Jim Johnson

One year after being named the organization's minor league Pitcher of the Year, Jim Johnson was recalled from Double-A Bowie on July 29 to make an emergency start for the Orioles. A native of Johnson City, N.Y., he allowed eight runs in three innings and was optioned the next day, but he's still regarded as a prospect who could be a reliever in the majors if the rotation is set. Johnson led Bowie in wins (13), innings (156) and strikeouts (124) last season. Giants or Jets? -- Giants. When I was growing up, it was either Giants or Bills, and I went with the Giants.

When the topic of winning streaks arose before Wednesday afternoon's game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Orioles manager Buck Showalter insisted that his players don't pay much attention to them. “I don't think they had a thing up there where they were X'ing out [and saying] 'There's one more,'” Showalter deadpanned. “Our guys, they don't get too bogged down.” But later Wednesday, a streak that has defined the Orioles' resilience ended as they dropped a 6-5 decision in 11 innings at Camden Yards, snapping their remarkable franchise-record run of 17 straight regular-season extra-inning wins.

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Pitcher Jim Johnson acknowledges that going into the season, he couldn't have imagined becoming the Orioles' top setup man. That's why Johnson, a converted starter, hesitates to talk about his role with the team next year, knowing how quickly things can change. The Orioles, however, will spend some time over the coming weeks discussing where Johnson fits in their long-term plans. Is it in a rotation that has been dogged by lengthy injuries and ineffectiveness? Does he make the transition to closer with George Sherrill potentially being dealt and Chris Ray's health still in question?

Orioles reliever Kevin Gregg has been a major league closer long enough to know the formula for long-term, late-inning success. The key ingredient: a short memory. This time last year, Gregg was coming off arguably his best major league season, setting a career high with 37 saves with the Blue Jays. The Orioles rewarded him with a two-year, $10 million contract with a third-year option. A year later, he enters spring training as an enigma. His seven blown saves last year opened the door for Jim Johnson to take over save chances late in the season.

SARASOTA, Fla. - In an otherwise meaningless exhibition against an obviously undermanned Spain World Baseball Classic team, Orioles manager Buck Showalter accomplished something important Wednesday afternoon. He found work for relievers Jim Johnson , Darren O'Day and Luis Ayala - all of whom were key parts of the club's outstanding bullpen in 2012 and all of whom had not pitched in a game this spring. Showalter wants to keep their innings and workload down, but he also has to get them ready for April.

The Orioles' 17-game extra-inning winning streak ended Wednesday afternoon, but the team's 100-game winning streak when leading at the completion of the seventh inning is still alive and well heading into the Orioles' 11-day, 11-game West Coast road trip, which begins tonight in Oakland. When that streak - which dates back to Aug. 8, 2011 - reached the century mark after Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Blue Jays, closer Jim Johnson noted that the streak coincided with the time when the Orioles began to turn things around.

So closer Jim Johnson finally blew a save in the regular season . How long has it been? The last time he blew one Manny Machado and Nate McLouth weren't Orioles. You've got to go all the way  back to July 27, 2012 - not counting the one Game 3 of the ALDS - for a blown save by JJ. Here's a silver lining for you: Even when Johnson blows one, it's rarely ugly. He gave up four singles that were beat into the ground on Tuesday. It's not like they got a lot of lift off a guy who has made his living getting grounders.

Jim Johnson's baseball dreams were born just off the banks of the Susquehanna River in the quaint upstate New York town of Endicott. The river flowed just past the left-field line of his high-school baseball field. With a population of about 13,000, it's the epitome of Small Town, USA. This is where Johnson - a self-described 'grinder' - spent his time between the baseball field and the local firehouse, where he was a volunteer firefighter. Had he not pursued baseball, he would have been a fireman.

Each Wednesday, blogger Matt Vensel will highlight five statistics that really mean something for the Orioles. 58.9 -- the number of saves Orioles closer Jim Johnson is on pace for this season. Jim Johnson got his 12th save in Tuesday night's 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals, tying him for second in baseball behind Jason Grilli of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Johnson has converted all 12 save opportunities in 2013. We are nearing the quarter pole of the 2013 season, and Johnson is on pace to record more than 50 saves for a second straight season (he had a club-record 51 in 2012)

We've been telling you for the last year that the Orioles clubhouse is pretty loose. Here was another example of that, courtesy of newcomer Russ Canzler's big day on Wednesday against a Team Spain club made up of minor leaguers and independent leaguers. Canzler, who is fighting for a reserve job as a first baseman-outfielder, didn't realize that his two-homer, six RBI performance Wednesday wouldn't count toward the spring stats until after he came out of the game and got some razzing from his teammates.