The Orioles announced Monday that they have optioned LHP MIKE BELFIORE to Triple-A Norfolk.

Belfiore, 24, was recalled prior to Sunday’s game but did not pitch. Belfiore was 1-0 with a 5.52 ERA (14.2IP, 9ER) and 17 strikeouts in 10 games for the Tides. In 2012, with Double-A Bowie, Belfiore was 5-1 with a 2.85 ERA (47.1IP, 15ER) in 28 games.

A corresponding roster move will be announced Tuesday.

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During the 2013 season, Drew Forrester and Luke Jones of The D&L Window Tinting Morning Reaction will provide the “12-Game Scorecard” for the Orioles, rating the club in 12-game increments in a number of categories and looking ahead to how Baltimore will fare over the next dozen games on the schedule.

(Editor’s note: The latest 12-game increment ended on Friday, meaning the final two games of the Minnesota series weren’t considered in this latest scorecard and will be included in the next one.)

To hear the full explanation from Monday morning, click HERE.

1. Should the Orioles have been better or worse than their 7-5 mark?
Drew: Better
Luke: Better

2. Most Valuable Player/Least Valuable Player
Drew: MVP – Manny Machado; LVP – Chris Davis
Luke: MVP – Manny Machado; LVP – Nolan Reimold

3. Biggest surprise
Drew: The continued success of Tommy Hunter
Luke: How successful Manny Machado continues to be at just 20 years old

4. Best thing about the 12-game stretch
Drew: Finishing the long West Coast trip with a 7-4 record
Luke: The emergence of Tommy Hunter, T.J. McFarland, and Pedro Strop as useful options in the bullpen

5. Twelve games from now…
Drew: Chris Davis will have five home runs in the 12-game stretch.
Luke: Ryan Flaherty and Nolan Reimold will no longer be regulars in the everyday lineup.

6. Record in the next 12 games (*1-1 at Minnesota, two vs. San Diego, three vs. Tampa Bay, three vs. New York Yankees, two at Toronto)
Drew: 7-5
Luke: 6-6

7. Stock rising/falling over the next 12 games
Drew: Rising – Chris Davis; Falling – Tommy Hunter
Luke: Rising – Pedro Strop; Falling – Freddy Garcia

8. Grading Buck Showalter in games 25-36
Drew: A
Luke: A-

Here’s what happened down in the Orioles’ farm system on Sunday…

* Jonathan Schoop and Danny Valencia each hit a home run as Triple-A Norfolk routed Syracuse in a 14-1 final

* Zach Clark’s first start using the knuckleball wasn’t pretty as Double-A Bowie dropped a 10-6 final to Erie

* Nick Delmonico’s home run was a lone highlight as Single-A Frederick lost 8-2 to Wilmington

* Adrian Marin doubled and drove in a run despite Single-A Delmarva falling to Hagerstown in a 4-3 final

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Prior to their series finale with the Minnesota Twins on Sunday, the Orioles recalled left-handed pitcher Mike Belfiore to add an extra arm in a taxed bullpen.

Belfiore took the roster spot of right-handed pitcher Steve Johnson, who was optioned back to Triple-A Norfolk after allowing six earned runs in four innings of work in Saturday’s 8-5 loss to the Twins. The 24-year-old Belfiore was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks to complete the Josh Bell trade last year and was originally selected by Arizona in the first round (45th overall) of the 2009 amateur draft out of Boston College.

In 10 appearances with Norfolk this season, Belfiore sports a 1-0 record with a 5.52 ERA. His promotion was necessary after relievers Troy Patton, T.J. McFarland, and Tommy Hunter were each used for extended outings over the first two games of the three-game set at Target Field.

Manager Buck Showalter will now have four southpaws in his bullpen as Belfiore joins Brian Matusz, Patton, and McFarland. The Orioles also had veteran Freddy Garcia available to work in relief in case Sunday’s starter Wei-Yin Chen was unable to pitch deep into the game. The Orioles will benefit from a day off Monday to give their bullpen some needed rest before starting an eight-game homestand on Tuesday.

Belfiore has been on the 40-man roster since this past offseason. He was 5-1 with a 2.85 ERA in 28 appearances spanning 47 1/3 innings for Double-A Bowie last year.

He will wear No. 65 and had never appeared in the major leagues prior to Sunday’s promotion.

Reaching deep into their bullpen for 11 innings of work over the last two games, the Orioles predictably optioned right-handed pitcher Steve Johnson to Triple-A Norfolk after Saturday’s 8-5 loss to the Minnesota Twins.

Making his 2013 debut, Johnson was tagged for six earned runs and seven hits in four innings as he struggled to command his pitches. The 25-year-old struck out three and walked four batters after being staked to a 3-0 lead in the first inning at Target Field.

Manager Buck Showalter has used relievers Tommy Hunter, T.J. McFarland, and Troy Patton for extended outings in Minnesota, meaning the club will need a long reliever for Sunday’s game should starter Wei-Yin Chen not be able to go deep into the game. Fortunately, the Orioles have two days off this week, meaning Johnson was likely to be optioned in favor of an extra reliever or bench player anyway.

