Dealin' Dylan: Bundy pitches O's past Rays, 3-0

He owned an ERA of 8.76 after his first three starts of this season. But right-hander Dylan Bundy seems to be slowly but surely making progress. He provided a big example of that tonight.

Bundy produced the longest outing by an O's starter this year with 7 1/3 scoreless innings as the Orioles blanked Tampa Bay 3-0 at Camden Yards. It was the club's first shutout since the last game of last year, on Sept. 30 versus Houston.

The game was swiftly played, taking just two hours and 19 minutes.

After pitching around a leadoff single in the first and a leadoff double in the second, Bundy was rolling in the middle innings. He fanned two on sliders in the fourth and got a big double play ball in the fifth. He got the side in order in the sixth and seventh, and started the eighth at 88 pitches.

He got Daniel Robertson to ground out, but was replaced by righty Shawn Armstrong after a Michael Perez double to left that inning. Then the Rays scored a run, we thought, when Armstrong threw a grounder past first base for an E1. But Willy Adames was ruled out on interference, running into the baseline, and Perez went back to second base. A strikeout then ended a strange inning with the O's leading 3-0.

Bundy gave up just three hits with one walk and four strikeouts. He threw 96 pitches, 62 for strikes, and is 1-4 with a 5.30 ERA. Over his last four starts, his ERA is 3.47.

Mychal Givens pitched the ninth to record his third save and wrapping up the Orioles' first shutout of 2019.

The Orioles had lost six of seven coming into this game, and lost 7-0 last night. But they are 12-22 with this win, their fourth in 15 home games. Tampa Bay falls to 21-12. The Rays began the game with the best winning percentage in the majors at .656. If the Orioles win tomorrow, they will hand the Rays just their second series loss of 2019.

The Orioles backed Bundy with some early offense and led 3-0 by the fourth inning. Jonathan Villar led off the home first with a double to left center and scored on Dwight Smith Jr.'s double play grounder for the 1-0 lead. A fielder's choice grounder by Villar in the third scored Stevie Wilkerson, who led off with a single.

Smith led off the fourth with a homer for the 3-0 lead. He hit No. 6 on a 2-0 sinker at 94 mph and drove it 429 feet to center. At Triple-A Buffalo in 2018, Smith hit six homers in 310 at-bats. He got No. 6 tonight in his 119th at-bat.