he's getting good sinking movement and flashing a sharp slider.
"That's mainly it," he said, "just throwing it in the zone and letting it work is usually when it's best."
The Cubs drafted Scott in the fifth round in 2011 and Hyde became familiar with him while working as minor league field coordinator and director of player development. Scott's fastball was topping out in the low 90s but he increased the velocity as he matured.
Scott's four-seamer averaged 96.5 mph in his appearance against the Orioles.
Reliever Nate Karns was back in the clubhouse this morning, but he's headed to Double-A Bowie to continue his rehab assignment.
Karns worked two-thirds of an inning last night at Single-A Frederick and allowed three runs and two hits with three walks. He's on the 60-day injured list with a right forearm strain.
"I just walked by him in the weight room," Hyde said. "He said the velo was up a little bit, feels good physically, but the results weren't there for him. Sounds like command wasn't great, which is kind of to be expected a little bit, but he said he feels OK. That's good news."
Outfielder DJ Stewart fouled a ball off his right ankle last night - the same one he sprained - and came out of Norfolk's game as a precaution. He was a little sore last night, but expected to be available tonight.
Update: The Orioles placed Bundy on the IL and recalled Scott from Norfolk.