Baltimore Orioles pitching carries team to series win over Rays

After securing a series split with the Toronto Blue Jays, the Baltimore Orioles returned home to Camden Yards for another AL East series, this time squaring off against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Orioles ultimately took two out of three games this series, which is a big reason for the much-improved team pitching. Here’s a quick look at how the pitching performed in each game of the series.

Both teams’ hitting games took the night off on Friday night, as it was a pitcher’s duel all night long. The difference came in the form of Adley Rutschman, who hit an RBI single in the 7th inning, the only run that came across in a 1-0 win for the Orioles. But, as this article’s theme, the pitching stole the show.

Dean Kremer toed the rubber in the series-opening start and excelled in the weekend’s first game. Kremer pitched six shutout innings, allowing five hits and one walk while striking out five hitters. Félix Bautista got the win thanks to 1 1/3 scoreless innings, with Cionel Pérez getting one out and Jorge López notching the four-out save.

It was a game of dominance, with the pitching staff combining to strike out 13 hitters while allowing just nine baserunners. Saturday night, however, was a completely different story. The Orioles’ offense showed up in this game, plating six runs, but the Rays’ offense showed up too, prevailing by a 7-6 score thanks to a 9th inning sacrifice fly.

Baltimore Orioles pitching carries team to series win over Rays

Most of the runs came off starter Kyle Bradish, who got hammered for six runs on 11 hits in just 4 1/3 innings. Then, the Baltimore bullpen did its job, buying time for the offense to produce and get the team back in the game. First came Keegan Akin, who pitched two shutout innings in which the Orioles pushed multiple runs across the plate.

Then came 2/3 of an inning from Joey Krehbiel, finishing the 7th inning without a run. Nick Vespi then provided a shutout inning of work in the 8th before Dillon Tate ultimately took the loss by yielding the game-winning run in the 9th. Despite the unfortunate ending, it’s pretty safe to say the Orioles would not have been close to winning that game if the bullpen didn’t keep them in it.

After a loss that evened the series at one game apiece, Sunday’s game became pivotal in order to get a series win. It did not start out promising, as starter Jordan Lyles was scratched with a stomach bug. In a pinch, manager Brandon Hyde turned to Austin Voth in an opener capacity.

Voth did his job well, pitching the first 2 2/3 innings of the game and holding the Rays scoreless. Bryan Baker was the next man out of the bullpen, allowing one run in one inning of work. Luckily for the Orioles, that was Sunday’s only blemish on the pitching staff.

After Baker’s earned run, a bullpen parade of Vespi, Mike Baumann, Bautista, Pérez, and another four-out save from López held the Rays offense in check, with Anthony Santander and Cedric Mullins providing the offense in a 2-1 victory to clinch the series.

If you’ve been watching the Orioles this season and you have a feeling that the team pitching has looked better than in previous years, you are not wrong. While the starting pitching has been improved, it’s the bullpen where the revelation has genuinely been. Let’s run through some stats.

Baltimore Orioles pitching carries team to series win over Rays

According to FanGraphs, the Orioles bullpen in 2021 had an ERA of 5.70. In 2022, albeit not even a half-season over yet, that ERA is down to 3.23 for the entire unit, with López, in particular, possessing an ERA of 0.82 right now. The bullpen walk percentage in 2021 was at an even 10 percent.

This year, it’s down to 8.4 percent, so they’re walking fewer batters. Last season, the home run per nine innings rate was 1.47, which means they averaged 1.47 home runs every nine innings. This year, that rate is down to 0.73, so they are averaging less than one homer every nine innings. Those stats prove a theory we may have felt watching this team.

The team is pitching overall, but especially the bullpen is showing marked improvement. And it’s a big reason why it’s taken the Orioles 68 games to reach 30 wins. Last year, it took them 92. In 2019, it took them 96, and it took them 104 games in 2018. This team is getting better, and it’s only a matter of time until they break out.