Baltimore Orioles, Buck and the bullpen: An explanation for a rough week

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May 13, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Alec Asher (51) pitches against the Kansas City Royals in the fifth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /

The series shifted to Washington and did not end well. The Baltimore Orioles had a 6-2 lead going into the eighth inning. Wade Miley only went five laborious innings, but Mychal Givens pitched an inning and so did Donnie Hart to allow the Orioles to maintain their lead.

Hart came out for the eighth and allowed a hit to Daniel Murphy, who would come around to score on a Michael Taylor home run off Alec Asher. Taylor, the Nationals eighth hitter, had three RBIs.

But, why is Asher pitching in the eighth? Why not bring Asher in for the sixth and move Givens and Hart to more influential innings. When Givens came in, the Orioles were up 5-2. If Asher pitched well, Buck could have used him for multiple innings to get to Brad Brach.

Ultimately, Brach blew it in fantastic fashion, with Matt Wieters getting the game-winning two-run single in the ninth. No issue with Brach or his usage, sometimes you just don’t have it, especially against a good hitting team.

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