3 Things We've Learned About the Baltimore Orioles' September Call-Ups

The Baltimore Orioles have been on a tear in the past week, winning eight of their last nine games and further lengthening their division lead in the AL East to 12.5 games over the Toronto Blue Jays.

At this point, the Orioles have managed to dwindle down their magic number to clinch the division all the way to just one game, which means they could capture the division crown as early as Tuesday night.

The team has been adapting to several changes within the club, which includes the 25-game suspension of first baseman Chris Davis after testing positive for amphetamines and the addition of several key players, including outfielder Alejandro De Aza and utility infielder Kelly Johnson.

A group of players who could go unnoticed, however, are the September call-ups, which haven't made considerable impacts as of yet but have seen action that would indicate their roles in the coming weeks.

Here are a few things we've learned so far from some of the September call-ups and what they might mean going forward.

Steve Clevenger Will Be Used Only to Provide Relief

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Steve Clevenger's inclusion among the September call-ups seems to be just the mandatory third catcher addition that most clubs generally go by.

So far this month, Clevenger has only been utilized in late-inning situations in which the starter needed to rest his legs, specifically in an extra-inning contest last Friday when Clevenger was brought on in the 11th inning.

Regular catchers Nick Hundley and Caleb Joseph have been lackluster hitting-wise so far this month, but each managed to hit for over a .300 batting average in the month of August.

Clevenger's bat is valuable, though, as he is the only lefty bat among the three catchers and may fare better against right-handed pitchers.

Heading down the final stretch of the regular season, Clevenger may be receiving several more starts once the division is clinched so that Hundley and Joseph are well-rested for the playoff run.

Quintin Berry Will See Action as a Pinch Runner

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Quintin Berry may not be lighting up the scoreboard with three-run bombs come October, but don't be surprised if he is responsible for tallying up a few runs in the box score when the O's are officially in playoff mode.

Already this month, Berry has been brought in as a pinch runner in five games and has managed to grab his first steal as a member of the Orioles.

Judging by his success on the basepath in the minors this year—26-for-32 (81 percent)—it's easy to see why manager Buck Showalter values him.

Compared to fellow speedster David Lough, who is just 7-for-12 this year in stolen base attempts (58 percent), Berry has a lot more experience and success under his belt.

Lough, however, has made three appearances in September as a pinch runner himself, so given the lack of baserunning ability throughout the Baltimore lineup, we will most likely see both outfielders contributing effectively as pinch runners in the playoffs.

Ryan Webb Still Has an Important Role in the Bullpen

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Since being called up in the beginning of September, bullpen regular Ryan Webb has been slotted right back where he was previously this season as a late-inning reliever.

Webb, who was sent down due to poor performance in July when he gave up eight earned runs over 6.1 innings and pitched to an 11.37 ERA, has shown improvement in his four appearances so far this month.

Aside from his first appearance in September in which he surrendered two earned runs over one inning, Webb has thrown three innings, striking out two batters and giving up just one hit in three appearances.

The Orioles and their fans are certainly hoping Webb can revert back to the form he was in during the month of June, when the right-handed reliever held the opposition to just two earned runs over 12 innings pitched for a sparkling 1.50 ERA.

If Webb is able to do just that, he will further strengthen a shutdown Baltimore bullpen that should be well-feared in October.

All stats provided by Baseball Reference unless otherwise noted.