Newly-acquired Seattle Mariners reliever Mike Baumann already making impact

The Mariners bullpen needed a lift, with the acquisition of reliever Mike Baumann from the Orioles, Seattle may have found themselves another bullpen gem. With injuries to relievers Gregory Santos and Matt Brash, the Mariners have been scrambling to find relief pitching help. Seattle acquired Mike Baumann in a trade with the Orioles which sent minor league catcher Blake Hunt to Baltimore in exchange for Mike Baumann and minor league catcher Michael Perez.

Mike Baumann has been good for the Mariners since they acquired him from the Orioles, turning in two scoreless outings. On Wednesday, Baumann came up big with a huge hold in the 10th inning against the Astros. Baumann shut out the Astros with a runner on second in the 10th inning, which was crucial for the Mariners to get the walk-off win on Wednesday. Showing that Baumann can come through in a high leverage situation if called upon.

The Mariners are hoping to get Mike Baumann comfortable according to manager Scott Servais. Several of the Mariners relievers have made an effort to make sure Baumann feels welcome on his new team. Scott Servais noted in his pre-game presser on Thursday that Tayler Saucedo has been joking with Baumann to make him feel at home. Servais also said the Mariners do not want to tweak anything with Baumann's mechanics and that he is satisfied with his cutter/curveball combination.

What to expect from Mike Baumann going forward

Scott Servais says if possible he wants to give reliever Mike Baumann a chance to throw again today. Servais was pleased with what he saw from him yesterday, and is hoping giving Baumann another opportunity on back-to-back days helps give other regulars in the bullpen a rest. Saying the plan is to mix up his bullpen today to give guys who normally do not get a chance to throw an opportunity to come on in relief.

Mike Baumann gives Scott Servais another weapon in his arsenal of relievers. Also, he provides the Mariners with more depth out of the bullpen, with reliever Gregory Santos hopefully returning from the injured list in July at the earliest. The Mariners front office has done a good job of piecing together a bullpen after injuries to Matt Brash and Gregory Santos. Signing relief pitcher Ryne Stanek and trading for Mike Baumann. Hopefully, Mike Baumann will continue to provide the Mariners with more outings such as the one he had Wednesday against the Astros going forward.