Britton poised to pass Julio on saves list (O's lead 9-3)

If the Orioles are faced with another save situation tonight, left-hander Zach Britton probably will sit this one out. He's earned a breather after closing out back-to-back games.

Britton's next save will be his 84th, moving him past Jorge Julio and into sole possession of fifth place on the club's all-time list.

Forgive Britton if he's a little foggy with his Julio history. The right-hander's career in Baltimore spanned five seasons, the last in 2005. The Orioles drafted Britton the following year out of Weatherford High School in Texas.

Britton didn't have Jorge Julio posters hanging on his bedroom walls and he didn't have aspirations of becoming a closer.

(I interrupt this blog entry to challenge readers, without looking it up, to tell me how the Orioles acquired Julio and how he changed teams. Answer to follow.)

Julio was 17-34 with a 4.43 ERA and 1.399 WHIP in 281 games with the Orioles. Britton, moved to the bullpen in 2014, is 9-4 with a 1.72 ERA and 0.914 WHIP in 153 relief appearances.

Julio was 83-for-104 in save opportunities, and I'm pretty sure every failure occurred at Tropicana Field in extra innings while I was on a tight deadline, though I'd have to research it. Britton is 83-for-91 and has converted all 10 chances this season after making the All-Star team in 2015.

So does Britton know much about Julio?

"Not really," he said. "Someone mentioned it to me yesterday, but ... I mean, I know the name, but not a whole lot. But I guess it's just one of those little things that happens. The more that you play, the more saves you're going to get and I guess you start creeping up on some people."

Britton's barreling down on Stu Miller, who's fourth on the club's all-time saves list with 100.

"I mean, 100 is a big number you want to get to, but as long as you keep pitching well, you're going to get the opportunities," said Britton, who can bury a compliment with as much force and efficiency as his sinker.

"The job that the guys do in front of me is a big reason. If you think about all the saves that I've had, Darren (O'Day) has been a part of the majority of them. It's kind of a reflection on what he's done, as well."

It's an excellent point. A sturdy bridge is needed to get to your closer, and the Orioles' 2.20 bullpen ERA is the lowest in the majors. The Mets are second at 2.52.

Tippy Martinez is third on the club's saves list with 105, Jim Johnson is second with 122 and Gregg Olson is first with 160. Britton's 91.2 save percentage leaves everyone in the dust.

Julio, by comparison, converted 79.8 percent and Martinez 72.4.

To be fair, Julio placed third in American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2002 after going 5-6 with a 1.99 ERA and 25 saves in 67 games. He was 0-7 with a 4.38 ERA and 36 saves in 64 games the following season, and his ERA continued to climb to 4.57 and 5.90 in his last two years in the organization. He didn't record a save in 2001 or 2005, so his total was achieved over three summers.

OK, here are the answers to the above quiz:

The Orioles acquired Julio from the Expos on Dec. 22, 2000 for infielder Ryan Minor. They packaged Julio and pitcher John Maine in a Jan. 22, 2006 trade with the Mets for starter Kris Benson and a controversial wife to be named later.

Julio pitched for the Mets, Diamondbacks, Marlins, Rockies, Indians, Braves and Brewers, never spending more than one season with the same club. He appeared in 15 games with Milwaukee in 2009, posted a 7.79 ERA and 1.731 WHIP in 17 1/3 innings and was done except for two stints with independent Bridgeport.

It was a brutal exit from Milwaukee that included 15 earned runs (17 total), 15 hits and 15 walks in those 17 1/3 innings.

The Orioles are counting on much better from Britton. As manager Buck Showalter is fond of saying, so far, so good.

Update: Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer in the sixth, the ball striking the railing above the visiting bullpen in left-center field, to break a scoreless tie. Statcast measured it at 462 feet.

Mike Wright retired eight in a row before hitting J.D. Martinez with one out.

Wright has tied his career high with six strikeouts. He's at 98 pitches and Mychal Givens is warming.

Update II: Adam Jones and Mark Trumbo doubled off Anibal Sanchez in the bottom of the sixth to reduce the Tigers' lead to 2-1. Left fielder Steven Moya misjudged Trumbo's liner and let it clear his head.

Trumbo leads the Orioles with 28 RBIs.

Update III: The Orioles weren't done in the sixth. Matt Wieters hit a two-out, two-run homer, his first since April 19, to give the Orioles a 3-2 lead. Brad Brach is warming.

Update IV: Jonathan Schoop lined a Sanchez pitch over the left field fence leading off the seventh. Orioles 4, Tigers 2.

Wright allowed two runs and three hits in seven innings, with three walks, six strikeouts and a home run. He threw 108 pitches, 67 for strikes.

The rotation has 13 quality starts in the last 17 games.

Update V: Victor Martinez singled with two outs in the eighth to score Ian Kinsler, who led off with a double, and reduce the lead to 4-3. Brad Brach had allowed two runs in 18 innings before tonight.

Update VI: Adam Jones led off the bottom of the eighth inning with his fourth home run in five games. Orioles 5, Tigers 3.

Update VII: Schoop hit a grand slam off Mark Lowe with one out in the eighth to give the Orioles a 9-3 lead.

Schoop has two multi-homer games this season and two career slams. His five RBIs are a career high.