Revisiting O'Day's dominance (and note)

Late last night, I stumbled upon a retweet from one of the Orioles' beat writers and couldn't believe my eyes. The original tweet may rank as the dumbest that I've read since I joined the Twitter world, which explains why it was being shared. It was so absurd, it could not be ignored. You be the judge. A fan contended that Pedro Strop and Darren O'Day need to adjust their mechanics because they're losing games for the Orioles. Strop's issues are well-publicized and obvious to anyone who watches the games. The guy can't throw strikes consistently and it's fair to wonder whether his confidence is shaken. But O'Day? Just because he throws with a submarine-style, he should change his delivery to better blend with the rest of baseball's relievers? Why not suggest that he also start throwing with his left arm? Or his feet? In his last 26 appearances since Sept. 18, 2012, including the postseason, O'Day is 2-0 with a 0.33 ERA over 27 1/3 innings and the Orioles are 21-5 in those 26 games. Opponents are hitting .116 (10-for-86) with eight singles, a double and a home run. The guy is one of the most valuable members of this team. Not just the bullpen. And as Strop's slump worsens, O'Day's value skyrockets. Has he been perfect? No. He's issued five walks over his last five appearances. He's had one clean outing in his last nine. But he's clutch when he needs to be clutch. He's about as dependable as they come. O'Day was used in three of the past four games before being rested last night. Manager Buck Showalter was not going to lean on him again. He's probably available tonight, though Showalter would certainly prefer that Chris Tillman worked into the late innings and O'Day could freshen up a little more. If O'Day is needed, there's a very good chance that the Angels will come away empty in the run department. Note: The next four listed starters for Triple-A Norfolk, including tonight, are Jake Arrieta, Jair Jurrens, Zach Britton and Freddy Garcia. Monday's starter is TBA. Garcia is expected to have his contract selected and make Saturday night's start for the Orioles, which would require a corresponding 40-man roster move. Brian Roberts or Taylor Teagarden could be transferred to the 60-day disabled list.