In a swift roster move Monday night, the Orioles opted for a starter over a reliever, and accuracy over power.
They recalled left-handed pitcher Brian Burres to make Tuesday’s start against the Chicago White Sox. To make room on the roster for the soft-tossing starter, the club optioned hard-throwing rookie reliever Kam Mickolio to Triple-A Norfolk.
Manager Dave Trembley declined to announce the roster move in his post-game meeting with the media, but the organization confirmed in a news release what most followers already assumed to be true: Burres would be back in Baltimore to start Tuesday’s contest.
Burres went 7-7 with a 5.64 ERA in 22 games with the Orioles before being demoted to Norfolk Aug. 1. While there, Burres proved he belonged back in the majors, going 1-0 with a 0.82 ERA in four games with the Tides.
He’ll face Baltimore native Gavin Floyd (Mount St. Joseph) in Tuesday’s game. Floyd is 13-6 with a 3.78 ERA.
Mickolio, 24, was only in Baltimore for a week, appearing in two games and allowing one earned run on four hits with two strikeouts in one inning. It was a short stay, but it’s not expected that Mickolio will be gone for long.
“Mickolio has been told that he’s only going until the rosters expand the first of September and then he’ll be back,” Trembley said.
Acquired in the six-player trade that sent Erik Bedard to Seattle in February for All-Star George Sherrill and center fielder Adam Jones, Mickolio is expected to have a bright future in the Orioles bullpen.
“He’s got a power arm. I think he’d be very good against right-handed hitters and I think he has a real big upside as a guy at the back end of the bullpen in some capacity,” Trembley said. “He’s raw, he needs work, but there’s definitely a lot to work with there. I think he’ll be a very effective pitcher for us in the bullpen with more experience.”
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