Bullpen

BOSTON - The clock crept on midnight at Fenway Park - and most of the announced sellout crowd of 37,223 - was likely dozing off. But it was the Orioles bullpen that put the Red Sox bats to sleep Friday night, throwing eight shutout innings - running its scoreless-inning streak to 19 innings - propelling the Orioles to a 6-4 13-inning win over the Red Sox. It was the Orioles' fourth win in their last five games here at...

The Orioles arrived in Sarasota with plenty of intrigue, a starting lineup already pretty much set in stone and a rotation with perhaps just one opening. But Buck Showalter's bullpen is wide-open, which gives us an opportunity to do a little spring speculation. Baltimore has several relievers with closing experience -- most notably Kevin Gregg, Michael Gonzalez and Koji Uehara -- and one more could be added to the mix if Alfredo Simon is released from prison in the Dominican Republic.

The question didn't even have time to slide safely into Buck Showalter's consciousness when the Orioles manager politely interrupted and motioned with his hands to indicate that the topic was premature. "So far, so good," Showalter said when asked about the Orioles' revamped bullpen. "It would be nice to break camp with all the pieces. That would be something that we didn't have last year. " The early returns on the Orioles' offseason bullpen makeover have been positive. Kevin Gregg, signed to a two-year, $10 million deal in January, has thrown four scoreless innings.

One reason the Rangers are looking to move Michael Young for starting pitching is Neftali Feliz apparently is headed back to the closer's role. Mark Lowe, who had been billed as a possible stopper, didn't help his cause Thursday when he walked the leadoff man with a two-run lead in the ninth. Feliz would welcome a return to the role he filled well enough to win Rookie of the Year. … Jon Garland's injury is a blow for the Dodgers, whose key is the depth of their five-man rotation.

The pleas started very early that spring and continued well into the Florida Marlins' 2007 regular season. Kevin Gregg had one save on his resume, but when he presented his case to manager Fredi Gonzalez and pitching coach Rick Kranitz, that hardly mattered. Gregg wanted the ball in the ninth inning. He wanted the burden of being the guy on the mound when the final pitch was thrown, good or bad. In his mind, he wasn't just the right choice to serve as the Marlins' closer, he was the only choice.

After seeing their bullpen carry an extended load in four games since the All-Star break, the Orioles have purchase the contract of right-handed reliever Brad Bergesen to help aid a taxed relief corps.  At Triple-A Norfolk, the 26-year-old Bergesen was 4-3 with a 4.03 ERA in 22 games (10 starts). Over 80 1/3 innings, he allowed 90 hits, 42 runs, 36 earned runs with 41 strikeouts and 23 walks. Over his last 10 outings, he's pitched to a 2.35 ERA. He last pitched two innings on Saturday for the Tides.

Here's what tonight's bullpen probably looks like after the Orioles' 18-inning game and the call-up of top pitching prospect Dylan Bundy: Long relief Bundy Zach Phillips (L) Middle relief Luis Ayala Brian Matusz (L) Closer Jim Johnson Against the Mariners on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning after starter Wei-Yin Chen was only able to go 5 1/3 innings, Jake Arrieta went 3 1/3 scoreless innings. Matusz faced just two batters and threw 12 pitches, Darren O'Day went 1 2/3, Pedro Strop pitched an inning, Steve Johnson threw three innings, Tommy Hunter threw two and Johnson closed out the win, facing three batters and throwing 13 pitches.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Left-hander Dennis Rasmussen will enter the second phase of his non-roster audition today when he pitches in a situational relief role against the Minnesota Twins.Rasmussen hopes to win a place in the Orioles starting rotation, but he ranks sixth or seventh among the club's nine potential starters. So, manager John Oates has asked him to prepare himself for the possibility that he might open the season in the bullpen."It just gives us another option if I decide I want him on the staff as a flip-flop [long reliever-spot starter]

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -Add Matt Albers to the list of pitchers who have dropped out of the competition for the three open spots in the Orioles' rotation. This time, though, it's by design. If healthy, the right-hander will start the season in the bullpen. "That's what he had success in last year," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. "He was probably our most valuable guy, and we didn't realize that until after we lost him, how valuable he was." Albers, who is pitching with torn cartilage in his right shoulder, said his arm feels good, but his durability remains a concern heading into the season.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - It isn't often that a simple bullpen session at the start of spring training draws a crowd of 30 media members and just about the entire Orioles front office. Koji Uehara threw about 50 pitches alongside Hayden Penn and nonroster pitcher Ross Wolf yesterday morning, drawing praise from pitching coach Rick Kranitz and catcher Gregg Zaun along with the daily scrutiny of the large contingent of Japanese media and a handful of American reporters. The last time anyone drew close to this kind of interest for a throwing session at Orioles training camp was Hall of Famer Jim Palmer, when he attempted a comeback in 1991, and it really wasn't that close.