Kevin Gausman to start second half of season in Orioles rotation

Hallelujah! The Orioles confirmed on Saturday that Wednesday's starter for the Orioles is going to be Kevin Gausman, who started yesterday for Norfolk. That means he will start on regular rest for his next start and, with Bud Norris sticking in the bullpen for now, Gausman looks to be a fixture in the rotation, finally.

For your first test of the second half, Kevin, you'll only have to face the Yankees in Yankee Stadium - but hey, he's going to have to learn how to beat them eventually, right?

Manager Buck Showalter indicated that the O's will have to trim down a position player in order to put Gausman on the roster, as the team does not want to go short in the bullpen again. Chris Parmelee and Nolan Reimold can probably consider themselves on notice. Maybe the decision has already been made as to who it will be and it's just a matter of time in which they'll wait to see if someone gets injured.

Showalter said that another option who remains on the radar for the O's is outfielder Dariel Alvarez. If that's the case, then probably both of Parmelee and Reimold should feel like they're on notice - and maybe even Steve Pearce as well, even if he's managed to get himself voted as the fan's choice bobblehead for September. The Orioles, you have probably noticed, are not in a place where they can wait around for underperforming guys any longer.

A more remote possibility would be that the O's trade somebody between now and Wednesday. They may yet end up waving the white flag on the season, but it would be a surprise if they do so with more than a week to go until the trade deadline.