A closer look at Dylan Bundy's strong start to the season

Orioles right-hander Dylan Bundy is off to a great start, pitching like the ace pitcher the Orioles hoped they'd get when they drafted him No. 4 overall in the 2011 draft.

But fast starts are not new to Bundy. He got off to one last season, as well. Here is a comparison of his first five starts last year and this year.

2017: 3-1 with 1.65 ERA, 32 2/3 innings, six walks, 23 strikeouts and .228 average against
2018: 1-2 with a 1.42 ERA, 31 2/3 innings, nine walks, 40 strikeouts and .220 average against

Bundy's strikeout rate is way up from this point last season and he is averaging 11.4 strikeouts every nine innings. In 2016, Bundy averaged 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings and last year he averaged 8.1 per nine. Among qualifying pitchers, Bundy ranks seventh in the American League in strikeout/nine innings. That category is led by J.A. Happ of Toronto and Chris Sale of Boston, both at 12.72.

Bundy ranks fifth in the AL in strikeouts. If he pitched 200 innings, he would finish with 252 strikeouts at his current pace. That would shatter the Orioles' single-season record, which is 221 by Erik Bedard in 2007.

Beyond Bundy's obvious talent, his mound presence is also very strong and a big factor in his success. When you watch him pitch, you have no idea of the game situation, or whether his team is winning or losing.

"He has a calm demeanor," catcher Caleb Joseph said recently. "But when he gets between the lines, I wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley, for sure. And that is the kind of guy you want out there. Ice in the veins, but ready to go for the kill at any moment."

Joseph said Bundy is fun to catch for many reasons. Chief among them is his ability to pitch well with three secondary pitches off his fastball. Last season, opponents hit just .174 off his slider, .229 against his changeup and .167 off his curveball. In the small sample size so far this year, opponents are batting .500 off his curve and .273 off the changeup, but just .122 off his slider, which has garnered swings and misses 37 percent of the time.

"Yeah, it's options and the more options you have, the more maneuverability you have," Joseph said. "And you have to have that maneuverability, especially in the American League East and the American League in general. He is able to go to the curveball, the changeup, the slider. We saw a lot of the slider early on last year and he was working on the curveball this spring."

Bundy ranks fourth in the AL in ERA, behind only Sean Manaea of Oakland at 1.23, Houston's Gerrit Cole at 1.29 and Justin Verlander of Houston at 1.36.

Bundy has allowed one earned run or less four times and his quality start percentage of 80 is tied for fifth in the league. He is fifth in Wins Above Replacement for pitchers.

For an Orioles offense that has struggled so badly, Bundy needed to be very good and he was able to pitch his club to a 3-1 win Friday against Cleveland. It is the only win for the Orioles on this homestand as he preps to take the mound again tonight and face Tampa Bay.