Taking another dive into the Orioles bullpen

The Orioles never tried to promote the idea that their roster would be set for the majority of the 2021 season. That the lineup, rotation and bullpen would largely be untouched. They knew that a return to a full schedule and the realities of life in a rebuild would cause a substantial amount of personnel commotion.

Reliever Spenser Watkins is waiting to become the 45th player used as the Orioles venture into the mathematical second half. That is, if he stays long enough to do it. The shuttle is parked outside the team hotel in Anaheim. But the constant change isn't just about new faces.

Roles also are adjusted on the fly, whether due to injuries or ineffectiveness.

Take the bullpen, which manager Brandon Hyde would have pleaded for until Wednesday night's reprieve. Tanner Scott, Paul Fry and Cole Sulser gave him 4 2/3 scoreless innings with just a hit and walk in a 5-2 win that completed the team's first sweep at Minute Maid Park.

Fry has been struggling this month with a 5.91 ERA and 1.781 WHIP in 10 appearances. He got up to warm in the seventh inning, a loud signal that he's at least temporarily out as closer. Until Hyde explained afterward that Hunter Harvey experienced soreness in his right shoulder and Fry was rushed into action.

Maybe he isn't seen until the ninth if Harvey pitches. Maybe the game plays out differently with the Scott/Fry/Sulser trifecta busted.

We can gain a better sense of the situation the next time there's a save opportunity.

Scott has always teased as a candidate for ninth-inning duty, but high walk rates dating back to his minor league days prohibit managers from experimenting. He remains in high-leverage moments, no matter how he's pitching, because his stuff is so good and, face it, somebody has to do it.

The two sides of Scott were exposed again in Houston. Three walks in one-third of an inning Monday night and four strikeouts among the five batters retired on Wednesday, with his fastball on the edge of triple digits.

"I think our pitching guys do a great job with Tanner," Hyde said. "Tanner was extremely frustrated after that last outing. Our bullpen was extremely frustrated with how they threw the ball. They know that they're better than that.

"You see what Tanner can be. I mean, he punched out four of five and they had no chance. It's electric stuff, and it's all about strikes. So, when he's throwing strikes, an upper-90s fastball with a slide-step delivery and a sharp slider, he's extremely, extremely hard to hit, and that's what it was tonight."

Scott's ERA is down to 2.93 and he's surrendered only one home run in 30 2/3 innings. He's averaging a career-high 14.1 strikeouts per nine innings, but also 7.6 walks.

Two sides to every Scott story. The Orioles hope he can stay on the one that makes him a dominant force coming out of the bullpen.

A reliever earning a save in a 13-3 win seems odd at first and maybe second glance. However, Dillon Tate picked up his first in the majors Tuesday night.

Tate entered in the seventh with the Orioles leading 4-3 and he took care of the last eight outs. No runs, no hits and a rare series win.

The Orioles scored five in the eighth and four in the ninth to turn a nail-biter into a blowout.

Alexander Wells was credited with his first major league win on the same night that Tate got his initial save. How often does that happen?

For the Orioles, it was the 10th time in their history going back to 1969, when saves became an official stat.

The most recent example, courtesy of STATS research, was Aug. 11, 2020 with Sulser (win) and Travis Lakins Sr. (save). Lakins started Tuesday night's game and left with an elbow injury.

It happened twice in 2018 with David Hess and Mychal Givens in May, and Ryan Meisinger and Fry in September. Jake Arrieta earned the win and David Hernandez the save on June 10, 2010.

Perhaps the Alberto Castillo and Rocky Cherry tag team on April 28, 2008 slipped a few minds. Or Eddy Rodriguez and Daniel Cabrera on July 2, 2004. Or Rick Bauer and Jorge Julio on April 16, 2002.

The dual firsts began on July 9, 1992 with Arthur Rhodes getting the win and Alan Mills the save, followed by Rick Krivda and Terry Clark on Aug. 18, 1995.

There will be a quiz later.

Circling back to Tate, his ERA is down to 3.66 and his WHIP to 1.125 in 32 innings. He's surrendered only two home runs.

Hyde needs more relievers he can trust in pressurized environments. Tate hasn't allowed a run in eight of his last 10 appearances. The past two have been stellar, with no runs or hits and seven strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. His fastball has climbed into the high 90s.

"I think we've always known that Dillon Tate has really good stuff, and he showed last year what he can do against right-handed hitters. His numbers against right-handed hitters last year were unbelievable," Hyde said.

"This year, he got off to a little bit of a slow start, but his stuff is definitely getting better and there's more strikes, there's more attack in the strike zone. You see swings on sliders, you see a good changeup, which is going to be able to neutralize left-handers more often. He's on a nice roll right now."

The Orioles have used 26 pitchers through the first 81 games of the season. Eight were able to make their major league debuts.

Ramping up from 60 to 162 games was bound to keep the total climbing as the Orioles and other clubs attempt to control innings and lessen the chances of injury.

"The difference with us a little bit is we've used so many innings out of the bullpen," Hyde said. "That's what makes you nervous going into the second half, just because our main bullpen guys have pitched a lot up to this point just because our starters have a tough time fourth, fifth inning sometimes and we're relying heavily on the bullpen."

The Orioles entered their off-day with the third-highest total of bullpen innings in the majors at 328 1/3.

"I don't think anybody knew what to expect going into this year," Hyde said. "We've had a little bit of trouble with our rotation, which has hurt. This is new ground for everybody because of last year and you're seeing a lot of injuries around the league, which is incredibly unfortunate. We had two guys go down before the second inning (Tuesday) night and it's hard to watch. So, we're all just going day to day and seeing how the second half goes."