Here today, gone tomorrow: The Norfolk-Baltimore shuttle is active

We have seen it happen several times this year to young Orioles pitchers with minor league options remaining. Pitch well one day and get sent back to the minors the next.

It doesn't really seem a fair reward for a job well done. But for now, as the Orioles stay with a six-man bullpen and five-man bench, the Triple-A Norfolk to Baltimore shuttle has been on overdrive.

Right-hander Logan Verrett pitched scoreless 10th and 11th innings in an important extra-inning win at Yankee Stadiuim on April 30. The next day he went back to the minors. On May 9, he pitched three scoreless against the Nationals. Guess which shuttle he was on the next day?

Similar scenarios have played out for others this year to include Tyler Wilson, Alec Asher and Richard Bleier. Over the weekend in Kansas City, manager Buck Showalter talked at length about this roster maneuvering the Orioles have ongoing this season with so many optionable arms.

Do the players understand that this is just part of the process of keeping a bullpen fresh during a long season?

"They know," Showalter said. "But there is a part of me where I think like them where they've got to think at some point, 'How do I stay there?' One of the ways is, if at some point we go to seven (bullpen) pitchers down there, that's how they'll stay here. It's going to be hard not to do that eventually over a long season and that's when it kind of stabilizes.

"I do put myself in their shoes and go, 'OK, I'd like to be in the big leagues all the time and not go back and forth.' But they do understand what it means for the club.

"I think to myself sometimes they are out there pitching in a 7-1 game in long relief and they've pitched three shutout innings and at any point are they saying, 'What's my reward for this?' Or they are seeing a starter struggle and think, 'Jeez, I hope he doesn't bring me in.' That is just true facts, reality.

"But they are doing what they need to do to stay on the map and come back. It's up to us to make sure we can get constructed as we go forward where once a guy is pitching real well, we're able to cover him the next few days (with available bullpen innings) where he doesn't have to go out."

So what does Showalter tell those pitchers who know that, even if they pitch well, it could be a case of here today and gone tomorrow?

"You tell them to get out of (having) options," he said. "I'm just being frank. It can happen with position players too, but the problem is our positon players are impactful every night. I love the way our bench is constructed. It's given us a lot of flexibility and it's shown up."

But there is also this fact: Being on the Norfolk-Baltimore shuttle for any player is certainly better than not getting a shot in the big leagues.

"I don't think it's frustrating. I think that honestly, I look at that and I'm thankful for the opportunity that I'm one of the guys that's up and down," Bleier said Sunday as the shuttle took him back to the big league club in Kansas City. "I'm sure that a lot of guys would gladly be in my position, at least getting opportunities in the big leagues. I'm just thankful for every day in the big leagues I get. One day at a time, really."

And there is this: Pitchers in the Orioles' minor leagues realize that the team is very willing to use its own pitchers. We've seen Mychal Givens and Donnie Hart called up from Double-A Bowie. Whether you are at Triple-A or Double-A, on the 40-man roster or not, you could get a shot with the big club. That must do wonders for morale at the higher levels of the O's farm.

"It is something that our players talk about all through our (farm) system," Showalter said. "If the opportunity is there and you are doing the job, they know that's where we're going. We said in the spring, it's a 36-man pitching staff. Heck, include Frederick in there if somebody really got it going. I like where we are as a minor league system. We've got some nice pieces that are on their way and some that we know that can come help us and they've already shown that."