The Orioles will be without their All-Star closer for the immediate future, placing Zach Britton on the 10-day disabled list with what the team is calling a left forearm strain before Sunday's series finale here.
Britton _ 5-for-5 in save opportunities and tied for the second longest consecutive save streak all time with 54 straight converted opportunities _ last pitched on Friday. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Britton first experienced discomfort after throwing the second of two breaking balls in that outing.
"It's too early [in the season]," Showalter said. "We don't want to take any chances with it and try to get it taken care of. ... You're always concerned with somebody has discomfort. Everybody on the team has something you could talk about if you wanted to. We just don't choose to like every other team does. We think it will manage itself if we take the right precautions."
Britton will be eligible to return on April 26 against Tampa Bay. Even though Britton last pitched Friday, the move wasn't backdated because the corresponding move to recall right-handed reliever Stefan Crichton had to be made as least one day after he was formally optioned.
Crichton was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk before Saturday's game, but Orioles were able to recall Crichton without him having to fulfill the mandatory 10 days in the minors before returning to the majors because his return is part of a DL move.
Even though Showalter said Britton is already feeling better, making that DL date could prove to be a challenge. He would likely have to emerge from side sessions on consecutive days, and possibly get a minor league rehab outing under his belt before being activated. And at this point, Britton likely wouldn't pick up a ball until the club returns home from their three-game series in Cincinnati at the earliest.
"It's too soon to know, but we're confident it shouldn't be long term," Showalter said. "If he continues to progress like he had the last two days. But he's also going to have to take a couple bullpen days to make sure he can throw and come back the next day."
This marks the first time Britton has gone on the DL since becoming the Orioles closer in the second month of the 2014 season. Last year, he sprained his left ankle fielding a ball avoided a DL stint and this season he rolled his other ankle in a game but returned the next game.
Britton has definitely endured more high-stress outings this season, averaging 17.7 pitches per appearance through six outings compared to last year's 14.9 pitch mark. He pitched in each of the Orioles' first four games, even though those games were separated by two off days.
Britton threw just two breaking balls in his 21-pitch outing on Friday, and apparently felt discomfort on a first-pitch slider to second baseman Devon Travis with two outs in the ninth inning, but carried his typical velocity through the outing.
"That's why it gives us come hope for it being not a long period," Showalter said. "He was throwing 96, 97 [mph] after that breaking ball. But you have so much adrenaline going at that time. He was sore. He's still sore, but he's not as sore as he was, so we feel like it's progressing."
Britton's spring debut was delayed by an oblique issue and even though he converted all five save opportunities this season, he hasn't been as dominant as he was last year, when he posted a 0.54 ERA and was 47-for-47 on save attempts.
Britton has allowed 13 baserunners over seven innings this season, opponents are hitting .345 against him and he allowed his first run in 20 appearances in his last outing on Friday.
"He just kind of felt it on the one pitch," Showalter said. "After the game and the emotion, you kind of just let it die down. Obviously, Zach is a really good pitcher and you're going to let it play out a little bit. But talking with Richie and Zach a couple times...it's gotten a little better each day.
"But in that role, too, if he thinks all of a sudden OK, he's ready and then he warms up in the ninth inning and he's got a problem with it and can't pitch and you've managed the game and played the game with the idea that he's there at the end physically, that's not a good proposition. Plus, it's April. We want to take care of some of these things so he can kind of put it behind him for the rest of the year."
Britton could receive additional tests once the club departs Canada following Sunday's game, but Britton is expected to remain with the club on their interleague trip to Cincinnati.
"We'll get back home and if they need to take some pictures of it they well," Showalter said. "It's kind of tough here in Toronto. MRIs are kind of a challenge."
Showalter said he will have several options in save situations while Britton is out and said he will decide those roles on a case-by-case basis, but it appears that set-up man Brad Brach would be the next man up for the ninth inning.
Brach has thrown six scoreless inning in the set-up role and would have pitched in a closing situation on Saturday had there been one, but Showalter can also consider Mychal Givens and Darren O'Day as closing options as well. Neither Givens or O'Day were available on Saturday as the Orioles' lost 2-1 on Kendry Morales' ninth-inning walk-off homer off right-hander Tyler Wilson.
"We have good options and we'll kind of play it accordingly," Showalter said. "We were going to use Brad yesterday. I had three guys down yesterday in the bullpen, as you can tell by the way the game went. But we were also why were able to win the games Thursday and Friday. We do that a lot. We have guys down that we don't talk about.
"I'm not going to broadcast it to the other team because it could change [something]. I know it changes our batting order sometimes when I know who is available and not available in their bullpen for other teams."
