Baltimore Orioles: Zach Britton will return to DL with same forearm issue

Zach Britton will reportedly head back to the DL with a recurrence of his forearm strain, and the Baltimore Orioles expect to be without their closer for another few weeks.

Baltimore Orioles closer Zach Britton had made just two appearances since returning from the disabled list stint that kept him sidelined since the middle of April. He didn’t record a save in either game, but looked like his usual effective self, tossing two scoreless innings.

However, according to ESPN.com, Britton was not available to pitch in Friday night’s 4-2 victory over the White Sox as he was again experiencing discomfort in his left forearm, the injury which caused his recent DL trip. Britton went for an MRI to better assess the issue.

Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports that Britton will be placed back on the 10-day DL and likely miss “a few weeks.” The MRI revealed no structural damage or any more serious problems in the left-hander’s elbow or forearm ligaments, but the club wants to give him enough time to let the inflammation fully heal.

While it’s certainly disappointing for the O’s to lose their star closer again for an extended period of time after barely getting him back, they have to count themselves fortunate that the injury was not more severe, potentially requiring surgery that would have kept him out even longer.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter discussed the situation yesterday after the game. Per Connolly:

"“There’s some talk about the next step to take with him. He woke up this morning, felt it, felt some discomfort this morning. I guess we call it the night when we get back at 4 (a.m.),” Showalter said. “It got a little better as the day went on, but we’re trying to decide what our next step is.”"

Connolly says the prevailing belief is that Britton tried to return too soon from the previous strain, which made it easier to re-aggravate over the past week. Baltimore hopes that with enough rest and downtime, the injury shouldn’t continue bothering the 29-year-old southpaw.

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In his limited opportunities thus far, Britton has converted all five of his save chances, extending his consecutive save streak to 54, which tied Tom Gordon for the American League record. While he has only allowed one run in nine innings, some of Britton’s other numbers are a bit off from what we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from him.

His 1.78 WHIP, 12.0 H/9, 4.0 BB/9 and 7.0 K/9 are all significantly worse than last year’s stellar campaign. However, the small sample size combined with Britton’s forearm issue seems a likely explanation. If his recovery proceeds the way the Orioles hope, their closer should return to his more dominant ways upon his activation from the DL.

In the meantime, Brad Brach will continue acting as the team’s closer, and the O’s can’t feel too bad about that. The 31-year-old righty is having a fine year and doing a great job in Britton’s absence. He’s gone 6-for-7 in save opportunities with a 2.12 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 2.83 K/BB ratio in 17 innings.

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Having the ninth inning locked down is going to remain very important for Baltimore. Despite their rather modest +6 run differential, the Orioles boast an 18-10 record and are just a half-game behind the Yankees in the AL East. Fifteen of their wins have been decided by three runs or fewer. Their ability to win close games was vital to their success in 2016, and it appears it will be so again.