Daniel Clark: Managing the workload of a heavily relied-upon bullpen

The long major league season is nearing its halfway point and the Orioles have yet again been heavily reliant upon the bullpen. Since the return to winning ways in 2012, the bullpen has been impressive despite being over-worked - in particular in 2012. The 545 1/3 innings pitched by relievers in 2012 were fourth-highest in the majors, while the 514 innings pitched in 2013 were the 11th-highest. With respect to ERA, the mark of 3.00 in 2012 was the fifth-best in the majors, compared to 3.52 in 2013, which was 15th. Inconsistent performances from the starting rotation in 2014 has meant the bullpen is being called upon frequently and through 76 games, Orioles relievers have pitched 244 innings, seventh-most in the majors. At the current rate, the relievers are projected to pitch more than 520 innings this season, which is more than the season prior. In terms of performance, the combined ERA of the bullpen in 2014 has been considerably worse than the two seasons prior, currently working to a 3.61 ERA, placing the Orioles 16th in the majors. Listed below is a summary of each of the current seven relievers, as well as a look at what may be left in the tank. * Darren O'Day (31 IP, 1.45 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) - The Orioles' most consistent reliever since 2012, O'Day is having another impressive season in a set-up role. Having never pitched more than 67 innings in a major league season, though, his workload will need to be managed carefully after the All-Star break. * Zach Britton (39 1/3 IP, 1.60 ERA, 0.94 WHIP) - Once a starting pitcher, there's no real concern over Britton's ability to see out a season as closer, but the frequency of appearances will need to be managed carefully. His form in 2014 has been fantastic with the only real blemish being his outing in New York last Friday night. * Ryan Webb (34 IP, 2.65 ERA, 1.03 WHIP) - Webb has overcome a poor start, in which he gave up four runs in his first 2 1/3 innings of work as an Oriole, to now be one of the more reliable relievers on the team. The strong right-hander should have plenty of gas left in the tank, having previously pitched more than 80 innings of relief in 66 games last season with the Marlins. * T.J. McFarland (25 2/3 IP, 2.81 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) - After a poor start to the season, McFarland has been impressive in June, allowing just one run in 14 2/3 innings of work. Despite his impressive form, though, his ability to pitch in relief over the course of a full major league season is still unknown, having previously only pitched in relief for half of the 2013 season (74 2/3 innings) and working as a starter for most of his career in the minors. * Brian Matusz (26 IP, 4.15 ERA, 1.58 WHIP) - Matusz has been inconsistent in 2014 and his poor outings have often hurt the team late in close games. Since being converted from a starting pitcher midway through 2012, he has never pitched more than the 51 innings of relief he did last season and at this stage he is likely to exceed that in 2014. His workload needs to be managed, especially given his inconsistent form. * Brad Brach (20 1/3 IP, 4.87 ERA, 1.62 WHIP) - Up and down like a yo-yo between the majors and minors appears to have taken its toll, leading to consistency issues for Brach this season. In addition, Brach's workload needs to be managed carefully. Combining both major and minor league appearances, during the seasons of 2011, 2012 and 2013, Brach pitched 78 2/3, 76 1/3 and 75 1/3 innings of relief, yet that figure is already up to 41 2/2 this season and we're not even halfway through. * Tommy Hunter (24 IP, 5.25 ERA, 1.58 WHIP) - Hunter pitched more than 86 innings of relief in 68 games during 2013 so there is no real concern with his workload at this stage, but his health situation needs to be monitored closely. While the workload might not be an immediate concern, his form is. He started the season as closer and quickly lost that role and has since struggled with injuries and consistency. The Orioles need the hard-throwing right-hander to regain form ASAP. Others who have pitched in relief for the Orioles during 2014 include Preston Guilmet, Josh Stinson and Evan Meek, who all struggled when called upon, each working to ERAs of 5.40 or worse. Miguel Gonzalez appeared in relief once, but is now back in the starting rotation and Troy Patton, who is now with the San Diego Padres, also struggled in his nine outings after returning from a suspension. All things considered, it's likely that the performance of the bullpen will be the determining factor as to whether or not this Orioles team can return to the playoffs. If they do, the workloads of O'Day, McFarland, Matusz and Brach need to be managed carefully, while the form of Matusz, Brach and Hunter needs to improve. What are your thoughts on the current Orioles bullpen? Daniel Clark blogs about the Orioles at The Big Leagues Daily from Melbourne, Australia. Follow him on Twitter: @DC_TBLDaily. His thoughts on the O's appear here as part of MASNsports.com's continuing commitment to welcome guest bloggers to our little corner of cyberspace. All opinions expressed are those of the guest bloggers, who are not employed by MASNsports.com but are just as passionate about their baseball as our roster of writers.