In a tale of two seasons, the Baltimore Orioles‘ bullpen has gone from one of the league’s best to mediocre.
What set everything swirling out of place was closer Zach Britton‘s injury on April 16, and again on May 6. Since the second injury, the Orioles have lost six one-run games.
His absence has sent the Baltimore bullpen in a game of musical chairs, with setup man Brad Brach taking over the closing role and left-hander Donnie Hart and right-hander Darren O’Day to pitch later in the game than they normally do.
With their roles shuffling, along with having to throw 147 2/3 innings this season (7th in MLB), the bullpen has suffered to find the same success they did in 2016. This season they are 11th in ERA (3.84) while they were third last year (3.40).
One boost to the bullpen that made it so great last season was left-hander Donnie Hart. In desperate need of a left-handed specialist, Hart was just that, posting a 0.49 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in 18 1/3 innings across 22 appearances. Like the rest of the Orioles’ bullpen, his 2017 has been different, as Hart was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on May 17 thanks to his 3.95 ERA and 1.68 WHIP.
Overall, not many left-handers have had success for the Orioles this season, and it is showing. Combined, all left-handers have a .280 batting average against them, while right-handers are hitting .283 and left-handers .266.
The rest of the left-handers in the Baltimore bullpen on their 40-man roster include Vidal Nuno, Chris Lee, Paul Fry, Richard Bleier, Andrew Faulkner and Jayson Aquino.
Aquino and Bleier have both pitched eight innings this season, posting less than stellar WHIPs of over 1.60. Nuno has an ERA of 6.75 in 12 innings, while Lee Fry and Faulkner have not pitched in the majors this season but each have ERAs above 4.80 in the minor leagues in 2017.
The possibility remains that Hart can come back after his stint in Norfolk and be more of a matchup guy against left-handers instead of someone who comes in to pitch a full inning, but his .308 BAA left-handed hitters still needs to improve.
Executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette tried to acquire as much pitching depth as he could in the offseason. However, with the depth seemingly fading and the Orioles farm system still one of the lowest ranked in baseball, a trade for a top-tier arm towards the trade deadline is unlikely.
What to watch: How Hart performs at Triple-A will tell the Orioles a lot. He was called up straight from Double-A Bowie last season and has never pitched in Triple-A before this season. If Hart can fix his command issues in Triple-A, the potential to be the pitcher he was last season is still there.
Lee Fry and Faulkner do not look major league-ready quite yet, but if the Orioles’ bullpen struggles continue as a whole, there is a good chance they will get some chances to prove themselves at the next level, especially if the bullpen gets overtaxed in consecutive series.
Currently, the left-hander that has been the best in 2017 has been Bleier. Despite his high WHIP, a 0.61 ERA in the minor leagues combined with 3.38 ERA in the majors this season should give Orioles fans hope for the time being. Bleier does not throw any blistering heat with a fastball in the upper 80s, but has shown good command. He is able to hit spots on the edge of the strike zone. His 3.17 ground ball rate could fare well in Camden Yards as well. He has not yet pitched at home this season.
Why does having a left-hander matter so much? If you watched the 2016 World Series you will know the answer to that question. Having the right pitcher to matchup with someone in a key spot can make all the difference in a game that will be decided in the later innings.
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