BRONX, NY — Luis Vázquez was called from the bullpen in the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium Saturday afternoon and the Baltimore Orioles infielder pitched a scoreless inning. The Yankees were on their way to a 9-0 shutout and interim manager Tony Mansolino needed to preserve bullpen arms for the Sunday afternoon series finale.
Vázquez did the mop up work. It’s always a question about a team’s pitching strength when a position player is utilized to fill the role. But starter Zach Eflin was ineffective with three innings, his shortest outing of the season. The Yankees got to Eflin early.
The right-hander allowed three home runs. Trent Grisham, a solo (No. 15) in the first inning, J.C. Escarra (No. 2) and Ben Rice (No. 9) with solo home runs in the second inning. The Yankees continued to tack on runs, as Clarke Schmidt flirted with a no-hitter, tossing 7.0 scoreless innings and earned his fourth win.
Yes, it was a Yankees onslaught on a hot afternoon in the Bronx before another sellout crowd of 46,142. The Yankees bats have been in a struggle and banged out 14 hits, a win that could spark their lineup.
And for the Orioles, it was reaching into a bullpen that has been struggling, three more relievers were used though they own an MLB best 19.8 percent inherited rate ahead of the Dodgers. Seranthony Domínguez and Keegan Akin own the two best.
It’s no secret as managers deplete their bullpens when starters rarely go more than five or six innings. Relief arms become a valuable commodity and with rosters capped at 26, most teams carry 14 pitchers. The Orioles current makeup leaves less bench players and leaves room for added arms in the pen.
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The game has changed from managing, pitch counts, and innings pitched. Also there have been an increased and recurring amount of injuries to pitchers added by increased missed time due to elbow, the arm and shoulder issues. Tommy John Surgery is now a common word in baseball.
So why did the Orioles dispatch 25-year old Vázquez (Orocovis, Puerto Rico), an infielder to do mop up duty? Acquired from the Cubs for cash considerations in late January, Vázquez has an arm. Though throwing 24-MPH mop up pitches to Cody Bellinger, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jasson Domínguez hardly qualifies for a role in the bullpen.
“I never imagined pitching at Yankee Stadium,” said Vázquez through an interpreter. ”We’re a team that never likes to lose. Just trying to throw it over the plate.”
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He indeed played the role, though the Orioles have other plans for their occasional starter in the infield. Vázquez can hit, get on base, has speed, and commands his position well. Closer Félix Bautista, a former AL LatinoMVP Closer of the Year, was never in the plan, not in a mop up role and recorded his 16th save Friday night in the Orioles opening game of the series win.
Hard-throwing right-hander Yennier Canó pitched a scoreless 7th inning and struck out the side.
Vázquez said about getting a call from the pen, “I knew it was a possibility. I needed to save the bullpen for tomorrow so I knew it was a possibility.” He admitted at eight and nine years of age, in Puerto Rico, that was the last time throwing a baseball off a mound. “Think I’m here to play the positions I play but I’m prepared for anything,” he revealed.
Prepared, though, to help his team that was in that awkward position of needing that arm to end a long day in the Bronx, Vázquez could get a start in the lineup late Sunday morning. The three-game series concludes in the Bronx with an awkward start time due to being televised on the Roku streaming Network.
Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
If not in the lineup or used off the bench, and if the Yankees again dig into the Orioles pen, you never know what to expect.
The Orioles have made a brief surge to gain some ground in the AL East, so anything is possible.
Rich Mancuso is a senior writer and contributor at LatinoSports.com – X: @Ring786, Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso
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