Relievers

As pools of talent go, pitching coach Larry Schillenberg is in waterup to his neck. But under the circumstances, the Anne Arundel Community College assistant baseball coach couldn't be happier."

Loading his earthly belongings into a laundry cart that he rented from Campus Services, Johns Hopkins University freshman Austin Dennis made several trips from his dormitory room to his car on residential Greenway at North Charles Street, opposite the Homewood campus May 15. It was move-out week for Hopkins students as the school year ended, and Dennis, an economics major, was catching a flight that night to his hometown of Miami, Fla., where he...

Danys Baez didn't pitch well in yesterday's intrasquad game, but he seemed pleased with the way he threw, probably because he was pleased he could throw at all after coming up sore after his first exhibition start. ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/schmuckblog)

Richmond, Va. -- If it seems as though it takes forever for Lee Smith to get to the mound, imagine what it must be like to be Gregg Olson right now.Of course, no one around Baltimore has given the erstwhile Otter a second thought since the Orioles opened the 1994 season. Olson has been out of sight and -- thanks to the tremendous success of his successor -- out of mind, but he appears to be making progress in his attempt to come back from a serious elbow injury and re-establish himself as one of the top closers in the game.

Reliever Dennis Sarfate , who was designated for assignment last week when the Orioles re-signed Miguel Tejada , cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Norfolk. The 28-year-old right-hander received a spring training invitation but will not be on the 40-man roster for the first time since coming to Baltimore in December 2007 as part of the Tejada trade with the Houston Astros. "I guess you are a little disappointed every time you clear waivers, but I wanted to stay in Baltimore," said Sarfate, who was 0-1 with a 5.09 ERA in 20 games last year after going 4-3 with a 4.74 ERA in 2008.

The Orioles continue to add to their crowded 40-man roster. The club has signed reliever Luis Ayala, a 34-year-old right-hander who had a resurgent 2011 when he was 2-2 with a 2.09 ERA in 52 games with the New York Yankees, to a one-year, major league contract. The deal is worth a guaranteed $925,000. There is a team option for 2013 for $1 million with a $100,000 buyout. Ayala will earn $825,000 in 2012, and there are performance bonuses, mainly based on appearances, worth up to $350,000 for both 2012 and 2013.

Despite the presence of several young relievers with potential in the system, a 35-year-old journeyman who pitched for the Bowie Baysox earned the top spot in my list. That's right, I think Julio Manon had the finest statistics in the organization. Manon led the Eastern League with 32 saves and he was one of the main reasons that Bowie made the playoffs for the first time since 1997. He had 80 strikeouts and a 3.39 ERA in 63 2/3 innings. That doesn't mean Manon has any potential to help the Orioles in the future.

Synthetic marijuana ranked in the top three substances abused by the nation's high school students in 2012, according to a new report compiled by the Center for Substance Abuse Research at the University of Maryland, College Park . The drug -- herbs treated with chemicals designed to mimic the effects of marijuana -- ranked third next to alcohol and marijuana, which 57 percent and 39 percent of students in grades nine through 12...

Generally speaking, the less you hear about relievers who don't close games, the better they are pitching.Tom Bolton, Mark Eichhorn, Alan Mills, Mike Oquist, Jim Poole and Mark Williamson haven't been stealing any headlines lately, which means they haven't been blowing any games."

CLEVELAND -- On a cold, windy night at Jacobs Field, with seasons hanging on every pitch, there was a late-inning collision between the Cleveland Indians' bullpen and the powerful sweep of destiny that has carried the Seattle Mariners deep into the postseason.The bullpen won, with the help of a little luck. And the favored Indians finally have some breathing room in the American League Championship Series."Now the pressure is on them," Indians closer Jose Mesa said after finishing his club's 3-2 win in Game 5 last night.