Orioles add McDowell and Mills to coaching staff

Bullpen teammates with the 1996 Orioles are reuniting in Baltimore.

The Orioles announced today that they've hired Roger McDowell as pitching coach and Alan Mills as bullpen coach. McDowell replaces Dave Wallace, who will serve in an advisory/instructional role with the Braves. Mills replaces Dom Chiti, who will serve as Atlanta's senior director of pitching.

McDowell, 55, spent 11 seasons as Braves pitching coach. He previously worked as pitching coach of the Single-A South Georgia Waves in the Dodgers system from 2002-2003 and was moved up to the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s in 2004-2005. He replaced Leo Mazzone in Atlanta on Oct. 29, 2005. Mazzone became Orioles pitching coach.

Under McDowell's guidance, the Braves ranked fourth in the majors with a 3.88 ERA, including a 3.58 ERA from the bullpen that ranked second. The staff ranked in the top five in ERA from 2009-2014 and led the majors with a 3.18 ERA in 2013.

Braves relievers registered a 2.88 ERA from 2011-2014, the best mark in the majors

The Orioles ranked 19th in the majors this season with a 4.22 ERA - 4.72 from the rotation (24th) and 3.40 from the bullpen (third).

McDowell inherits a rotation that currently has six starters for five spots: Chris Tillman, Kevin Gausman, Dylan Bundy, Ubaldo Jimenez, Yovani Gallardo and Wade Miley.

McDowell went 70-70 with a 3.30 ERA and 159 saves in 12 major league seasons. He appeared in 723 games, the last 41 with the Orioles in 1996, when he was 1-1 with a 4.25 ERA. McDowell earned the win in Game 7 of the 1986 World Series with the Mets.

Manager Buck Showalter has his sixth pitching coach with the Orioles, including Rick Kranitz, Mark Connor, Rick Adair, Bill Castro (interim) and Wallace.

Mills, 50, spent five seasons as a pitching coach in the Orioles organization, including the last two with Double-A Bowie. He also was the pitching coach with Single-A Delmarva (2014) and short-season Single-A Aberdeen (2012-13). He began his professional coaching career in 2008 with Single-A Oneonta in the Tigers system.

Mills also spent 12 seasons in the majors, including nine with the Orioles over two stints. He was McDowell's teammate on the 1996 team that made the playoffs as the wild card and advanced to the American League Championship Series, and he was part of the 1997 team that went wire-to-wire to win the AL East and advanced again to the ALCS.

In 474 games, all but five of them in relief, Mills compiled a 39-32 record and 4.12 ERA with the Orioles, Yankees and Dodgers. He left the Orioles after the 1998 season and returned in June 2000. Mills retired following the 2001 season.

Mills inherits a bullpen that remains a strength of the team with closer Zach Britton, Brad Brach, Darren O'Day, Mychael Givens and Donnie Hart. Mills worked with Givens, Hart and Bundy at Bowie.

McDowell and Mills beat out Triple-A Las Vegas pitching coach Frank Viola, Cardinals minor league pitching coordinator Tim Leveque and Rangers minor league pitching coordinator Danny Clark for their respective jobs.

The Orioles still need to replace director of pitching development Rick Peterson and assistant hitting coach Mark Quinn.