Donnie Hart talks about his promotion to the majors
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July 15, 2016 5:02 pm
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Orioles are working with an eight-man bullpen tonight that includes Ubaldo Jimenez.
Jimenez is listed among the relievers for tonight’s game against the Rays. The club still hasn’t announced a starter for Tuesday night in New York.
Left-hander T.J. McFarland is in the clubhouse and the Orioles set up a locker for him, though he may be taking a break from rehabbing in Sarasota.
Darren O’Day threw a bullpen session during yesterday’s workout and the right leg felt…
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Orioles are working with an eight-man bullpen tonight that includes Ubaldo Jimenez.
Jimenez is listed among the relievers for tonight’s game against the Rays. The club still hasn’t announced a starter for Tuesday night in New York.
Left-hander T.J. McFarland is in the clubhouse and the Orioles set up a locker for him, though he may be taking a break from rehabbing in Sarasota.
Darren O’Day threw a bullpen session during yesterday’s workout and the right leg felt good. However, he told reporters that he’s unsure what happens next. Still no word on a simulated game or rehab assignment.
The Orioles now have two left-handers in their bullpen with the addition of Donnie Hart, whose contract was selected from Double-A Bowie. Hart was on the taxi squad yesterday.
The phone call from the Orioles caught Hart by surprise.
“It was exciting,” he said. “I had to sit there for a second and think about it. It’s every kid’s dream, so it was pretty cool.”
Hart assumed the call was related to his inclusion in the Eastern League All-Star Game. He traveled to Akron on Tuesday, but didn’t pitch.
“I had to ask again to make sure I heard right,” he said. “I was very surprised, to say the least.”
Hart, who’s wearing No. 58, is the latest example of the Orioles summoning a pitcher from the Double-A level. They did the same with Mychal Givens last year, and Ashur Tolliver, Jayson Aquino and Jason Garcia this year.
“You think about it more,” said Hart, who was 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA and two saves in 33 games with Bowie. “You think about what those guys did down there and then you kind of look at what you’re doing and say if I can give myself a chance to do what they were doing, you think you’re chances are good. It’s nice. It’s nice to know that they have trust in us to do that kind of stuff and call us up from Bowie.”
The Orioles could use Hart as a lefty specialist. He held left-handed hitters to a .158/.200/.211 slash line with Bowie.
“I’m not sure,” he said. “I haven’t really discussed that with the manager or the pitching coaches or anyone like that. I don’t know yet.”
Hart said the key to his success, including how he’s allowed only two home runs in the minors and none since 2014, is mostly due to staying on a routine.
“I just try to stay with my game plan and my routine before games and look at the stat sheets and seeing which hitters hit lefties better than others,” Hart said. “Knowing what kind of swings guys are taking and then sticking with my game plan and my routine that I go through every day.”
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