Baltimore Orioles: Bundy the Victor of Circumstance

With the Baltimore Orioles in need of starting Pitching, Is Dylan Bundy the answers to the starting rotation?

The Baltimore Orioles have announced that Dylan Bundy will receive the starting nod for Sunday’s start again the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. I wrote an article preseason in regards to Bundy’s future being held in his own hands and it seems that due to his performance and the state of the starting rotation, Bundy will receive his shot ahead of schedule.

Dylan Bundy has pitched 38 innings this year carrying an ERA of 3.08 with 32 Strike Outs. Considering he’s been part of the bullpen could those numbers be better?…possibly but his last outing was his most impressive. On July 6th Bundy struck out 7 Dodgers in the 2.1 innings he pitched and although he walked two and allowed 3 hits, he looked awfully strong.

Due to his injury plagued career and lack of work, there’s speculation that starting him this early could have potentially negative effects on Dylan’s health and development. I’m not that concerned. It’s most likely Buck will only allow him to go 5 innings and make sure all the right eyes are constantly evaluating his mechanics. I feel confident saying I doubt any bill effects will be caused, in fact, the most likely effect will be a major boost in the 23 yr olds confidence.

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So now let’s presume that the Bundy decision works out to the Orioles benefit, they’re still left with a massive hole in the starting rotation. Although Chris Tillman has been performing extremely well, leading all SP’s with 12 Wins and a 3.41 ERA, everyone else has underperformed. Kevin Gausman has yet to start pitching to his ability, although he has had his moments, and Yovani Gallardo has been up, down, and injured.

The Orioles need a strong starting pitcher. Dan Duquette has made it clear that the Orioles plan on making a strong push towards acquiring a starting pitcher but there’s not much available on the market, especially since Drew Pomeranz was dealt to our rivals, the Boston Red Sox. So what options does that leave for the Orioles when there are still 14-15 teams vying for 2 or 3 available starters.

There’s the possibility that the Diamondbacks may be willing to deal Robbie Ray and there’s been plenty of talks about the Phillies shopping Jeremy Hellickson. I feel both pitchers would fit well in the Orioles organization and they both have a lot of upside if Baltimore has the trade tips available to make an acquisition. The worst case scenario is sending Mark Trumbo away to gain an arm, the most likely case is bargaining Trey Mancini, Christian Walker and Chris Lee, who has had a strong start to 2016 with a 5-0 record and maintaining a 2.98 ERA in 51.1 Innings Pitched.

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If I look at teams that are contending and could use some help in the power section, meaning I believe Mancini is ready to preform at the Major League level, I stare at the Cleveland Indians. Although they sit a top the AL Central at 52-36, they won’t be able to keep Detroit and Chicago down for long with just a strong Starting Rotation. Tyler Naquin has been a pleasant surprise for them but he’s the bulk of the power they have in the outfield with merely 9 HRs. They need an power outfielder that’s going to hit for more than just average.

I feel Walker could help provide some of this power and I’m sure it wouldn’t be too difficult to transition Mancini into the outfield and/or rotate with Mike Napoli at first and DH. Knowing that Cleveland isn’t going to give up a Carlos Carrasco or Danny Salazar, who does that leave available? How about Shawn Morimando . Although he has only pitched in one Major League game this year he has accumulated a 10-4 record between AA & AAA, carrying a 3.25 ERA with 76 Strike Outs. He is Major League ready with nowhere to put him.

Next: Baltimore Orioles begin the second half

Anyway you look at it, the Baltimore Orioles need to pick up a Starting Pitcher, if we’re going g to win the AL East, regardless of whether it’s sleeper like Morimando or a starter like Hellickson. I really hope we do t have to give up an essential piece of our success like Mark Trumbo but we’ll see. In any case, congratulations to Dylan Bundy, he’s earned an early start.