The corresponding roster move will be made Sunday morning as the Orioles try to win the three-game set against the Twins.

The Orioles today announced that they have recalled right-handed pitcher Steve Johnson from Triple-A Norfolk and optioned right-handed pitcher Alex Burnett to Norfolk. Johnson is scheduled to start tonight’s game at Minnesota.

Johnson, 25, began the season on the disabled list with a strained right lat. He made three starts for Norfolk and was 1-1 with a 4.41 ERA (16.1IP, 8ER). In four starts for Baltimore in 2012, Johnson was 3-0 with a 2.86 ERA (22.0IP, 7ER) and the Orioles won all four games he started.

Burnett appeared in one game for the Orioles, striking out one in a scoreless inning. Burnett was claimed by the Orioles off waivers from Toronto on April 12.

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There was a time not long ago when many doubted that Jim Johnson held the right mindset or ability for the Orioles’ closer role.

The 29-year-old right-hander certainly doesn’t fit the description of most ninth-inning men. Not only does Johnson strike out fewer batters than the typical closer but he fanned fewer hitters per nine innings (5.4) than any regular member of the Baltimore bullpen last season.

But that didn’t stop Johnson from collecting a club-record and major league-leading 51 saves and being named to his first All-Star team in 2012 as the Orioles advanced to the postseason for the first time in 15 years. His heavy sinker that induces ground ball after ground ball has allowed him to convert 35 consecutive save opportunities, breaking Randy Myers’ franchise record in Friday night’s remarkable 9-6 comeback victory in 10 innings.

In many ways, Johnson’s success mirrors the Orioles’ prosperity as it was late in the 2011 season when he took over the closer role for good after mixed results in brief stints prior to that. The club finished that season going 14-8 in what’s now viewed as a precursor to the remarkable 2012 season. Since Sept. 7, 2011, Johnson’s 72 saves are the most in baseball and the Orioles have gone 129-91. Many have struggled to explain the success both have found, but that’s just fine with Johnson.

“I think it is more about knowing what kind of pitcher you are,” Johnson said. “I do it differently than other people. When I first started, I tried to be something I wasn’t. I tried to be a typical closer and strike guys out all the time and that is not who I am. Then, I reverted back to pitching how I normally do and good results followed.”

Johnson’s journey to become arguably the best closer in baseball hasn’t been a smooth one as it was only in 2010 when his career appeared to be at a crossroads. Struggling out of the gate with a 6.52 ERA in 10 appearances, Johnson was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk before it was discovered that he was dealing with right elbow inflammation.

It was during a rehabilitation stint in August of that season when Johnson first met new Orioles manager Buck Showalter, who had traveled to Bowie to see how the reliever was progressing. In one of his favorite stories to tell about his closer, Showalter explained how he saw Johnson give up a home run on a changeup that was clocked at 88 miles per hour.

Upon seeing his new manager when getting back to the dugout, Johnson asked Showalter what he thought. The manager quipped that he needed to work on that pitch, fully understanding the right-hander was working on his array of pitches during the outing against Double-A hitters who were otherwise overmatched. Even then as Johnson was just working his way back to form, Showalter knew he had something special to work with out of the bullpen.

“It was the first time I saw him,” Showalter said. “But that’s what [the good ones] look like.”

For years, the debate continued whether Johnson would be better suited to start or relieve as even Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer believed his four-pitch repertoire — the sinker, a nasty curveball, an underrated changeup, and a four-seam fastball — would make him a successful starter. Coming up through the Orioles system as a starter, Johnson was named the organization’s minor league pitcher of the year as well as the Carolina League pitcher of the year for the 2005 season.

Showalter can’t help but draw comparisons between Johnson and future Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera, whom he managed at the end of his tenure as Yankees manager. Rivera followed a similar progression in beginning his career as a starter before moving to middle relief and eventually closing out victories for a winning club. Before briefly reconsidering Johnson’s role two years ago, Showalter decided the ninth inning would be the perfect place for him.

“Jimmy’s been through all those same processes,” said Showalter in comparing him to Rivera. “I thought it was the best for him to stay healthy with a lot of the things that go on with pitchers. The biggest thing is his ability as a pitcher. He has multiple ways to get you out.”

The Orioles saw their faith in Johnson rewarded in 2012 as he saved 51 of 54 opportunities to become the first Baltimore closer since George Sherrill to make the All-Star team. He began his current streak of 35 straight save conversions on July 30 of last season, but it was his postseason failure that stung the most for Orioles fans after Johnson had been so outstanding all year.

In Game 1 of the American League Division Series, Johnson entered in the ninth inning with the game tied 2-2 before allowing the go-ahead home run to Yankees catcher Russell Martin and five runs total in the inning as the Orioles fell 7-2. Game 3 brought an even more painful result as Johnson came on in the ninth inning with the Orioles holding a 2-1 lead at Yankee Stadium and gave up the game-tying home run to Raul Ibanez. Baltimore lost the game in extra innings as it was the only time since Aug. 8, 2011 that the Orioles have lost a game in which they held a lead at the end of seven innings.

