3 Baltimore Orioles who surmounted expectations in April

Jorge Lopez

The 2021 season was a bit of a failed, elongated experiment for Jorge Lopez. Going 3-14 and posting a 6.07 ERA is nothing to be happy about, and something needed to change for both Lopez and Orioles skipper, Brandon Hyde.

Lopez notably came out in an interview stating about how he was incredibly nervous before games when he knew he would start, and that has to be where the inconsistencies and horrendous outings came from. That’s easy for any of us to say, but it’s honestly one of the most stressful positions in all of baseball, so it just makes sense.

Now that Hyde moved Lopez to the pen, and slid him into the closer role, things have changed dramatically. He now has a 2-1 record, four saves, and a 1.59 ERA so though the month of April. When certain trades took place right before the season seeing two Orioles relieves gone, that really solidified just where Lopez was going to be, and the trust that Hyde had in him.

3 Baltimore Orioles who surmounted expectations in April

Much like Spenser Watkins, the trust factor is a thing with Lopez. Do Orioles fans trust him? Does he trust himself? Does the rest of the team trust him? All valid questions to what seemed to be a once failing career in Baltimore. That plundering career has been awaken in April, and Jorge Lopez seems to have found a new calling; don’t call it a comeback!

The Baltimore Orioles have had some solid closers over the years, but none have ever stuck it out for very long. If he can keep it up and keep mutual respect between he and the club, he could turn into the O’s next great closer. For now, calling him the next Tippy Martinez, Lee Smith, or Gregg Olson might be a stretch, but with the fire he has coming off the mound, anything’s possible.