O'Day struck out the side, but escaped a bases-loaded jam of his own making, in the eighth inning Saturday to pick up his third win of the season.

He's now got a 1.00 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 35:6 K:BB ratio through 27 innings this season, and should anything happen to Zach Britton, O'Day would probably be able to step in as Baltimore's closer without the team missing a beat.

O'Day collected his second save of the season Wednesday, striking out four over two perfect innings against Boston.

Zach Britton was presumably unavailable after recording a five-out save Tuesday, so after O'Day cruised through the eighth, manager Buck Showalter sent him out to polish things off in the ninth. Despite having allowed a run in his previous appearance, O'Day has reprised his role as one of the very best relievers in baseball this year, as his sparkling 0.78 WHIP puts him in elite company among American League bullpen options.

O'Day got his first save of the year Wednesday, pitching 1.1 scoreless innings and allowing just one hit while striking out two.

O'Day entered in the eighth with the tying run on deck, so he was eligible for the save, and then the O's scored a run in the bottom of the inning, giving them a five-run lead. With no save chance possible for Zach Britton, manager Buck Showalter left O'Day in to finish things off. He's been absolutely sparkling as the O's setup man this year, having allowed just one earned run in 13 innings with 15 strikeouts and just one walk.

O'Day picked up his fifth hold of the season by tossing a scoreless eighth inning in Monday's win over Toronto.

He's allowed just one earned run this season (0.77 ERA), continuing to serve as the key piece in front of Baltimore closer Zach Britton. As staff fillers go, he's been excellent thus far thanks to a 13:1 K:BB ratio.

O'Day has tossed a pair of scoreless innings since leaving the team last week for dental work.

As expected, the minor procedure had no impact on O'Day once he returned to the mound. For the spring, he's carrying an 8:0 K:BB over eight innings while posting a 2.25 ERA. Look for him to reprise his role as a key setup option in front of closer Zach Britton this season.

O'Day left the team Friday to have some dental work completed, MASN Sports reports.

MLB players frequently have this type of thing taken care of before the season gets under way. There were no specifics on the type of work O'Day is having done, but it should be a minor thing and he should return Saturday or Sunday. O'Day is set to continue in a setup role when the season gets under way. He has allowed two runs in six innings this spring.

O'Day's contract option was exercised by the Orioles on Thursday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

O'Day had his best season in a major league uniform in 2014, posting a 1.70 ERA and 0.88 WHIP over 68.2 innings. He will receive the benefits of a $4.25 million option in 2015.

O'Day recorded the final four outs in Wednesday's win over New York to earn his fourth save of the season.

O'day came in with two outs in the eighth to stop a New York rally and did just that. O'Day has been fantastic this season, pitching 67.2 innings and striking out 73 while posting a 24 holds with a 1.73 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP.

O'Day recorded the final out of Wednesday's game against the Red Sox to earn his third save of the season.

Joe Saunders single-handedly turned a 10-1 game into a save situation, giving up five runs while recording just one out in the bottom of the ninth inning. Tommy Hunter gave up a hit and a walk but recorded the second out and then gave way to O'Day, who finally nailed down the win with five pitches. O'Day has now made three scoreless appearances since manager Buck Showalter revealed that he had some "challenges" with his hip and hamstring last week, but he's still no threat to regular closer Zach Britton.

O'Day has had some "challenges" with his hamstring and hip recently, according to manager Buck Showalter, but the skipper said that he should be available Saturday, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports.

O'Day's lone appearance in the past week was a three-run blowup against the Reds on Tuesday. Apparently, hamstring and hip issues are to blame, but O'Day threw on the side Saturday morning and seemingly convinced Showalter that he will be OK if called upon to handle his usual setup duties.

O'Day allowed four runs - three earned - on a walk, a hit batter and a home run while retiring two batters in Tuesday's win over the Reds.

O'Day had allowed just one run since June 16 and even had his ERA below 1.00 since the middle of August. He had not given up multiple runs in a game since August 3, 2013. It goes to show just how well O'Day has pitched over the last two years out of Baltimore's bullpen. The hiccup came while most teams are in fantasy playoffs, which is not good, but there is no reason to believe O'Day is heading downhill.

Darren O'Day escaped trouble in the ninth inning on Thursday against the Rays, cinching his second save of the season.

O'Day put the first two runners he faced on base via singles, but induced a ground ball double play from Desmond Jennings and a weak ground out to first base by Matt Joyce to end the ballgame. Regular closer Tommy Hunter had a pair of taxing outings on Tuesday and Wednesday, which explains why O'Day was asked to close the door on Thursday. Hunter will be back in his regular role on Friday.

Darren O'Day recorded four outs against the Red Sox on Friday for his first save of the season.

O'Day relieved Brian Matusz for the final out of the eighth inning and worked around a one-out walk for a scoreless ninth inning. The Orioles were up by four runs in the bottom of the ninth, so O's closer Tommy Hunter wouldn't have been eligible for the save if he pitched. O'Day now has six scoreless outings to begin the year.

Darren O'Day (fingers) is available out of the bullpen Wednesday.

O'Day received injections last Friday to address numbness in two fingers in his right hand and was able to throw off the mound without any issues Tuesday. He hasn't appeared in a game since September 7.

Darren O'Day (finger) could rejoin return to action as soon as Wednesday.

O'Day reported feeling good after throwing all of his pitches off the mound on Tuesday. The Orioles will see how he feels Wednesday morning before making a decision about his readiness for game action. The sidearmer hasn't pitched since September 7 due to in two fingers of his right hand.

Darren O'Day (fingers) threw off a mound Tuesday.

O'Day threw fastballs off flat ground on Monday, but he progressed to throwing breaking balls of the mound Tuesday. It sounds like injections have helped with the recent numbness in his fingers, so he could be back in the O's bullpen before long.

Darren O'Day (fingers) threw off flat ground Monday.

O'Day received an injection last Friday to address soreness and tingling in the index and middle fingers on his right hand. He threw only fastballs Monday, but could progress to throwing off a mound on Tuesday if he recovers well enough. The sidearmer hasn't pitched since September 7.

Darren O'Day received injections Friday in his right hand and fingers.

O'Day has been dealing with soreness and tingling in his right hand, but it appears that doctors have identified the issue. If he makes progress over the next couple of days, it's possible he'll be able to return next weekend against the Rays.

Darren O'Day underwent two sets of tests on his hand and elbow on Thursday.

O'Day has been dealing with soreness on his right hand, so doctors are trying to determine whether he's dealing with a vascular, structural, or nerve issue. He's not traveling with the team to Toronto and it's not clear when he might be back. It's a tough break for the Orioles, as the 30-year-old has a 2.28 ERA and 57/14 K/BB ratio over 59 1/3 innings this season.

Darren O'Day boasts a 0.66 ERA and 13/5 K/BB ratio over 13 2/3 innings this season.

The Rangers cut O'Day loose two offseasons ago after an injury-plagued season, and they surely regret it, as the righty holds a 2.01 ERA and 0.93 WHIP while striking out over a batter per inning since the start of 2012. Despite being a submariner, O'Day has done a fine job of getting left-handed batters out, as well. He'll continue to help set up for Jim Johnson.