Hyde changing closer strategy with Sulser struggling

Cole Sulser has been removed from the closer's role with the Orioles.

Manager Brandon Hyde spoke with Sulser this morning, less than 24 hours after the rookie walked the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning and surrendered Teoscar Hernández's walk-off single that produced another loss to the Blue Jays. And his second blown save in three games.

Sulser has walked 13 batters in 15 1/3 innings for an average of 7.6 per nine. He averaged 2.7 in six minor league seasons.

"Suls is just disappointed in the command. He's always been known as a command guy. Hasn't had a ton of major league experience, but really low walk totals in the minor leagues," Hyde said today in his Zoom conference call with the media.

"That's what he's disappointed in the most, the leadoff walk yesterday, the walk to (Travis) Shaw after getting him 0-2 and not being able to put him away there. He had a chance, a couple two-strike counts in that inning, to get out of it and end the game for us and it just didn't happen. But like I said before, this is a guy who doesn't have a lot of major league experience, like the majority of guys in our bullpen. Somebody that got a lot of big outs for us early in the year and just in a little bit of a rut right now. Even the other night, he got five quick outs and just makes a bad pitch (to Randal Grichuk). We were one out away from winning that game. One strike away from winning the game yesterday a couple times.

"I've been putting him in tough situations and we did talk today about maybe giving him a couple breather outings with a little bit lower intensity. Try to get his confidence back. I still believe in his stuff, I still believe in his maturity and the makeup of the guy. A guy who's been able to get left-handers out. I just think it's good to give him a little bit of a reset."

Sulser relayed to Hyde that he's trying too hard.

"He's always been a command guy throughout his minor league career," Hyde said. "That's what I liked about him initially. We didn't have a closer, so to speak, coming into the season, so somebody that's going to be able to throw strikes and be able to get right- and left-handers out ... Suls had the reverse splits, but still the slider to be able to get right-handers out also and the elevated fastball, and he did that a lot early in the year. He did a really nice job.

"He's disappointed in his command. Like yesterday for me, uncharacteristic walks (Joe) Panik to lead off the inning. He's got Shaw 0-2 and he said he tried to make four perfect pitches instead of doing what he did to get to the two-strike count. And I think it's a learning experience for him. He has very, very little major league time. Putting him in a really tough situation. We have no veterans in our bullpen. So I think that we're taking our lumps a little bit but hopefully gaining some experience with all these guys."

The roster doesn't hold a proven closer to replace Sulser. Hyde will have to check availability and matchups and perhaps let the game situation dictate his moves.

Miguel Castro hasn't been available the past two days due to an illness. "Sinus stuff," as Hyde described it. Hyde didn't want to save Hunter Harvey for the ninth inning in his first game after leaving the injured list. And Mychal Givens already was traded to the Rockies.

"Our options were limited yesterday," Hyde said. "I'm just going to mix and match. Not of these guys have prolonged closing career numbers, so I think that we're going the do the best we can.

"Our guys have pitched well out of the 'pen. It would be nice to score some runs to not have a one-run or tie game almost on a nightly basis.

"We had four out of these five games on the road trip where we were right there. If the ball bounces our way a little bit, we're having a different conversation. It just hasn't happened."

Keegan Akin is on the mound today for his third major league outing and first start. He's on a pitch count this afternoon and in any appearance next month.

"He'll be on a pitch count the rest of the year," Hyde said, "but Keegan is built up so I'm going to see how he's feeling. Kind of with Jorgie López yesterday. Have a number in mind that understand that he hasn't gone out five times like he had earlier in the year. It's been a while. You saw it in the fifth inning, tired a little bit even though his pitch count was down. So I'm just going to play it by ear and see how Keegan feels the middle part of the game."