A look at the latest win and latest pitcher to join the bullpen

TORONTO - Don't blink during this 2017 Orioles season or you could miss something. Like a close game, another win, another trade, a standing of first place in the American League East.

So it hasn't been boring, right?

You think close games are not important? Well, the Orioles are 4-0 in one-run games and lead the division at 6-2. The Blue Jays are 0-4 in one-run games and are in last place at 1-8. The Orioles own the best current record in the American League and Toronto has the worst.

The Orioles are 3-0 against Toronto, winning by scores of 3-2 in 11 innings, 3-1 and 2-1. They've scored eight runs against Toronto pitchers and are 3-0. That's because O's pitchers have an ERA of 1.24 and WHIP of 1.17 in those games. Toronto batters are hitting .224 and slugging .271 against the Orioles. It can't last like this but it beats watching Edwin Encarnacion hit a ball 440 feet to end your season.

Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman had an ERA of 5.40 through two starts and then last night allowed just five hits and one run over six innings at Rogers Centre. He was more locked in than he was in those first two outings.

"Felt more like myself than the first two definitely," Gausman said. "The biggest thing I tried to work on in my bullpen day was just trying to have that rhythm and staying over the mound, and when I can do that I can throw fastballs down and away pretty consistently. That's one thing I had. I had good command today."

Gausman said a big moment for him came in the third. Kevin Pillar led off with a double. But he didn't score.

"The biggest thing I was happy about is when you give up a leadoff double by Pillar and you keep it from scoring. That's something those top-tier starters consistently do," he said of stranding the runner.

The Orioles have been getting some big hits, and their pitchers are not giving them up. As a team the Orioles lead the AL, batting .380 with runners in scoring position. Their pitchers have allowed an average of just .238 when pitching with runners in scoring position.

New guy on the team: The Orioles' newest bullpen arm is 25-year-old right-hander Stefan Crichton, recalled yesterday as Oliver Drake was designated for assignment and later traded to Milwaukee. He was not even on the 40-man roster, but Crichton was a pitcher that kept getting called over from minor league camp in March and kept getting outs in spring training games.

Showing a fastball that touched 96-97 mph and a solid slider, Crichton went 2-6 with a 3.73 ERA last season for Double-A Bowie. He then impressed Showalter with eight scoreless innings, allowing four hits, no walks and fanning seven in spring games. He went 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA in 4 2/3 innings to start this season for Triple-A Norfolk.

Now he finds himself on the Orioles roster, wearing uniform No. 43 and preparing to make his major league debut. He can be a multi-inning reliever.

"He's shown the ability to be efficient with his pitches," Showalter said. "But that can all change at the major league level, we know that. But in spring he showed control and command. I've said many times, control is throwing it over the plate, command is throwing it to the right quadrants of the plate. Probably one of the biggest things up here is being able to command your fastball."

Crichton was a 23rd round draft choice out of Texas Christian University in 2013. He was the 699th player taken in the draft that year. In the early morning hours of Thursday, Showalter said he sent a text to TCU head coach Jim Schlossnagle to let him know one of his guys was headed to the show. The gesture was a kind of manager-to-manager courtesy and appreciation.

Crichton now joins pitchers who, like Mychal Givens and Donnie Hart, were developed on the O's farm and now have made the majors.

Showalter feels this is another example that the O's minor leagues may be more fertile than they are given credit for. And yesterday he also said this is another example of the Orioles relying on their minor league staff to tell them which player to call up.

"We talk to Griff (Norfolk pitching coach Mike Griffin) and RJ (manager Ron Johnson) and (director of player development) Brian Graham, 'Whose your best down there? And then we go with it.' There is a real morale that comes out of that. Not only with the players, but with the managers and coaches, farm director and scouts. They know we will put a lot of emphasis on their opinions. The people in the arena with them, instead of some analytical stuff."