Brandon Waddell is latest entrant to O's bullpen

It's been an active few days for 26-year-old left-hander Brandon Waddell, a pitcher that didn't know a single teammate when he joined the Orioles yesterday in Washington after his call-up from Triple-A.

He began this year with the Minnesota Twins - the Orioles' opponent tonight - then got claimed by the Orioles, went to Triple-A Norfolk and now finds himself in the Orioles bullpen. He's a fresh arm for a club struggling to get consistent outs right now.

Originally taken in the fifth round of the 2015 draft by Pittsburgh out of the University of Virginia, the Orioles are his third big league organization. Minnesota claimed him on waivers on Oct. 30, 2020, designated him for assignment in February, then outrighted and returned him to the active roster in April. But the Twins DFA'd Waddell on May 7 and the Orioles claimed him the next day. He pitched a scoreless inning for the Tides on Friday night and two days later was back in the big leagues.

"It's definitely been a whirlwind, whether it was the waiver process or, you know, having to take time off for quarantine entry and everything like that," Waddell said during a Zoom interview this afternoon from Minnesota. "You know, managing throwing, trying to get a workload up, all that kind of stuff. It's been interesting for sure. That's part of it. Happy to be here and happy to have this opportunity. So just trying to make the most of it."

At least he's familiar with that ballpark. He pitched in two games with the Pirates last season and four games with the Twins this season. Over 7 1/3 innings at the major league level, he's allowed 12 hits and seven runs (six earned) with five walks and three strikeouts.

In his brief outings this season, he has used his fastball 43 percent (at an average velocity of 92.5 mph) with his slider 48 percent and changeup 9 percent.

"I think for me, I'm moreso just a guy that is going to attack the zone," he said. "I'm going to make guys beat me. That's kind of my mentality when I go out on the mound. I just want to attack with whatever I have that day. Some days, maybe your slider is going to be the best; some days, your changeup's going to be the best. Some days, it's going to be your fastball. So just try to command the zone and attack hitters. That's really all I focus on."

Now he could take the mount tonight in relief for a club that has given up 80 runs in the last 10 games. When he gets a shot, he has to realize he can't try and be the guy that changes that around. He just has to pitch his game.

"Yeah, I mean, I think everybody - they're putting their best effort in and at times the results haven't been there, but that's part of the game," he said. "It's a real challenging game and I think that everyone is positive and everyone is still putting in the work. They know that the corner will be turned. So I think it's about just staying within yourself, not trying to do too much, and get one out at a time and see where that puts you at the end."

Waddell appeared in four games for the Twins this season, all in relief, going 0-1 with an 11.25 ERA. He did not allow an earned run in his first two outings over three innings before surrendering five earned runs in his last two outings over one inning. His last outing for Minnesota was May 4.

Did the O's coaches have feedback for him when he arrived?

"Nothing major. I think it was the same thing that I have talked about - attack the zone and keep throwing strikes. Make quality pitches and just keep doing what I've been doing. That's really all I can do," he said.

And before he takes the mound with the Orioles, he's trying to get to know all his new teammates. On the college front, Virginia players are a close-knit group and a former Wahoo and Oriole has reached out to him.

"I actually didn't (know anyone here). It's kind of interesting because baseball is such a small world and typically you know somebody just about everywhere," he said. "Oddly enough, it was the same with the Twins. When I was claimed by the Twins, I didn't really know anyone there. It's been fun to be able to meet all the news guys, meet a bunch of new people and it's just been exciting.

"Branden Kline sent me a text yesterday. We are all pretty close there and we see each other when we go back. And, you know, my time there was incredible. I wouldn't trade it for anything and I loved everything about it."