Even though his team had a day off on Monday, Orioles manager Buck Showalter knew keeping his bullpen fresh this week would be a challenge.
Optioning left-hander Cesar Cabral before Tuesday’s game to make 25-man roster space for outfielder Nolan Reimold left their bullpen is one man short with left-hander Brian Matusz serving an eight-game suspension for allegedly having a foreign substance on his right forearm.
Since then, neither Orioles starter has lasted more than five innings, placing an added load on the relievers. That’s not necessarily a recipe for winning. But despite being one man short, the Orioles bullpen allowed just one hit over 8 2/3 innings the past two nights in a pair of wins over the Boston Red Sox.