SARASOTA, Fla. – Mychal Givens is due to make another spring appearance for the Orioles, perhaps this afternoon in Dunedin. It’s been six days. He hasn’t allowed an earned run in four outings and his heels are dug into his lock status in the bullpen. A sure thing if healthy.
The sidearmer has surrendered an unearned run and two hits with seven strikeouts in four innings. He looks much the same as the reliever who worked in high leverage situations for the club before the 2020 trade with the Rockies.
There’s one particular oddity.
Givens was called twice for balks in his first appearance and had another in his next game. He isn’t doing anything differently with runners on base.
The new pitch clock could be the culprit, influencing how umpires are policing the pitchers.