The Baltimore Orioles acquired 26-year old righty Pedro Strop and 25-year old lefty reliever Zach Phillips in separate deals with the Rangers this year and they are both making good first impressions. Strop has pitched in 9 games (0 starts) for the O’s so far this year and he is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.58 WHIP. He has only given up 3 hits in 8 2/3 innings so far this year while whiffing 11 batters and only walking 2, and those are impressive numbers. Strop has now pitched in 20 games (0 starts) overall for the Rangers and Orioles so far this year and he is 1-1 with a 1.96 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. Zach Phillips has pitched in 9 games (0 starts) for the Orioles so far this year and he is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. Both of these guys are making strong pushes for bullpen spots in 2012 for the Orioles.

23-year old lefty starting pitcher Zach Britton started this year like a ball of fire. He then fizzled out and the result was a demotion to the minors. He has come back looking like the pitcher he was in April and May lately. In Britton’s last four starts, he is 3-0 with a 2.74 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. He has now pitched in 24 games (all starts) overall this year for the Orioles and he is 9-9 with a 4.33 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. Britton is a big part of the Orioles’ future, so they have to be ecstatic to see him getting his act back together.

25-year old lefty reliever Troy Patton is looking pretty solid for the Orioles so far this year. Patton has pitched in 14 games (0 starts) for the Orioles so far this year and he is 0-1 with a 3.92 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. Patton has given up 21 hits in his first 20 2/3 innings so far this year, but he has limited the damage by whiffing 17 batters and walking 3 batters. With Mike Gonzalez off to Texas, Patton is the best lefty reliever the Orioles have on the pitching staff.

30-year old righty starting pitcher Alfredo Simon has really pitched solid lately for the Orioles. In Simon’s last five starts, he is 2-3 with a 3.45 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. The biggest reason for his success lately has been his propensity to throw strikes. He has only walked 5 batters while whiffing 21 in his last five starts in 31 1/3 innings. Simon has now pitched in 13 games (6 starts) overall this year for the Orioles and he is 3-5 with a 4.08 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. Simon might have just found a home in the Orioles’ starting rotation.

28-year old righty reliever Jim Johnson has been outstanding all season long for the Orioles. Johnson has pitched in 43 games (0 starts) for the Orioles so far this year and he is 5-3 with 1 save, a 2.64 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. He has been very aggressive in the strike zone as he has only walked 11 batters in 58 innings pitched so far this year for the O’s. Johnson is going to be asked about by a lot of teams at the trade deadline but the Orioles aren’t likely going to deal him unless they are overwhelmed. That is because the Orioles are thinking about converting him to a starting pitcher for the 2012 season.