Confidence growing in Orioles' bullpen amid outstanding June

Having a bullpen you can trust is key to stringing wins together in the MLB. When relievers are rolling, the manager's job is easier, and confidence builds among the entire pitching staff. Few teams have as good a bullpen as the Baltimore Orioles right now.

The O's are 5-2 in June and allowed 11 runs during a recent six-game winning streak. Baltimore's bullpen has been lights out and continues to hold the upper hand on opposing hitters.

Orioles relievers have a league-best 0.75 ERA in June, with 12.75 strikeouts per nine innings, also the best in baseball. They've allowed 11 hits and two runs in 24 innings, securing four saves. The O's bullpen has struck out over 37 percent of batters faced in June, compared to the starters punching out only 22.7 percent this month.

Felix Bautista and Bryan Baker have two saves each in June, with Baker striking out seven batters in four innings. Bautista has a 1.28 ERA in his last seven appearances, recording five saves in that span. The Orioles started using him in consecutive games, something they've been hesitant to do as recently as a month ago.

Orioles bullpen putting together strong stretch of play

The collective effort of the group makes it that much sweeter. The next Orioles reliever is feeding off the last one. As the zeroes pile up, so too does the confidence within the pen.

"I think they kind of understand that their roles ... [and] that I don’t think there are really specific roles right now. I think they understand that we’re trying to match up the best we can,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said, per Jake Rill. “They’re doing a great job. We feel very fortunate right now, they’re helping us win games.”

Orioles relievers are finding success in different ways. While Bautista and Baker use velocity, Seranthony Dominguez and Andrew Kittredge use more of a finesse approach. Dominguez is relying on an unhittable splitter. Kittredge's signature pitch is a slider. Neither pitcher has allowed a run in June.

Pitching has been a problem for the Orioles in 2025. Their starters had the worst ERA among American League teams for much of May. O's starters have the ninth-best ERA in baseball since May 21. Baltimore has won 11 of 17 games since then.

Dean Kremer, Charlie Morton, and Tomoyuki Sugano allowed 12 earned runs against the A's, ending an impressive few weeks for the rotation. The bullpen kept the Orioles in games, extending their scoreless streak on the road trip to 20 2/3 innings before Baker allowed a solo homer in the bottom of the eighth on Sunday.

If the offense can carry its weight, the Orioles have a chance to win an abundance of games with a strong bullpen. Only four bullpens allowed fewer earned runs than Baltimore's in 2023. The Orioles won 101 games that year.

The O's won't hit that number this year, but they have a chance to salvage the season if the bullpen continues to deny hitters.

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