After surrendering two runs over three innings to the Astros on Sunday, T.J. McFarland has been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. The Orioles somehow managed to only score two runs against a seemingly dominant Houston pitching staff, but McFarland gave up a two-run bomb to Marc Krauss (who’s hitting .187) in the seventh inning, giving the Astros a 5-2 lead.
The Baltimore Sun’s Dan Connolly reports that the O’s are looking for a long reliever in the pen to replace McFarland.
Candidates to be called up could include Josh Stinson, assuming the club places him back on the 40-man roster, as well as Steve Johnson, who recently returned from injury, and Suk-min Yoon, who has struggled with consistency.
Right-handed starters Kevin Gausman and Mike Wright pitched Saturday and Sunday, respectively, so they presumably would not be ready to come out of the Orioles bullpen Monday.
Other right-handers on the 40-man roster include Preston Guilmet, Brad Brach and Evan Meek, who pitched two innings Sunday for Norfolk.
After a brief glance at the Triple-A stats, Josh Stinson appears to be the most likely candidate to return to Baltimore. He’s thrown 5.1 innings, posted a 1.69 ERA and 0.75 WHIP.
Image Credit: Keith Allison
