If no starter upgrade: eight man bullpen?

[Nevermore]

Is Lincecum still throwing? or did he shut it down?

The last I read, he's having some sort of "secret" pitching display sometime soon at some unspecified date.

[OFFNY]

o

Technically, the Orioles will start the season with an 8-man bullpen, BUT ...... they will still only have 12 overall pitchers when the season starts tomorrow.

There are only 4 starters that have been named by Showalter, which will allow both Vance Worley and Tyler Wilson to be available to come out of the bullpen for the first few games of the season until the situation with Kevin Gausman becomes more clear.

Zach Britton

Darren O'Day

Michael Givens

Brad Brach

Dylan Bundy

T.J. McFarland

Tyler Wilson *

Vance Worley *

* The Orioles have not yet announced a 5th starter, as the date for Kevin Gausman's return from the DL is still unknown.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/roster/

[OFFNY]

o

(APRIL 25th)

Now, the Orioles have a 13-man pitching staff (Gausman is back, and Flaherty has been sent down to AAA-Norfolk) ...... although, I don't think that it's particularly clear who the starters are and who the long relievers are aside from Tillman, Jimenez, and now Gausman. Aside from them, we have a bunch of guys who are somewhat of a cross between #5 starters, spot starters, and long relievers.

I've said before that you can never have too many long men in the bullpen, and I think that that is particularly true when you have a team like the 2016 Orioles, whose starting rotation is among the least stable in all of baseball at the moment.

[MDtransplant757]

o

(APRIL 25th)

Now, the Orioles have a 13-man pitching staff (Gausman is back, and Flaherty has been sent down to AAA-Norfolk) ...... although, I don't think that it's particularly clear who the starters are and who the long relievers are aside from Tillman, Jimenez, and now Gausman. Aside from them, we have a bunch of guys who are somewhat of a cross between #5 starters, spot starters, and long relievers.

I've said before that you can never have too many long men in the bullpen, and I think that that is particularly true when you have a team like the 2016 Orioles, whose starting rotation is among the least stable in all of baseball at the moment.

It may be chaos, but as long as we get to the playoffs, who cares? Let's roll with it.

[OFFNY]

o

VANCE RICHARD WORLEY O (vs. WHITE SOX, 5/01)

3.33 shutout innings out of the bullpen.

Entered the game with runners on 1st and 2nd base, and 2 outs.

1 Walk, 5 Strikeouts.

51 Pitches (34 Strikes, 17 Balls.)

[Il BuonO]

o

VANCE RICHARD WORLEY O (vs. WHITE SOX, 5/01)

3.33 shutout innings out of the bullpen.

Entered the game with runners on 1st and 2nd base, and 2 outs.

1 Walk, 5 Strikeouts.

51 Pitches (34 Strikes, 17 Balls.)

That has Jimenez replacement written all over it.

[OFFNY]

o

McFalrand was optioned to AAA-Norfolk ...... although he is also the 26th man for tonight's game against the Athletics.

McFarland Optioned to AAA-Norfolk

(By Roch Kubatko)

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/05/mcfarland-optioned-to-norfolk-plus-lineups.html

[OFFNY]

o

VANCE RICHARD WORLEY O (vs. MARINERS, 5/17)

3 shutout innings out of the bullpen in a blowout loss to save the rest of the bullpen.

Retired the first 8 batters that he faced, then ceded 2 singles in the 9th before getting the final out.

Threw strikes: oo 32 (24 Strikes, 8 Balls.)

0 walks, 2 strikeouts.

[Chavez Ravine]

o

VANCE RICHARD WORLEY O (vs. MARINERS, 5/17)

3 shutout innings out of the bullpen in a blowout loss to save the rest of the bullpen.

Retired the first 8 batters that he faced, then ceded 2 singles in the 9th before getting the final out.

Threw strikes: oo 32 (24 Strikes, 8 Balls.)

0 walks, 2 strikeouts.

Who knows what would happen if you exposed him to a lot of innings, but the Vanimal has looked good to me this year. TJ as well.

[Rene88]

Who knows what would happen if you exposed him to a lot of innings, but the Vanimal has looked good to me this year. TJ as well.

Vanimal is a garbage time pitcher.

They need to replace Matusz with TJ or Oliver Drake (who is great vs lefties).

[Chavez Ravine]

Vanimal is a garbage time pitcher.

They need to replace Matusz with TJ or Oliver Drake (who is great vs lefties).

I think at this point I like our chances better if Worley started and Jimenez got the garbage time if need be. Or heck, I might try a Worley-McFarland tag team.

[Rene88]

I think at this point I like our chances better if Worley started and Jimenez got the garbage time if need be. Or heck, I might try a Worley-McFarland tag team.

I would rather start Jimenez over Worley.

[OFFNY]

o

Thoughts on the Bullpen

(By Roch Kubatko)

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/05/thoughts-on-the-bullpen-1.html

[OFFNY]

They were just kicking this around on Wall to Wall Baseball, and the more I think about it, the more I think it will be a necessity. Keep an optionable guy as the 8th man and run the shuttle back and forth to Norfolk as necessary. We're going to have a ton of games where the bullpen pitches the 6th inning and earlier. That also may explain why the O's wanted Navarro, who can be shuttled back and forth if there are periods when an 8th bullpen guy isn't needed.

With Dylan Bundy being named the starting pitcher for Sunday's game, and with a good portion of the starting rotation (sans Chris Tillman and Kevin Gausman) showing almost no ability to go beyond 5 innings, an 8-man bullpen is looking like a possibility again soon.