BALTIMORE (AP) -All-Star reliever George Sherrill was activated from the 15-day disabled list Thursday by the Baltimore Orioles, who certainly could use his help in the back end of the bullpen.
Sherrill was placed on the disabled list on Aug. 19 with inflammation of the left shoulder. He is 3-5 with a 4.47 ERA with 31 saves in 53 appearances.
The Orioles didn’t plan to use Sherrill on Thursday because he threw on the side a day earlier. But manager Dave Trembley would like nothing better than to bring in the left-hander Friday against the Minnesota Twins.
“I can’t wait to put him out there. I would hope tomorrow night we would be ahead in the ninth inning and I can put him in to save the game,” Trembley said. “We’re ahead in the ninth inning and I put him in and he closes the game, just like we’ve been there, done it before. He walks off with his hat the way it is, and everybody’s high-fiving.”
ast pitched on Aug. 15.
“I just want to stay healthy, do what I can to help us put some wins and finish strong,” Sherrill said.
Sherrill was a situational pitcher in Seattle, but during his first season in Baltimore he’s thrown a career-high 50 1-3 innings. He attributed the injury to the increased workload, but expects to be better prepared next year.
“It’s not completely being worn out,” he said. “It’s a good step that I needed.”
Although the last-place Orioles have little left to play for, Sherrill felt it was important to be in the bullpen for the final two weeks.
His objective: “Getting back out there and just showing them I’m healthy, showing myself I’m healthy going into the offseason and come back strong next season.”
In another news, Melvin Mora was Baltimore’s designated hitter Thursday night, his first appearance since straining his left hamstring running out a grounder on Aug. 29.
“It’s just kind of been getting better and I’ve been making it strong every day,” Mora said. “It doesn’t hurt. It just feels a little tight.”
Mora will eventually return to third base, but for now it’s safer to put him at DH.
“I think the manager decided for me to be the DH so I can go little-by-little,” he said. “It’s a good idea.”
Mora has 23 homers and 97 RBIs. With a solid finish, he can match or surpass his career-best totals of 27 and 104.
o finish strong,” he said. “I want to win at least the last 15 games that we have so that we can come next year with a fresh mind.”
Notes: RHP Matt Albers is done for the season, and will be sent home Friday. Albers was placed on the DL on June 26 with what the team described as right shoulder inflammation, but he’s trying to avoid surgery on a torn labrum. He’s throwing better, but it still takes him a long time to warm up, which led Trembley to dismiss the notion of bringing him back this season.
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