The Orioles hope to salve a win this afternoon against the A’s and avoid a three-game sweep here at Camden Yards.
After sitting out the past two games with tightness in his right biceps, Orioles catcher Matt Wieters is back in the starting lineup today.
“It feels good,” Wieters said. “There’s a little bit of soreness, but no more tightness or pain at all.”
The switch-hitting Wieters, who is currently mired in a 1-for-30 slump, said two days ago he felt pain extending his left-handed swings. But with left-hander Travis Blackney starting for Oakland, Wieters will hit from the right side of the plate.
“We’ll see,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “He semi-tried to talk us into playing yesterday. The thing I feel good about is that I think Matt will be honest with us and let us know.”
With Blackley starting for Oakland, designated hitter Jim Thome, who missed Saturday’s game with neck spasms, is out of the starting lineup, but Showalter left the door open for Thome to be used as a late-inning pinch-hitting option.
Here are the starting lineups:
Orioles
Nick Markakis RF
J.J. Hardy SS
Adam Jones CF
Matt Wieters C
Lew Ford LF
Mark Reynolds 1B
Chris Davis DH
Wilson Betemit 3B
Omar Quintanilla 2B
Wei-Yin Chen LHP
Athletics
Jemile Weeks 2B
Jonny Gomes DH
Josh Reddick RF
Yoenis Cespedes CF
Chris Carter 1B
Brandon Inge 3B
Derek Norris C
Seth Smith LF
Brandon Hicks SS
Travis Blackley LHP
