SAN DIEGO -- Brandon Hyde is a rookie manager with a clubhouse full of young players, many of whom haven’t previously experienced seeing their names bandied about before the Trade Deadline.
But the Orioles’ skipper says he hasn’t had to spend a lot of time taking the temperature of the team, checking to see whether any players might be turning their attention to the rumor mill rather than the task at hand on the field.
“No, not really,” Hyde said Monday as the calendar drew within two days of the Deadline.
Hyde spent his previous five seasons on the Cubs’ coaching staff, and the last four in Chicago were strong “buyer” years for the Cubs. But he has mastered the mantra about possible changes on the other side of the Deadline picture.
His comments Monday were in sync with what he has said for the past few weeks.
“Guys are so aware now, and there’s movement, things happening, it seems every hour now,” Hyde said. “I don’t think it’s any kind of secret that, where we are organizationally, that we’re going to try to get as many young players as possible.
“It’s not something we’ve openly talked about. I think guys are just aware of the situation. And it hasn’t affected our play. We’ve played good. We just had a good series in Anaheim, and we’ve played pretty good the past month.”
Right fielder Trey Mancini, middle infielder Jonathan Villar and right-handed reliever Mychal Givens are considered the top trade targets among the Orioles, with right-handed starter Dylan Bundy also a possibility.
“We might have five guys move; we might have nobody move,” Hyde said. “It’s very up in the air. We’ll see what happens.”
Means on track to return
Hyde said he expects All-Star left-hander John Means to return from the injured list to start during the series against the Yankees from Aug. 5-7. Means has left rotator cuff inflammation, but an MRI showed no structural damage.
“I talked to the medical people again today, and they feel good about it,” Hyde said.
Hess up, Phillips down
The Orioles recalled right-hander David Hess from Triple-A Norfolk to start their series opener Monday against the Padres at Petco Park. Right-hander Evan Phillips was optioned to Norfolk.
Hess, 26, spent the season's first 2 1/2 months in the Orioles' starting rotation, but he posted a 1-9 record and 7.15 ERA. He was 1-1 with a 4.56 ERA in eight games at Norfolk, including starts in his past two outings.
Hess threw 86 pitches Thursday for Norfolk and pitched on three days' rest against the Padres while filling in for Means.
Phillips, 24, has shuttled between Baltimore and Norfolk this season. He has a 7.85 ERA in 17 big league relief outings and a 5.68 ERA in 19 relief appearances at Triple-A.
Worth noting
• Right-hander Tom Eshelman will start Tuesday vs. the Padres, Hyde said. He had previously been listed as the bulk reliever to follow an opener.
• Renato Nunez lost a double because of a scoring change. His third-inning double on Saturday vs. the Angels has been changed to an error on third baseman Matt Thaiss.