5 hurlers add to O's scoreless relief streak

BALTIMORE -- Just how good is this Orioles bullpen? Friday night's 6-5 win over the Yankees showcased its true depth.
After starter Ubaldo Jiménez couldn't complete five innings, manager Buck Showalter pieced together the final 14 outs with five pitchers and one result: no runs scored.
"It's kind of our motto down there: Give it to the next guy and do your job so everyone else can do their job," said lefty Donnie Hart, who picked up his first career Major League win.

The bullpen, which has pitched 12 1/3 scoreless innings to start the season, has certainly lived up to its motto early on. A group that was Baltimore's strength all of last season, leading the American League with a 3.40 ERA, is expected to once again be relied on heavily. And the relievers were up for the challenge again Friday, dispatching Yankee hitters in key situations all night.

"Those kind of games are something that you're gonna take for the whole season," Jimenez said. "Those games mean a lot, especially coming from behind. It was a tough night to play, and the guys just battled, picked me up, and the bullpen did the job that they usually do every night."
Righty Oliver Drake got three outs following Jimenez, with setup man Darren O'Day coming in for a rare middle-inning appearance and pitching around two walks. Hart recorded an out to end the seventh inning, while Brad Brach -- a first-time All-Star last year -- struck out the side in the eighth.

"I was really glad to get Darren off the schneid, so to speak. It's been 10 days [since he's been in a game]," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "To get through that game with some guys who hadn't really been out there in quite a while, it was good to get a 'W' out of it."

Zach Britton, perfect in save opportunities all of last season, picked up his second save of the year to cap things off. Britton opened by striking out Brett Gardner, got a groundout -- which he collected while falling -- before remaining in the game and getting the final groundout.