Tillman hopes to return to mound Friday

OAKLAND -- Injured Orioles starting pitcher Chris Tillman threw from about 90 feet on Monday and believes he's making progress with his left ankle in hopes of starting on Friday.

Tillman, who was skipped from Monday's slated start after rolling his ankle last week, is slated to throw a bullpen session on Wednesday. The team will know much more about his status after that.

"So we'll wait until we get through Wednesday until I give it a whole lot of thought but [Dave Wallace] and I were talking about it and the 11th is where you've got to start [a fifth guy]," said manager Buck Showalter, referring to a few upcoming off-days before that date. "If he's not fine by then, you're losing a lot of days."

Tillman, the Orioles' Opening Day starter, has had a fantastic second half, pitching to a 0.38 ERA in three second-half starts. He injured his ankle covering first base during his final inning of Wednesday's game.