(Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
The Baltimore Orioles are proving that their success last season was no fluke.
They competed until the very end of last season for a playoff berth but came up a few games short.
It appears that simply making the playoffs should be the worst-case scenario for the Orioles this year.
Baltimore is playing at an elite level both at the plate and on the mound.
One spot where they have been especially successful is in the bullpen.
Closer Felix Bautista might be the best closer in baseball as he consistently dominates opposing hitters.
As noted by Spencer N. Schultz, Bautista has 84 strikeouts in 42 innings pitched this year.
He also has 23 saves and an ERA of 1.04.
Felix Bautista finishes the first half of his season with 84 K’s in 42 innings…
23 saves (second in AL)
1.04 ERA (First in MLB among closers)
All hail King Mountain
— Spencer N. Schultz (@ravens4dummies) July 8, 2023
Bautista has become a strikeout machine.
That is something that every team looks for in a closer.
Last season was his first in the majors and he was very good for the Orioles.
He recorded 15 saves and had a strikeout per nine of 12.1.
But this season he has taken his game to a new level.
Bautista has raised his K/9 this season to 18.0 and has only allowed five earned runs in 42.0 innings.
The 28-year-old has been one of the most valuable pitchers in baseball this year.
It would not be a surprise to see him receive some AL Cy Young votes at season’s end.
Bautista and Yennier Cano are the two Orioles relievers that are headed to the All-Star Game.
Both are well deserving of that honor as they have made the eighth and ninth innings very difficult for opposing teams.
The post The Orioles Are Being Carried By An Elite Bullpen Arm appeared first on The Cold Wire.