Orioles manager Brandon Hyde is a long way from deciding what the back-end of his rotation will look like, or how frequently the shuttle between Baltimore and Triple-A Norfolk will run this season.
He is, however, at least open to the idea of adopting the "opener" strategy popularized by the Tampa Bay Rays — Tuesday's opponent at Ed Smith Stadium — and using a pitcher for a few batters at the beginning of the game to set up a stretched-out pitcher behind him.
"What they did last year [in Tampa Bay] with it, they had a bunch of good arms with options that kind of went out of the box and did the opener and did different things," Hyde said.