Wei-Yen Chen spun a gem on Wednesday, going 7.1 innings, but when he got into trouble, the bullpen swooped in like a comic book superhero and saved the day yet again. With runners on first and second, Darren O’Day struck out Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia to get out of a jam in a one run game.
In the bottom of the ninth, Zach Britton came on, and took the White Sox down in order for his 27th save.
Overall, the Orioles bullpen has excelled this year. As a group they have posted a 3.17 ERA. A major reason for their success is pitching coach Dave Wallace and bullpen coach Dom Chiti being on the same page and having the pitchers using their fastball more effectively.
O'Day: "This is the most complete bullpen I’ve ever been a part of. It’s a fun time right now to be down there.” #orioles
— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) August 21, 2014
O'Day on why #orioles better on road: "I don't know. Maybe it’s the early wake-up call at home. Maybe it’s our wives. Just kidding!"
— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) August 21, 2014
The bullpen has been effective in years prior, but by the end of the season, began to falter due to overuse. The difference in 2014 is that Orioles staters have gone deeper into games this year, allowing manager Buck Showalter to manage the bullpen more efficiently, alleviating overuse, to bring more success later in the year.
