Givens recalled, collects first MLB win

BALTIMORE -- Orioles closer Zach Britton said the biggest adjustment Mychal Givens was going to have to make in the Majors was to not treat it like an audition, but to be effective for a winning team.

Givens -- who was recalled from Double-A Bowie on Friday after the Orioles designated Bud Norris for assignment -- was indeed effective in the Orioles' 8-7 victory on Friday night as he picked up his first Major League win against the Tigers.

"Words can't really say it," Givens said about his first win.

Givens entered with one out in the fifth inning after Mike Wright left the game with a calf injury, and threw 1 2/3 innings, giving up one hit while striking out two. Givens -- along with Wright, who also was recalled Friday -- came up a lot during trade rumors, but the Orioles were not willing to part with either.

• Givens, Wright ranked among O's top prospects

"Invariably in our conversations with other teams, after Kevin Gausman, the two pitchers they wanted next was Mike Wright and Mychal Givens," said Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette. "So other teams have identified them as ready for the big leagues. So now, we are going to give them an opportunity."

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Givens said he was surprised to receive the call Friday morning, and shipped up to Baltimore as fast as he could. He was originally selected as a position player in the 2009 Draft before the Orioles approached him about converting to a pitcher at the beginning of the 2013 season.

The right-hander went 4-2 with a 1.79 ERA and 14 saves in 34 games with the Baysox this season. Givens led the Eastern League with a 12.52 strikeout-per-nine-innings ratio, and was tied for the third-lowest batting average against (.191) among Eastern League relievers.

Givens made his Major League debut on June 24 at Boston, where he struck out one batter over an inning of work. He had his contract selected on June 20 and was optioned five days later, but if he keeps this up, he may be sticking around a little longer.

"He's got good stuff, anybody who can throw from that angle and throw as hard as he can with a breaking ball on top of it," said catcher Matt Wieters. "It's tough, the first time in your rookie year being up and you pitch at home. To keep the adrenaline down, I was impressed with that more than anything."