Darren O'Day on Mychal Givens: "He is super talented"

During a recent conversation with Orioles right-hander reliever Darren O'Day, the topic turned to another pitcher that has a sidearm release point, not as far down under as O'Day's, but there are some similarities.

We talked about then Double-A Bowie hurler and now Orioles pitcher Mychal Givens. Givens was called up by the Orioles from Bowie on Saturday after going 3-1 with a 1.60 ERA and 12 saves in 23 Bowie games. Over 39 1/3 innings with the Baysox, he walked 11, fanned 54 and gave up a .199 batting average against.

Few pitchers in the O's minors created more buzz this season. To see a pitcher throw with Givens' mid- to high-90s velocity from that arm slot is very unusual. While noting that, O'Day said that when he saw Givens in spring training, he showed he was more than just a pitcher with a good fastball and unusual arm slot.

"Obviously extremely talented with the velocity and stuff," O'Day said. "I saw him throw some pretty good sliders and was like, 'Wow, this guy has good stuff.' Then I saw his changeup and I was like, 'Wow, he has really good stuff.'

"He is super talented. The guys that transition from position player to pitching, it takes a few years. It sounds like he is making a big step forward this year."

O'Day feels the combination of the unique arm slot, the velocity and the raw stuff with heavy sink and late life that he can throw at all times provides Givens a chance to be a quality big league pitcher.

"If he is throwing strikes, I don't see him failing with that kind of stuff," O'Day said.

Some high praise there from one of baseball's best relief pitchers.

Seeing a pitcher like O'Day thrive makes you wonder why more pitchers don't try to throw sidearm and/or to use an arm slot that can be tougher for hitters.

"I think what happens is guys who run out of other options try it, and if they don't get it quickly, teams give up on them," O'Day said. "They're out of there and they go home. A few of the guys, a guy like Joe Smith, learned how to do it in college. I learned how to do it in college, so I came into the minors as a sidearm guy and had a head start. There are a few guys around good at it, but it is rare."

We have yet to see Givens pitch for the Orioles, even though he's been with the team for three games. Through none of his own doing, Givens has been a bit of a media darling the last few days. He's been featured here and by other O's beat writers, and he's been been interviewed on the O's radio network on 105.7 the Fan and also on MASN.

You hope that fans' expectations are not too out of control about this kid. He could have a very good future with the Orioles whether he pitches great from the start or not. Also, someone not as strong mentally might get carried away with all the recent attention he's getting. I don't expect it to be a problem for Givens.

Now, with Miguel Gonzalez set to rejoin the rotation Thursday and Wei-Yin Chen on Friday, we see how long Givens stays on the roster and if he gets into a game soon.

A few notes on last night: The Orioles' 18-game run has turned around their season. On June 3, they were 23-29 and a season-worst six games under .500. Now, after going 14-4, they are a season-high four games over .500. They are a 1/2-game behind second-place New York and 2 1/2 games behind first-place Tampa Bay.

The run has been led by a resurgent offense, a defense that is living up to preseason expectations after a slow start and a bullpen that has been among the game's best since late April. The Orioles have gotten just four quality starts from their rotation over the last 16 games, yet they are 12-4.

Manny Machado had two hits in last night's win over Boston and now has five consecutive multi-hit games, going 12-for-23. Over his past 16 games, Machado is batting .448 (30-for-67) with four doubles, six homers and 16 RBIs.

At a time when the Orioles have two starting pitchers with ERAs of 6.22 or higher and have seen center fielder Adam Jones miss five of the last seven games, they have continued to win.

It must be good to be a fan in Birdland right now.