An anticipated return: O’s call up Tyler Wells, option Mike Baumann to Norfolk.
The past few games have been very taxing for the Baltimore Orioles bullpen. Veteran right-hander Kyle Gibson only went 4.2 innings Tuesday night in a 9-5 win against Houston. The O’s used five relievers following the short start. They needed to use four relievers in a loss Wednesday against Houston, and five relievers in a loss yesterday against the Guardians. Many pitchers on the staff have already eclipsed career highs in innings, which is not what you want to see with the playoffs around the corner.
Insert Tyler Wells. The 6’8 pitcher was seen by many as the ace of the Orioles staff early in the season. After struggling in the month of June, the O’s sent him down to double-A Bowie for a reset. Wells spent time with the Bowie Baysox and Baltimore’s triple-A club Norfolk Tides. He was mainly a reliever while in the minors, and he had an ERA of 5.52. Earlier today Wells was brought back to Baltimore to pitch for the major league team. Reliever Mike Baumann was sent down as a result, a move that will give Baumann some much needed rest.
Many assume the Orioles will use Tyler Wells as a long reliever. After all, he originally started his big-league career in the bullpen. Wells made one relief appearance this season on April 3rd against the Rangers. He threw five innings of no-hit ball en route to a 2-0 birds victory. Wells was asked to step into relief after Kyle Bradish took a comebacker off the ankle in the second inning.
Baltimore will hope the new equation is simple. Hope your starter goes 5+ innings, have Wells come in for an inning or two of relief, then have someone come in and shut the door in the ninth if needed. Because he’s been brought up so late in the year, it’s uncertain whether or not Tyler Wells will be eligible for the postseason. If he is, look for Wells to be a huge contributor to a bullpen that has rallied since the injury of Felix Bautista.
