Orioles hoping Givens can find balance in his pitching life

The surface stats are quite favorable for Orioles reliever Mychal Givens.

A 3-0 record and 2.35 ERA in 20 appearances. Thirty-three strikeouts in 23 innings. Nothing to be alarmed about, a lot to praise and appreciate.

The 1.565 WHIP in 23 innings may raise an eyebrow. He's surrendered 24 hits and walked 12 batters. But dig deeper and one specific concern is raised, too.

Left-handers are 14-for-30 against Givens, a .467 average that makes him an exception in the bullpen.

Left-handers are hitting .077 against Zach Britton, .255 against Brad Brach, .231 against Darren O'Day, .226 against Vance Worley and .295 against Dylan Bundy. They're 1-for-5 against Ashur Tolliver, including David Ortiz's home run.

Boston's Marco Hernandez hit a three-run homer off Givens in Monday's series opener. At that point, left-handers were 14-for-28 with six extra-base hits, including five doubles. Meanwhile, right-handers are hitting .167 against him.

Last season, left-handers hit .205 (8-for-39) and right-handers batted .174. In his brief major league career, lefties are hitting .319 and righties .171.

A right-handed specialist? The Orioles can't afford the luxury.

"It's a concern," said manager Buck Showalter. "It's one we've been aware of since last year. We've talked about it. In fact, I spoke to Mike about it (yesterday), trying more to listen to him and what his feelings are, and try to keep in mind that he's one of five or six players we have on this 12-man pitching staff that have less than a year's experience in the big leagues. And in Mychal's case, a lot less experience pitching.

"Sometimes we lose sight of where we are as a pitching staff compared to most pitching staffs in baseball, so Mike will figure it out. He's a smart guy, he's competitive and he's aware of it. It's stating the obvious and I just want to hear what he's thinking and what he's feeling."

In case you were wondering, left-handers went 9-for-27 (.333) against southpaw T.J. McFarland before the Orioles optioned him. He's valued more for his ability to consume innings and be available on minimal rest.