Orioles recall Stinson to support tired bullpen

BALTIMORE -- The Orioles recalled pitcher Josh Stinson from Triple-A Norfolk before Wednesday's game.

The right-hander, who was a starter at Norfolk, was brought up at least in part to provide a safety valve for lefty Wei-Yin Chen, who was activated from the disabled list Wednesday. Chen will start Wednesday's game. Manager Buck Showalter always likes to have a contingency plan in case a start is cut short, and Stinson should provide some innings in the bullpen if needed.

"We wanted to have some [bullpen] coverage tonight," Showalter said. "I don't think anybody can predict how Wei-Yin is going to feel physically. We want to make sure we're covered there."

The Orioles had room on the 25-man roster after they optioned Zach Britton and Kevin Gausman to Triple-A Norfolk following Tuesday's game.

Stinson, who went 4-4 with a 4.23 ERA in 15 starts, had not pitched for the Tides in three days and was scratched from his bullpen session Tuesday.

"I was [surprised]," Stinson said. "[Pitching coach] Mike Griffin came in [Tuesday] and told me not to throw my bullpen, so I thought something was up. It's definitely not expected."

How long he'll stay in the Majors isn't clear, and it could depend on how much the bullpen is needed for the next few days. The Orioles frequently shuffle pitchers between the big leagues and their affiliates to keep fresh arms in the bullpen, or even the rotation in some cases.

"I was told when I got claimed over here that they make a lot of moves. And I guess they had the most in Major League Baseball last year. So that was kind of expected," Stinson said. "But this many is surprising to me, because I was with Milwaukee last year and there really weren't that many moves. But it's an opportunity. I think every guy that comes up sees it as an opportunity to go up there and show them what you've got."

Though he was a starter in Norfolk, Stinson said he's comfortable coming out of the bullpen. For the whole 2009 season, half of '10 and half of '11, he was a reliever. Showalter said Triple-A manager Ron Johnson called Stinson one of his most durable relievers.