|
Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen (pictured) was on his way to his second strong performance in a row when he grabbed at his side and exited Sunday's game with a right oblique strain. That's very bad news for a team that already has called on four Triple-A starters to fill in the fifth slot in the rotation and replace injured Miguel Gonzalez. It was a tough week already, after so-so outings by Jason Hammel, Freddy Garcia and Steve Johnson, and that was reflected in the combined numbers. The rotation posted a 2-2 record with a 6.03 ERA and averaged just five innings per start. Even though the team managed to go 4-2 in those games, this is starting to get scary.
Grade: D (Hannah Foslien / Getty Images /May 12, 2013)
Another one of the veterans that executive vice president Dan Duquette had stashed at Triple-A Norfolk has opted out of his contract.
Left-handed reliever J.C. Romero, who was 1-0 with a 2.51 ERA in 17 games (one start), had an opt-out clause in his contract at the All-Star break and chose to enact it, the team announced.
Romero, 36, had allowed 10 hits, five walks and struck out 13 batters in 14 1/3 innings for the Tides while picking up two saves. He had missed some time for personal reasons and had given up four earned runs in his past four appearances.
The Orioles’ big-league bullpen has been outstanding, and if they needed to call up a short-inning reliever, Miguel Socolovich looks like the first in line. The Orioles have Zach Phillips at Triple-A Norfolk in case they need a lefty specialist.
So Romero, who has pitched for six different clubs in his 14-year big-league career, is now a free agent.
