Thoughts on the bullpen

Orioles manager Buck Showalter mentioned yesterday that he had 2 ½ relievers he didn't want to use. I'm assuming that the half referenced Brad Brach, since Showalter told reporters after the game that he would have called upon the right-hander in a specific situation, but otherwise preferred to rest him.

"If we had scored some runs," Showalter said, "we might have tried to push the envelope on Brach."

This whole bullpen management thing is tricky and Showalter does a marvelous job with it.

What may seem obvious to us can be much more complicated beneath the surface. A recent example involved closer Zach Britton, who worked the ninth inning Sunday afternoon in Cleveland and recorded his 14th save after getting out of a jam.

A friend texted me in the eighth, wondering why Darren O'Day was facing left-handed hitting Lonnie Chisenhall instead of Showalter trying to get a five-out save from Britton. Chisenhall was 2-for-4 lifetime against O'Day. Britton, of course, is a left-hander.

As it turns out, Britton warmed up several times in Houston, but was used only once. Those "pitches" count when Showalter determines the availability of a reliever.

Showalter tries hard to avoid getting a guy warm and not putting him in a game. However, it happens on occasion based on circumstances, such as the tying or go-ahead run not scoring and a save opportunity never coming to fruition.

Also, Britton pitched Thursday and Friday nights. If Showalter was going to use him Sunday, it would be for only one inning.

I never talked to Showalter about it, but that's my conclusion.

Brach's ERA stayed at 1.00 in 22 appearances after O'Day stranded two inherited runners in scoring position. Brach's allowed three runs and 18 hits in 27 innings, with eight walks and 30 strikeouts.

Left-handers are hitting .226 against Brach in his career, enabling Showalter to trust him in any situation. Meanwhile, left-handers were 14-for-28 with six extra-base hits against Mychal Givens after Marco Hernandez's three-run homer yesterday in a 7-2 loss to the Red Sox.

What exactly makes Brach so effective? Is it his stuff or his approach to working hitters or a combination of the two? Maybe it's some other intangibles.

"I think it's like announcers not jinxing him by not bringing it up and talking about it. I think that's one of the biggest things. What else?" Showalter said, a smile on his face and knuckles rapping on a table he wished had been constructed of wood.

"No, you see guys graduate confidence-wise. I think he gains great confidence in the confidence we have in him. We've been able to pass the load around, not because of some management of the bullpen but because we have multiple people pitching well. That's what allows you to do it.

"I try hard to not go into a game without Mychal, Brad and Darren, one of them available. We have a stretch here where you're facing some of the best offensive teams in baseball, and to not have to make a pitching move over these games is going to be a challenge, especially when you get some short starts. If you have to pitch that many innings out of your bullpen, you really have to be able to pass it around."

A perfectly designed bullpen for Showalter would include two long relievers - in this case, Vance Worley and T.J. McFarland - and a lefty specialist to take over Brian Matusz's role. The trick is making room on a 12-man staff that includes five starters.

Ashur Tolliver is being auditioned for the specialist role. He got ahead of David Ortiz yesterday, pumping 94 and 95 mph fastballs, before Caleb Joseph threw out Xander Bogaerts trying to steal to end the inning. Ortiz led off the next inning and demolished a slider for his 14th home run of the season.

Tolliver had two more left-handed hitters in his path. He retired Jackie Bradley, Jr. on a fly ball to left and walked Travis Shaw.

This is a work in progress, with no assurances that Tolliver will have an extended stay. Nothing is "imminent" with McFarland, according to Showalter, but the lefty will return at some point and the only relievers with options are Givens and Tolliver.

There doesn't seem to be an immediate need to clear a spot for Ubaldo Jimenez. A starter who's struggling with his command and mechanics can't necessarily be trusted in a long relief role. Or any role at this time. He'd be a mop-up guy and the Orioles aren't in the market for one, which basically would leave them short-handed.