Late last October the Orioles made a move that would have a big impact on the 2014 season, even if maybe we didn't completely realize it at the time. They hired Dave Wallace as pitching coach. Wallace had been the minor league pitching coordinator for four seasons for the Atlanta Braves. He would bring plenty of experience to the Orioles. He had been a pitching coach for four major league teams - the Houston Astros (2007), Boston Red Sox (2003-06), New York Mets (1999-2000) and Los Angeles Dodgers (1995-97). He was with the Mets when they won the 2000 National League pennant and the Red Sox when they won the 2004 World Series. The Orioles would later hire Dom Chiti as bullpen coach. Wallace and Chiti were good friends and had worked together in Atlanta.

Wallace and Chiti seem to always be together and O's pitchers like it that way. They've responded to their tutelage and now trust them fully. Earlier today I wrote about the O's pitchers helping each other, but no doubt Wallace and Chiti have played a major role for a staff that now ranks fifth in the league in team ERA at 3.67 and is just two points out of third where Tampa Bay sits at 3.65. "At first they were pretty quiet," Bud Norris said. "They wanted to get to know us and most of us had big league time under our belt. They instill confidence in us to pitch to our strengths. "We do the research and we get a lot of information about counts and stuff like that, but making the right pitch is up to you. With the catchers we have and info we have, guys are pitching with confidence." Chris Tillman said the proof of how much the new coaches have helped is on the stat sheet. "I think you are seeing it right now," he said. "The results are there. These guys are solid. On and off the field. They have all the respect of everyone in the clubhouse. I think the world of both of them. "I think the way they went about it was, they didn't rush to try and change something. You come in and you've had a couple of bad starts, you go up to them and ask, 'What have you got?' They said, 'I'm still watching, give me more time.' "They are not, 'You have to do this, you have to do that.' It's not that. It's a process and they know it. They like to let us work it out and if we approach them, they are full of answers. "They've been around a long time and they've been great with all of us. Speaking for the group, everyone is ranting and raving about them. It's good to see."