"I thought it was best for us to go with 13 pitchers," said manager Dave Trembley. "The red flag for me the other day was [Radhames] Liz just giving us two innings. We're not even halfway through the season yet, and guys in the bullpen have had a lot of appearances. We need another arm down there, so that's the direction that we're going at this point in time."
Bukvich, who has pitched in the big leagues in each of the last five seasons, is likely to contribute as a long reliever. The right-hander was starting at Norfolk, where he had compiled a 5-2 record and a 3.45 ERA. Bukvich said that most of his professional experience has come out of the bullpen and that he won't have to make much of an adjustment.
"It's a great opportunity," said Bukvich, who is 3-0 with a 6.12 career ERA in the Majors. "It's a little different situation for me, having started and coming in as a long guy. I've been in and out for five years and been a one- or two-inning guy. Now I've had a chance to stretch it out and really learn some stuff. I really feel good about it. I'm just excited to give it a shot."
Baltimore's bullpen has been one of its strengths, but it could sorely use a shot in the arm. Orioles' relievers have thrown 16 1/3 scoreless innings, and the 'pen is 3-0 with a 0.48 ERA over its last five games. But several of the individual arms -- including closer George Sherrill and youngsters Jim Johnson and Matt Albers -- are in danger of being overtaxed.
Bukvich is well aware of that trend and wants to do anything he can to help stem the tide.
"Everybody's just throwing great," he said. "Everybody's doing what they need to do. I want to come in and contribute however I can, help some of the guys get their day off [so] they're sharp and ready to go."
"He can do all of it. He can pitch long, pitch short," added Trembley. "I think he allows us some options. He's not just a one-inning guy. We don't need a one-inning guy down there. I need someone who can pitch more than one inning."
Trembley, who has spoken often about the need for extra position players during the Interleague portion of the schedule, wouldn't comment on how long he plans to stick with this arrangement. He allowed that he has two injured relievers working back to full strength in Adam Loewen and Randor Bierd, and admits that his bullpen could be crowded for a while.
"I know it will be through this road trip, and then after that, we can evaluate it," he said. "But we have Loewen in the wings waiting to come, and Bierd's getting close. We'll see where it takes us. I think in this game, if you start making statements that it's going to be for a specific amount of time, you kind of get locked in. And I don't want to do that."
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