Pérez and Tate helping to hold the bullpen together

Reaching for the bullpen phone used to burn the fingers of Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. He should have blisters from doing it.

He’d try to remain stoic as the television cameras zoomed in, the internal meltdowns allowing for some privacy, some cover from what tortured him.

Hyde needed to remove a starter, often in the early innings, but he couldn’t find anyone to slow the opponent’s roll, to keep a game close or hold a late lead.

You play the hand that’s dealt, with the understanding that folding isn’t an option. And you take your lumps.

The choices in 2022 weren’t supposed to be this desirable after the Orioles traded Cole Sulser and Tanner Scott near the end of camp, but Hyde finds it much easier to push the right buttons when there’s some cooperation.

“When pitchers are getting people out, those are great bullpen decisions. When pitchers are not, those are bad bullpen decisions,” Hyde said this week. “That’s just the bottom line.”

Hyde referred to it again after Thursday’s 4-1 win, saying, “Our bullpen has exceeded all expectations and is continuing to throw well and throwing with confidence.”

The unit held the Angels to one run last night in five innings, keeping the Orioles within striking distance as they rallied for a 5-4, walk-off win.

Cionel Pérez hasn’t allowed an earned run in his last nine appearances covering 8 1/3 innings. He retired the side in order in the eighth inning Thursday, striking out Shohei Ohtani and Taylor Ward, and his ERA is down to 0.96.

One of the many waiver claims, this one from the Reds back in November. A reliever who walked 20 batters in 24 innings and was deemed expendable by a team with no interest in winning this season.

Opponents have scored just three earned runs against Pérez in 28 innings. The Cardinals’ Dylan Carlson hit the only home run.

“We saw in spring training, it was upper-90s left-handed, and a really good slider,” Hyde said.

Sounds a lot like Scott, but Pérez has been more consistent.

“In the past, he’s had a little bit of a command issue and was put on waivers, and fortunately our people thought highly enough to put a claim in and try him out in spring training, and we’re reaping the benefits from it,” Hyde said.

“It’s premier left-handed, back end stuff.”

Pérez has cut his walks per nine innings from 7.5 last year to 3.5.

“He has pitched like an elite back end pitcher,” Hyde said. “I put him in tough spots, too. He just continues to amaze. I think he’s definitely overlooked, because he’s part of that bridging the gap to get to the end of the game.”

Pérez and Dillon Tate are tied for the team lead with 11 holds, an unofficial statistic, though it’s tracked, that is granted to a reliever who enters a game with his team ahead in a save situation and passes the lead to another reliever.

He can’t be the winning pitcher or record the save. The lead can’t be more than three runs. He qualifies if he enters with the potential tying run on base, at bat, or on deck.

It probably won’t enhance your chances of making the All-Star team.

“It’s a very important stat overall,” Pérez said via interpreter Brandon Quinones. “What it means is that you’re pretty much holding the game as it is to give the closer the best opportunity to come in and save the game for us. I think it’s a very important stat. I take pride in having a lot of holds for this team and it’s an important thing for me to have.”

Tate, who surrendered a solo home run to Ohtani last night in the ninth, wasn’t aware of his total or where he ranked until yesterday.

“I feel like it’s a characteristic that’s common with guys that are helping win ballgames, and I see that with other teams, too,” he said. “I see them sometimes put that up on MLB Network. If it’s a detail that helps guys win ballgames, then I’m all for it.

“The way that I think of it is, do what I can to make sure that I hand the baton off to (Jorge) López or whoever’s going to come into the game in the end and shut the door. It’s just hand them the baton.”