O's are rooting hard for Brad Brach to make All-Star team

SEATTLE - Brad Brach has been one of the best relief pitchers in the American League this year. And if the right-hander makes the American League All-Star team for the first time, it will be very popular in the Orioles clubhouse.

The Orioles are pulling for the 30-year-old right-hander to get selected. His resume is strong. In fact, Brach's stats right now are very similar to the stats that Darren O'Day had last year at the break when he made the team for the first time. That could be significant since O'Day was a still somewhat rare non-closing reliever to make the team and Brach is trying do the same.

O'Day in 2015: 5-0 with 1.07 ERA, .156 average against, 0.802 WHIP, 12.0 strikeouts/nine innings
Brach in 2016: 5-1 with 1.04 ERA, .154 average against, 0.831 WHIP and 10.4 strikeouts/nine innings

Brach has allowed five runs in 43 1/3 innings, giving up one run in five different games. He has walked 13 and fanned 50.

With 23 saves in 23 chances and an ERA of 0.81, O's closer Zach Britton appears nearly certain to make his second straight All-Star team. He would really enjoy seeing his teammate join him in San Diego.

"We tell him he belongs with those players," Britton said. "But for him to actually get on the team would be huge for him and well deserved. We are not talking about a guy that is borderline. We are talking about a guy that has been dominant in this league.

"We had seven (bullpen pitchers) on the team last year, me and Darren and five others. I have a hard time looking through stats and finding seven better relievers than Brad Brach. It would be awesome if he can go and I think he's got a good chance."

Brach is among the league leaders in several reliever stat categories for qualifying pitchers. A qualifying reliever must have pitched at least 0.5 innings for each team game. Brach leads all relievers with a .154 average against and ranks first in strikeouts per nine innings at 10.38.

"He's very deserving," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "I know there are a lot of managers that feel the same about their guys. I can't imagine a relief pitcher having a better year, first half, with what we've asked him to do and what he has done for us.

"The problem is sometimes teams have to have X number of players on there. Sometimes that person that is most deserving on that club is doing what he's doing. It will be a tough process, but I don't think there is any doubt that he is deserving of it."