Baltimore Orioles: The Los Angeles Dodgers Bring Their Power To Camden Yards

The Baltimore Orioles pitching staff is exhausted. What will happen over the next three days?

The news of Asher Wojciechowski being exhausted after his last start this past weekend wasn’t surprising. While he told reporters that essentially it’s not an excuse and he gets paid to go out there and pitch every five days, you can’t fault him or others on this staff for being gassed at this point in the season. It’s been a very long year for Orioles pitchers, many of whom are journeymen guys not used to pitching full seasons of big league ball, guys who have split their time as reliever/starter, and young arms still trying to find their way.

Dylan Bundy, Wojo, and even Aaron Brooks had a solid stretch of starts recently, but it was only a matter of time before the bubble burst and things were back to reality. The Orioles now turn to Ty Blach, John Means, and Bundy to get them through a series with a team many consider to be World Series favorites.

I’m not expecting Baltimore to win these games, but we are well aware that this team doesn’t just roll over for opponents, something I’ve been very happy to see all season long. Apologies to Blach, but I’m not concerned about what happens on Tuesday night. I am, however, anxious to see what Bundy and Means can do.

Can Bundy continue his positive trend of limiting home runs against a team that hits a ton of them? How does John Means respond against a team of this caliber? He also has to be exhausted at this point, with numerous small injuries piling up on him throughout the second half of the season. If both guys can go five solid innings and leave with the score close, I’m satisfied. Bring in Givens, Castro, Tate, and Harvey in a close game against the Dodgers and let’s see what they can do.

We know Tate and Harvey are coming back next season and are two guys the Orioles are hoping stick around for the long haul. Givens and Castro are a different story. Neither saw much time against Texas, but made the most of their limited action. The duo combined for 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing no hits and two walks while striking out four. Baltimore needed a turnaround in this bullpen and they are seeing it with Givens and Castro. Let’s hope they keep it up against a big lineup.

Small victories from key pitchers who will be around next year (and likely further down the road) against LA at Camden Yards would be a solid way to finish up the season.