Means returning to Baltimore, placed on IL
Orioles left-hander John Means was transferred from the bereavement list to the injured list on Tuesday and is headed back to Baltimore to follow baseball's COVID-19 protocol after traveling to be with his family. Means originally left the team to attend a family matter and missed a scheduled start against the Nationals this past weekend.
Means' wife Caroline announced on Twitter on Friday that John's father, Alan, passed away after a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer.
The O’s lone All-Star a year ago, Means is 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA this season after two starts -- both truncated outings as he builds up from a bout of left arm fatigue.
Means began the year on the injured list and missed one start due to the arm issue, then allowed five runs in his debut against the Yankees. He pitched much better in a 4-0 loss to Miami, but he was removed after 4 2/3 innings due to pitch-count issues.
Means added close to 3 mph of average fastball velocity throwing into a mattress during quarantine in his native Kansas City, and also pitching to his brother, Jake -- a third baseman in the Royals' system -- in controlled settings.
Thomas Eshelman has taken Means' spot in the rotation while he was away, tossing four innings of two-run ball on Saturday. Eshelman will start Wednesday's series finale in Philadelphia.
Nice start
The Orioles are off to a 7-7 start. That’s better than their record though 14 games last year, in which they were 5-9. Manager Brandon Hyde believes the pitching staff is one of the reasons for the improvement. It helps that Baltimore is getting productive outings from left-hander Tommy Milone (1-1, 3.21 ERA) and right-hander Alex Cobb (1-1, 2.51), who started Tuesday's series opener in Philadelphia. Reliever Shawn Armstrong has also showed improvement from last year.
“All of our guys have been better. It has been a nice change from a strike standpoint," Hyde said. "Our guys have come into the game and they have been able to attack the first guy they face. We have done that well so far. We are hoping that continues.”
Worth noting
• Infielder José Iglesias was not in Tuesday’s starting lineup because of left quad soreness, but he entered the game in the ninth and played the final two defensive innings of the wild 10-9 victory.
• Catcher Pedro Severino (left hand contusion) did return to the starting lineup on Tuesday, hitting fifth and going 1-for-5 with the game-tying RBIs in the ninth.
• The Nationals and Orioles will resume Sunday's suspended game on Friday at Oriole Park. The suspended game will begin at 5:05 p.m. ET, and Baltimore will remain the road team. Play will resume with one out in the top of the sixth inning, with runners on first and second with the O's leading, 5-2. The suspended game will finish as a nine-inning affair, as well as the originally scheduled game the two teams will play after that.
• The Orioles released left-hander Ty Blach on Monday. He underwent Tommy John surgery last month.