Poring over present and past Orioles pitching performances

The Orioles create their own breaks and catch a few along the way. Or at least, it appears that way.

Doesn’t always lead to a win, but it happens.

Going for the three-game sweep yesterday in Houston, they were tasked with trying to beat Cy Young candidate Justin Verlander. The major league leader in ERA and OPS, and tied for the lead in WHIP. A tough matchup, to say the least.

A brief one, too, with Verlander leaving after three scoreless innings with right calf discomfort.

Nothing related to his surgically repaired right elbow or his shoulder. Just his calf muscle.

The Astros' club-record streak of 41 consecutive games with a starting pitcher throwing five or more innings came to an abrupt and shocking end, with no hints that Verlander was hurting.

Houston’s bullpen ranked first in the majors with a 2.99 ERA, but the Orioles gladly took their chances against it, especially that early in the game. A lot of baton passing can lead to a costly drop.

Didn’t work out that way. Five Astros relievers combined for six innings of one-run ball in a 3-1 win. But I’m guessing that an informal poll inside the Orioles’ dugout would have revealed a preference to avoid Verlander after the third.

The Astros have the best record in the American League for a reason.  

Yordan Álvarez was held out of the lineup with a sore left hand. Another apparent break for the Orioles.

Maybe it wouldn’t matter against this Orioles rotation.

The unit combined to allow only two runs in 21 2/3 innings in the series. Austin Voth, discarded by the Nationals this season, carried a shutout into the seventh yesterday and exited after walking leadoff hitter Alex Bregman, who scored on Yuli Gurriel’s single off Bryan Baker.

A season-high five straight quality starts. And I remember when the bullpen was carrying the rotation.

Orioles starters have completed six innings in the last five games for the first time since June 5-9, 2019 with John Means, David Hess, Gabriel Ynoa, Andrew Cashner and Dylan Bundy, according to STATS. They haven’t done it in six straight games since stringing together seven in a row from Aug. 5-11, 2016 with Yovani Gallado, Chris Tillman, Bundy, Kevin Gausman, Wade Miley, Gallardo and Tillman.

The club record, spanning seasons, is 30 in a row from Sept. 9, 1970-April 17, 1971. The single-season mark is 27 from Sept. 1-27, 1959.

There was a 23-game streak in 1962, a 20-game streak in 1961, and a pair of 18-game streaks in 1978.

And here we are, marveling at five.

Kyle Bradish became the seventh rookie in Orioles history Friday to throw eight or more scoreless innings with two hits or fewer on the road, and the first since Chris Waters on Aug. 5, 2008 in Anaheim. Waters allowed only one hit in his major league debut.

In his next start, Waters faced the Rangers at home and allowed six runs and seven hits in four innings.

Waters tossed a complete-game, four-hit shutout on Sept. 16 in Toronto, but he made only seven more appearances in the majors. He pitched in five games in September 2009, the first four in relief.

Also memorable for Waters was his Sept. 21, 2008 start, the last game at the old Yankee Stadium. The Orioles lost 7-3.

If you remember who replaced Waters in the sixth inning, you are a rabid fan or have something else happening to you.

Either way, Lance Cormier appreciates you.

Who are the other five rookies to do it?
An interactive article? That’s weirder than the mailbag.

Don Ferrarese in 1956, Eddie Watt in 1966 - I only remember him as a reliever and, unfortunately, taking the loss in Game 4 of the 1970 World Series - Dave Leonhard in 1968, Paul Mitchell in 1975, and Bob Milacki in 1988,

Bradish became the eighth rookie to do it against the Astros and only the second in Houston since 1962.

Bradish and Dean Kremer, who held the Astros to one run in 7 2/3 innings Saturday night, are the first Orioles starters to go at least 7 2/3 in back-to-back games since Ubaldo Jiménez (7 2/3) and Wade Miley (eight) on April 19-20, 2017.

Meanwhile, the Orioles have thrown 11 shutouts in 127 games this season. They recorded 11 in 384 games from 2019-21.

Here’s more proof that 2022 is different: The Orioles have won 10 games when scoring two runs or fewer. Entering the season, they had 11 such wins since 2018 and six since 2019.

Félix Bautista registered his 10^th save Saturday night, the sixth Orioles rookie to reach that total in a season and first since Alfredo Simon had 17 in 2010.

Former third-round draft pick Chris Ray holds the rookie record with 33 saves in 2006. Gregg Olson is the last Oriole chosen Rookie of the Year in the American League after saving 27 games in 1989.

Bautista got a late start.

Others on the list are Jorge Julio with 25 in 2002 and Ryan Kohlmeier with 13 in 2000.

Ray didn’t receive any votes for American League Rookie of the Year. Verlander finished first with the Tigers, receiving 26 of 28 first place votes. Orioles outfielder Nick Markakis was sixth, and he received one first place vote.

Bautista didn’t pitch in the majors until this season. Ray made 41 appearances in 2005 and accumulated 40 2/3 innings, allowing him to retain rookie status the following season.

Each of Bautista’s last three appearances have consisted of 1 1/3 innings or more and resulted in a win or save. He’s retired 18 of 19 batters since Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts homered on Aug. 21.

Among major league rookie relievers, Bautista ranked first in strikeouts yesterday with 76, tied for first in games with 57, ranked second in saves and WHIP (0.82), tied for second in innings pitched with 57, and tied for eighth in holds with 12. His 1.58 ERA was third among major league relievers with a minimum of 55 innings. He hasn’t allowed multiple hits in an outing since July 5, a span of 21 games, and opponents are batting .105.

Bautista’s .160 opponent batting average is the second lowest among major league relievers with a minimum of 200 plate appearances. Opposing batters are slashing .095/.188/.149 (7-for-74) with 31 strikeouts with runners on base, and his 94.2 left on base percentage is the best in baseball with a minimum of 50 innings, according to FanGraphs.com.

Mychal Givens was the last Orioles rookie to appear in 57 games, totaling 66 in 2016. Bautista has worked back-to-back days a team-leading 12 times.

You want the heat turned up in the summer? Bautista has thrown 163 pitches clocked at 100 mph or more, the fifth-most in the majors.

So, yes, Bautista deserves consideration for American League Rookie of the Year. He certainly has a chance to be voted Most Valuable Oriole. He shouldn’t be excluded from the three-player ballot.  

I couldn’t tell you the last time I chose rookies with my first two selections, since I don’t memorize my ballots, but there’s a serious temptation this year with Bautista and Adley Rutschman.

The Orioles are starting Spenser Watkins, Jordan Lyles and Bradish in the three-game series in Cleveland that begins Tuesday night. The Guardians are starting Cal Quantrill, Triston McKenzie and Shane Bieber.

I’m done making assumptions based on pitching matchups. The Orioles defy logic, odds, everything.

Bieber has a 3.02 ERA and 1.086 WHIP in 23 starts, and he’s averaging 7.9 hits, 1.9 walks, 9.1 strikeouts and 0.7 home runs per nine innings. He’s allowed two earned runs or fewer in seven of his last eight starts, and one or fewer in five.

The Orioles know him. Three career starts against them and three victories, with only two runs and 11 hits allowed in 24 innings. Two walks and 37 strikeouts.