It's not easy to record a save in a 9-1 win.
But Orioles long reliever Lance Cormier did that -- saving the win and the bullpen with four innings of shutout, one-hit relief after a 63-minute rain delay Saturday. It was Cormier's first career save. Cormier struck out two and walked one some three days after the Orioles used Cormier and Matt Albers in an emergency start, a 7-4 loss to the Cubs. That game left the Orioles thin for the weekend -- and thin for the long haul, as it was revealed Albers had a torn labrum and may miss the remainder of the season.
Cormier had made 23 starts in 123 games before this season. But for now, Cormier has carved out a niche as the O's top long man.
The 27-year-old is 1-2 with a 2.22 ERA in 16 games, spanning 28 1/3 innings.
Cormier is getting more work lately, too. He threw in four games on the road trip, allowing two runs in nine innings. With former starter Jim Johnson settling into a late-inning set-up role, and Albers out for the season, Cormier will likely be the first man out of the bullpen in games where a reliever is needed before the seventh inning.
NATIONALS 3, ORIOLES 2 (12 innings): The Orioles fell to 3-5 in extra-inning games with Ronnie Belliard's two-run walk-off home run on a 1-2 pitch with two outs in the 12th inning. It was the Orioles' 12th consecutive loss on a Sunday.
