Mychal Givens made an impression on the Orioles. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
BOSTON — Nobody was surprised Thursday when the Baltimore Orioles optioned reliever Mychal Givens to Double-A Bowie. After all, they needed to open a roster spot for starter Miguel Gonzalez, who was credited with the victory in a 6-4 win over the Boston Red Sox.
However, Givens left an impression on the Orioles, too.
A converted shortstop, Givens made his major league debut Wednesday night and tossed a scoreless eighth inning, catching the attention of manager Buck Showalter.
“With Mychal, it’s kind of, ‘To be continued,'” Showalter said. “He brings a lot of things. He’s very athletic. He brings a lot of things that a lot of other pitchers can’t.
“You can tell Mike is athletic and gets the other parts of the game. You see his times to the plate, his moves to first (base) — little things you’ve got to get used to. You can tell he’s into the situation of the game, even in a short stint. With the ball to the right side, he’s breaking that way, as you should be. Little things like that. (His) pure stuff will play up here.”
Givens, 25, was used as a setup man and closer in Double-A, pitching in high-leverage situations designed to prepare him for the pressures of the big leagues. He was 3-1 with 12 saves and a 1.60 ERA in 23 appearances for Bowie before his call-up Saturday.
