Kevin Gausman’s first run with the Orioles in the 2014 season ended just over 24 hours after it began.
The 23-year-old right-hander was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk to make room for right-handed reliever Evan Meek as Baltimore was preparing to begin a four-game series against the Kansas City Royals on Thursday.
Pitching on three days’ rest and less than two weeks removed from being diagnosed with a bout of pneumonia, Gausman struggled in his 2014 debut against the Detroit Tigers, surrendering five earned runs in four innings of work as the Orioles were swept in a 7-5 final on Wednesday afternoon. Though the 2012 first-round pick had posted a 2.08 earned run average in his six starts for the Tides, the decision to recall him after such a tumultuous two weeks was questionable at best as he hadn’t gotten back in the normal routine of a starting pitcher.
Manager Buck Showalter shared the desire to give left-hander Wei-Yin Chen an extra day of rest — and hinted that he didn’t want the lefty pitching against a Detroit lineup that’s mostly right-handed — and didn’t want to start Miguel Gonzalez on three days’ rest, prompting his temporary move to the bullpen for this turn through the rotation. It’s assumed that Gonzalez will now return to his spot in the rotation temporarily seized by Gausman.
Meek made the Orioles’ Opening Day club after being invited to spring training as a non-roster player and got off to a strong start before running into struggles in late April. The former 2010 All-Star selection had a 6.94 ERA in 11 2/3 inning for the Orioles and will likely find himself in more low-pressure situations than he did earlier in the season.
The 31-year-old allowed four earned runs over 6 1/3 innings spanning five appearances for the Tides.
