Baltimore Orioles vs Los Angeles Angels: 5 players to watch

Dylan Bundy, RHP

Six starts into the season, Bundy is on pace for the best numbers of his career, but his last outing didn’t inspire much optimism. After surrendering seven earned runs in under five innings and watching his ERA jump from 1.42 to 2.97, the righty will head into the Angels series with something to prove.

One bad start isn’t a reason to panic, of course, but after Bundy pitched so well to start the year, it was a bit jarring to watch him get roughed up by the likes of Brad Miller and Mallex Smith. MLB history is full of pitchers who had great Aprils and went on to struggle the rest of the year, and O’s fans don’t want Bundy to suffer the same fate.

Fortunately, all signs point to last week’s poor outing being little more than a blip on the radar screen, as Bundy’s velocity was on par with his first five starts of the year. And don’t overlook the fact that the Rays have gotten some unexpectedly strong offensive performances this season — perhaps he wasn’t treating their hitters with the proper respect.

Even so, a strong outing against the Angels would put a lot of people’s minds at ease. The Halos have been struggling at the plate over the past week, making Bundy’s scheduled Wednesday start an ideal opportunity to regain his mojo.