A change of scenery has resulted in a change in responsibility for George Sherrill.

A key member of Winnipeg’s bullpen in 2002 and 2003, Sherrill was named today as the opening day closer for the Baltimore Orioles.

“It feels good,” Sherrill told the Baltimore Sun. “I think any short reliever wants to be the closer, that go-to guy.”

Acquired by the Orioles last month in a major trade with the Mariners, Sherrill was Seattle’s southpaw set-up man and, as a result, made a team-high 73 appearances last year. In 195 appearances over four seasons with Seattle, he was 10-8 with a 3.65 earned run average.

When Sherrill was acquired, Orioles manager Dave Trembley told him he would either be the closer or the set-up man, depending on the status of Chris Ray. However, Ray is still recovering from elbow surgery and won’t be available until July at the earliest.

“(George) wants to do it,” Trembley told the media in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday. “He’s competitive, he’s got finish on his pitches, it doesn’t bother him, right or left-handed hitters. So we’re going to get that out of the way and he’ll be the closer on the team when we start the season.”