Brach hoping for fresh start in relief role (O's down 2-1)

OAKLAND - Brad Brach is under the impression that his reduced workload of late is due to the Orioles wanting to freshen him up. It's more of an assumption and he understands the logic behind it.

Brach made the All-Star team after going 6-1 with a 0.91 ERA and 0.831 WHIP in 40 appearances in the first half. He's posted a 3.24 ERA and 1.440 WHIP in nine appearances in the second half, and his absences have been noticeable.

Logan Ondrusek worked the seventh inning last night with the Orioles down 2-1. He walked the first batter he faced and gave up a two-out RBI single to Stephen Vogt.

No sign of Brach, who hasn't pitched since Friday night in Chicago and has made only two appearances this month. He's been used in four games since July 24, the downshifting made possible with Darren O'Day's return from the disabled list.

"It's probably something like that," Brach said when asked about the team's desire to rest him. "I don't really know for sure. I don't have an answer for it.

"It seems like I ran into a little bit of a rut right there after the All-Star break and I think it just was kind of the innings catching up to me. I don't know if that's the case or not. I think just kind of a well-timed break from pitching every day kind of thing."

It isn't a physical issue with Brach.

"Everything feels fine," he said. "I think they may have seen something, maybe a little bit of fatigue and trying to pitch me a little bit less. I just think it's one of those times and it is what it is."

In his last six outings, Brach has surrendered four runs (three earned) and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. He's also walked three batters and his season ERA jumped from 0.86 on July 21 to 1.27 on Aug. 2 before his scoreless inning in Chicago.

Right-handers are batting .081 against Brach this season, but left-handers have increased their average from .239 to .265 over his last six appearances.

"I think it's just executing," he said. "I haven't been putting it where I want to and my changeup I haven't had the best feel for for the last month or so, and I think that's kind of playing into it. Lefties are maybe seeing that and recognizing it.

"I don't know if they're eliminating it, but it's one of those things where they've seen it so much that they kind of know what it's going to do. But I think it's just more execution than anything else."

As long as we're talking about execution, the Orioles did a nice job last night taking advantage of the expansive foul ground at Oakland Coliseum.

J.J. Hardy tagged and raced home in the third inning as Athletics first baseman Yonder Alonso ran down Manny Machado's pop up with his back to the infield. Where else in baseball can you find a sacrifice pop up?

Adam Jones and Hyun Soo Kim also were on base and they did more than just watch the play unfold. All that preparation in Sarasota paid off.

"We actually talked about that in the advance meeting," said manager Buck Showalter. "This is a place where you've really got to be cognizant of defending the pop ups in foul ground first and third, and you have to be cognizant of advancing. There's a lot of people who probably would tag and score on that play. The thing we were proud of was all three runners advanced.

"It's one of those plays you work on in spring, which we do. I know Oakland does. And you work on it and then it doesn't happen for two years. It's a way to fill some time in a drill. I know the players look at us like, 'Oh yeah, they're just inventing something to take up another three minutes and show how smart they are.' I'm glad that it came up. In fact, we put it on the tape. They'll see it again next spring. But there's a way you have to try to defend it. What do you do, not catch the ball?

"There's a lot of unique things here that you don't have in other parks. Some on the field and some off the field."

Don't bother asking Showalter how to defend it.

"I'm not going to go into that," he said. "There's a way without giving up the 270 feet. You really can't defend the 90 feet from third to home. You should be able to defend the other ones."

As for tonight's game, Wade Miley allowed a one-out single to Jake Smolinski in the bottom of the first but didn't surrender a run. He struck out Khris Davis to end the inning.

The A's have lost 12 of the last 15 games in which the opponent starts a left-hander and are 12-17 against southpaws, the second-worst record in the American League. The Mariners are 16-24.

Update: The Orioles don't have a baserunner in three innings and they trail 2-0 after the Athletics scored twice off Wade Miley in the bottom of the third.

Former Oriole Danny Valencia had an RBI double and Khris Davis added a sacrifice fly. Miley has thrown 48 pitches.

Update II: Adam Jones led off the fourth inning with his 22nd home run to reduce the lead to 2-1. His 1,403 hits with the Orioles are tied with Al Bumbry for 10th place on the club's all-time list.