After yielding slam, Mychal Givens bounced back last night

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Besides having a mid- to high-90s fastball and nasty slider, Orioles right-hander Mychal Givens has something else that helps him pitch well as a reliever - a short memory.

When Givens took the mound Friday night at Camden Yards in the eighth inning, he was trying to protect a 2-1 lead for Kevin Gausman and help the Orioles beat the Tigers. When he entered that game, he had pitched to an ERA of 0.60 his previous 26 games. But he allowed two singles and a walk, and with the bases loaded, faced hot-hitting Justin Upton. Upton won that battle. His grand slam to left handed the Tigers a comeback win and the Orioles a gut-punch loss by a 5-2 score.

Givens had to wait a couple of days to get back on the horse, so to speak. He took the mound last night at Angels Stadium with the Orioles leading 6-2 in the eighth. He pitched a scoreless inning with one walk on 22 pitches.

"You always want to get back out there after a rough outing like that," he said this afternoon. "At the same time, just glad we are doing well and hopefully we make a run here for the wild card or for the top of the East.

"I'm not a big guy with ... just leave everthing in the past. You are going to have outings like that. Just get back up the next morning and push toward your next outing. I think you get better at it after a few times. It is tough as a bullpen guy. You try to always be crisp, but if not, you have to brush it off and get ready to put up a scoreless outing after that."

Now pitching in more high-leverage situations than ever, it is not like Givens comes into blowout games or can coast through any outings. He is often out there in a game on the line type of situation.

"Yeah, you have to be ready go. But having the guys we have in our bullpen, I've learned from them and they've been a really big help," he said.

But he also relishes the chance to pitch in big spots, even if sometimes he doesn't come through.

"But I like those situations and the the tough roles and that Buck (Showalter) trusts me," he said.

Givens is 7-1 with a 2.44 ERA over 49 games. In 55 1/3 innings, he has allowed 39 hits with 15 walks and 58 strikeouts. He gives up an average of just .146 when he pitches with runners in scoring position and just .083 (2-for-24) with RISP and two outs.

Givens and Brad Brach finished last night's win for Dylan Bundy, who went seven innings and fanned a career-high 10 batters. It was a good start to a long, 10-game West Coast swing.

"It is a really big road trip, especially competing against Seattle and the Angels for the wild card. Hopefully we have a strong series here and then go on to Oakland and Seattle and do well there," Givens said.