Johnson took full responsibility for the postseason struggles by waiting at his locker for reporters after both losses. Instead of dwelling on those failures and allowing the disappointment to linger into the 2013 season, the closer has converted all 14 save opportunities and entered Saturday tied for the major-league lead in saves.

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With Mother’s Day this Sunday, Major League Baseball will continue its initiative for breast cancer awareness by providing pink bats for players to use on the holiday for the eighth consecutive year.

The initiative holds special meaning for Nick Markakis with his mother being a breast cancer survivor, but you’re unlikely to see the Orioles right fielder swinging a pink piece of lumber on Sunday.

The reason?

The pink bats made by MaxBat for Markakis and others who own a contract with the maple wood bat company will not be permitted for use by MLB due to an exclusive agreement with Louisville Slugger. The famous wood bat company produces all of the bats distributed by the league to players for Sunday’s games.

On a day meant to raise awareness and celebrate breast cancer survivors around baseball, we will instead witness the latest example of many of these initiatives being as much — or more — about a money grab and protecting sponsors as they are about doing something good. The simple notion that MLB won’t allow pink bats made by other companies for players to use for one day in the season reflects how much more concerned the league is with keeping a sponsor happy rather than allowing players to pay tribute to those fighting the disease.

By no means is the initiative without charity as MLB claims to have raised more than $1 million through auctions of these game-used bats over the last eight years. Pink personalized bats made by Louisville Slugger will also be sold on MLB.com, with $10 from each bat going to Major League Baseball Charities to be apportioned to fight breast cancer. The league says more than $300,000 have been donated from sales of these personalized bats.

But are these dollars representative of a sincere effort to help or little more than a write-off in order to strike a profit behind a veil of charity?

Of course, MLB isn’t alone as the National Football League faced criticism with the revelation that a measly five percent of the profits made from the massive amount of pink gear sold — players and coaches also wear pink throughout the month of October — is donated to the American Cancer Society. According to the league, the rest of the profit is pumped back into its breast cancer awareness program titled A Crucial Catch, but that has drawn scrutiny from those believing the pink merchandise is much more about marketing the league to women than truly trying to make a difference in defeating breast cancer.

Charities and non-profit organizations constantly face questions over how the money they raise from the public is ultimately used, but it’s frustrating to see entities worth billions being stingy when the curtain is pulled back with programs such as these.

It’s understandable for MLB to use its partnership with Louisville Slugger to produce these pink bats as well as the light blue ones used on Father’s Day to raise awareness for prostate cancer, but to prohibit players like Markakis from using pink lumber produced by other companies for use on Sunday reveals the league’s true colors.

And there’s much more green than there is pink.

(Updated at 8:15 p.m. – After receiving plenty of negative reaction on Friday evening, Major League Baseball released the following statement via Twitter:

“All players can use pink bats Sunday with any bat company that makes a modest donation to @KomenForTheCure.”)

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Needing a starter to replace Miguel Gonzalez on Saturday, the Orioles will send right-hander Steve Johnson to the hill against the Minnesota Twins.

Though an official roster move hasn’t been made, the Orioles will recall the 25-year-old Johnson from Triple-A Norfolk and likely option right-handed reliever Alex Burnett to make room on the 25-man roster. Burnett was recalled to replace Gonzalez when the starting pitcher was sent to the 15-day disabled list Thursday.

Less than six weeks into the 2013 season, manager Buck Showalter will turn to his ninth starting pitcher after Johnson began the season on the 15-day DL with a strained lat muscle suffered late in spring training. Johnson was then activated and optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on April 30.

A St. Paul’s alum, Johnson went 4-0 with a 2.11 earned run average in 38 1/3 innings that spanned 12 games and included four starts for the Orioles last season. In three starts for the Tides this season, Johnson is 1-1 with a 4.41 ERA in 16 1/3 innings.

With the Orioles scheduled to have two days off next week, Johnson could be optioned right back to Norfolk after Saturday’s start unless Showalter elects to keep him as an extra option in the bullpen. Following Saturday, Showalter could use Jason Hammel, Wei-Yin Chen, and Chris Tillman on regular rest through May 18 and put veteran Freddy Garcia in the bullpen for the time being. Gonzalez is eligible to return from the disabled list on May 19, meaning he could be back in the starting rotation by the time the Orioles would even need a fourth starter again.

Here’s what happened down in the Orioles’ farm system on Thursday…

* Zach Britton struggled through 4 2/3 innings, but Jonathan Schoop hit a home run to help Triple-A Norfolk to a 7-3 win over Buffalo

* Eddie Bamboa was roughed up for four runs in six innings as Double-A Bowie dropping a 5-1 final to Erie

* Jerome Pena, Zane Chavez, and Steve Bumbry each drove in two despite Single-A Frederick’s 12-9 loss to Winston-Salem

* Matt Taylor allowed only two earned runs in 5 1/3 innings despite Single-A Delmarva falling 3-1 to Hagerstown