– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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BALTIMORE — While all signs point to the Baltimore Orioles running through the tape of the 2023 season — and making their first season appearance in more than half a decade — like an indefatigable world-class sprinter, their biggest worry for the final two months of the regular season will be whether a number of their starting pitchers will run out of gas as at least three members of the pitching rotation reach a career high in innings pitched.
And even with the lethal 1-2 combo of Yennier Canó and Félix Bautista at the back end of the bullpen, the Orioles’ the middle relief might end up being the core that hurls the most important pitches during the rest of the regular season and beyond. Today’s performance from the middle men might have been the best it has performed collectively this season, and more of the same going forward might be the best indicator of success in the fall.
Four Orioles relief pitchers combined to throw 4 2/3 scoreless innings on Sunday afternoon, with many of the outs coming in high-leverage situations, as Baltimore won a 2-0 pitcher’s duel over the New York Mets to sweep the weekend series inside Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Adley Rutschman’s RBI groundout in the fifth inning was the only run that the Orioles would need as the Orioles became the first team in the American League to win 70 games this season, and also now sport a sterling 16-7 record since the All-Star Break.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Saturday evening’s contest, with all photos taken by DC-area photographer Rodney Pierce. After clicking on the first photo to enlarge the picture, make sure to press the left and right arrow buttons to scroll through the rest of the pictures. There are 35 pictures in total.
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