Looking closer at position players pitching for Orioles

The Orioles used their 34th and 35th players Monday night when Stevie Wilkerson started in left field and Gabriel Ynoa worked a scoreless inning, their contracts selected from Triple-A Norfolk a day apart. Ynoa replaced Mike Wright, who was designated for assignment. Wilkerson returned to the club after Cedric Mullins was optioned.

The roll call of Orioles appearing in games this season includes 24 names listed under the pitching column. However, three are position players sent to the mound to alleviate additional stress on the bullpen.

Infielder Hanser Alberto, first baseman Chris Davis and catcher Jesús Sucre have each worked one inning, with mixed results, but they earned high praise for their willingness to do it.

Alberto is listed as a second baseman, third baseman and shortstop on baseball-reference.com, but he also made his pitching debut in an April 7 blowout loss to the Yankees. He was charged with two runs on Austin Romine's homer and his line also included two walks and a hit batter.

Manager Brandon Hyde summoned Alberto with no outs in the ninth after Clint Frazier's two-run homer off Dan Straily. Alberto moved from second base to the mound, Jonathan Villar shifted from shortstop to second and Richie Martin took over at short.

"When I went out there, I think he was a little taken aback," Hyde said. "He didn't know if I was kidding or not."

Alberto hit Gio Urshela and Romine homered. The next two batters walked, but a fielder's choice grounder and two fly balls held the Yankees at 15 runs.

The ballpark radar gun kept registering Alberto's pitches as curveballs, but he smiled later and said, "No, no, just fastballs, 74 mph fastballs."

Davis made his second career pitching appearance in Game 2 of Saturday night's doubleheader against the Twins - another blowout loss- and smudged the 0.00 ERA he carried after his two scoreless innings in Boston in 2012. Former teammate Jonathan Schoop hit a solo home run off him, but he also struck out Ehire Adrianza on 10 pitches - all of them fastballs in the 80s.

Sucre took his turn Monday night against the White Sox, retiring the side in order in the ninth in a 12-2 loss.

Someone had to do it.

All three pitching performances took place at Camden Yards, providing a little more entertainment for fans.

If there's a logical choice among position players, it's Sucre, who's done it six times, including a July 27, 2018 game against the Orioles while playing for the Rays. Brooksbaseball.net has him throwing only four-seam fastballs in his debut in 2015 with the Mariners, but later incorporating curveballs and changeups.

"Suc, I don't know if he's one of the better ones I've seen," Hyde said. "I just want guys to not get hurt and throw the ball over the plate, and hopefully we can get out of the inning somehow, and Suc did a nice job."

Sucre threw nine pitches Monday night, seven for strikes, to restore a little order after Tanner Scott and Miguel Castro each were charged with four runs. Castro retired only two batters and threw only 21 of 45 pitches for strikes.

"Suc's obviously a really accurate thrower," Hyde said. 'When he volunteered to do it I was hesitant because he's catching (last night) and I didn't want him to be the one out there. But he said he'd take it easy, and he did and got three quick outs."

Infielder Andrew Romine has the most pitching appearances among active position players with seven, followed by Sucre and catcher Drew Butera.

It probably comes as no surprise that the Orioles have set the club record by using position players to pitch in three games in the same season. They did it twice last summer - with Jace Peterson and Danny Valencia - and one time each in 1978, 1984, 1993, 1996, 2012 and 2016.

Outfielder Larry Harlow and catcher Elrod Hendricks pitched in a 24-10 loss to the Blue Jays on June 26, 1978 at the old Exhibition Stadium in Toronto. The hosts did all of their scoring from the second through the fifth.

Mike Flanagan started and allowed six runs, failing to retire a batter in the second inning before Joe Kerrigan replaced him. Kerrigan was charged with seven runs and nine hits in 1 1/3 innings and Tippy Martinez allowed six runs in 1 2/3.

Harlow worked two-thirds of an inning and surrendered five runs with four walks and a wild pitch. Hendricks replaced him and didn't allow a run in 2 1/3, one hit and one walk the only blemishes.

Don Stanhouse tossed a scoreless eighth.

The record for most games using a position player to pitch since 1920 is held by the 1940 Washington Senators with 30. The 1945 Phillies did it in 25 games.

The 2018 Cubs hold the record with five different position players pitching in the same season. Believe it or not, the Senators and Phillies used only three.

The 2018 Twins, Rays, Phillies and Reds used four.

How unusual is it for the Orioles to use three different position players in the same month? The Cubs hold the record with four in July 2018. The 1945 Phillies hold the record for most games in the same month, with nine in September 1945.

"It's obviously something you don't want to do ever, and it's a little embarrassing, obviously, three times in the month, something we didn't walk into the season with thinking this was going to happen," Hyde said. "But it happens and you've got to deal with it."

Hyde wished for an extended start last night from Andrew Cashner and got it, the veteran right-hander working seven innings. Paul Fry retired the side in order in the eighth, Ynoa got a double play in the ninth and the Orioles had a drama-free 9-1 victory over the White Sox.

Position players didn't need to step on the mound unless gathering for a conference or crossing over it en route to the dugout.