With Ryan Helsley out, the Orioles need these 2 veterans to step up in high leverage situations

Just before a two-week stretch where the Baltimore Orioles will have to face first-place New York Yankees seven times, the Orioles learned they'll have to do it without their veteran closer, as Ryan Helsley has hit the IL with right elbow inflammation. With Helsley out, the Orioles will have to rely on Andrew Kittredge and Yennier Cano to be the elder statesmen of an otherwise very inexperienced bullpen and hold down those high-leverage innings that Helsley was soaking up.

With the severity of the injury still a mystery, the total impact of Helsley landing on the IL is not yet known. When it comes to pitchers, the throwing elbow is the worst place they can suffer an injury. Falling out of a tree and breaking both legs would result in less of a setback for a pitcher than blowing out their elbow on the mound. The designation of "inflammation" could mean just inflammation, but it could also mean "we're waiting for the inflammation to subside so that we can determine if he needs Tommy John surgery."

Ryan Helsley is the 16th Oriole to land on the IL this season

If it's a minor thing and 15 days on the IL is enough to get Helsley back to feeling himself, then the Orioles bullpen has enough arms that are pitching well to survive a two-week stretch without their official closer.

If it does end up being something serious, then this bullpen is in some trouble. So far, the bullpen has been a strong unit, but if everyone has to move up a notch in responsibility, then that leaves the Orioles exposed to having to put some less-than-capable arms in higher leverage spots than they're suited for.

Helsley last pitched on Tuesday night against the Astros and had one of his most effective and efficient outings of the season, sitting down Yordan Alvarez, Issac Paredes, and Jose Altuve in order to secure his seventh save in seven opportunities. He did not appear to be laboring, and his stuff was moving well. The fastball was sitting at 99 mph and touched 100 at least once.

There was no mound visit that resulted in a visibly upset pitcher leaving the mound, the way there was for the Orioles' last few major elbow injuries. Hopefully, that is a sign that this is more precautionary than reactionary and that Helsley will be able to return.

Whether he's out for two weeks, Kittredge and Cano will have to be the back-end stabilizing forces for this bullpen. Anthony Nunez and Rico Garcia have been the Orioles' best arms so far, and will continue to get important innings, but combined, they don't have a third of the career innings of Kittredge, and that experience is what the young Orioles arms will need to rely on as they're thrust into higher leverage spots without the safety net of the flame-throwing Helsley behind them.

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