Brad Brach on his dominant inning and the bullpen's good start

The Orioles bullpen is off to a good start as the club is 3-0. Over 12 2/3 scoreless innings, the 'pen has allowed 12 hits, with six walks and 12 strikeouts. No surprise to see that unit doing well. The Orioles 'pen led the American League with a 3.40 ERA last season.

The bullpens for the Orioles, Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins are the only three in the AL still with 0.00 ERAs.

"It's great," right-hander Brad Brach said today. "I think that is what makes our 'pen so good. It is not just the back-end guys. Any one of us leading up to Zach (Britton) could pitch in the fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth. It is one of the things that gives us a strength and advantage over a lot of these bullpens."

Brach has already thrown three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit over nine at-bats. Right-handed batters are 0-for-7 with four strikeouts against Brach. Last night he struck out the side in the top of the eighth. He fanned Chase Headley and Aaron Judge with 95 mph fastballs and got Pete Kozma with a 93 mph pitch.

"Just had a good fastball," he said. "Kind of mixed up their timing a bit on some deliveries I did. One of those nights where I just felt good. I don't know, it was cold and I was working fast. And they just seemed a bit tardy, that was about it. Getting strike one was big."

It is a deeper Orioles bullpen than usual, with eight men it in for now. Last night Darren O'Day pitched in the sixth inning.

"We talk about it all the time. It is just every guy needs to do his part. When Buck (Showalter) calls your name, go out there and give us a chance. I think the biggest thing last night - I know it is only the third game of the season - but there was no panic, even down 5-1. Bullpen went back out there and just held them and we'll eventually score some runs," Brach said.

Three games into the season, the Orioles are the lone unbeaten in the AL East and lead Boston and Tampa Bay by a game.

"Just like last year. We got off to a hot start. You look back on our 2016 record and if we didn't have that 7-0 start we probably don't make the playoffs. Every game counts. Getting off to an unbeaten start, no matter how long it goes, it is always a good feeling," Brach added.