Veteran Pitchers Come To Orioles As Team Seeks Longer Run In Playoffs
The Baltimore Orioles did not wrest on their laurels after leading the American League with 101 wins last year.
Concerned about a young, inexperienced pitching staff that wilted during the playoffs, the Birds acquired two former All-Stars, trading for Corbin Burnes and signing Craig Kimbrel.
“Those moves were very significant,” said Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde Saturday before Baltimore belted the Atlanta Braves, 10-3, at CoolToday Park in North Port, FL.
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“We lost some guys but gained Corbin in a trade. He’s been a No. 1 starter and an All-Star, so that was huge for us. Our youngish starting rotation isn’t so young anymore.”
Burnes, 29, cost the Orioles three young players when the Milwaukee Brewers made him available during the off-season. The former National League Cy Young Award winner has averaged 2.6 walks and 11 strikeouts per nine innings over his entire career.
Like Burnes, Kimbrel is a former All-Star who throws right-handed. He passed 400 saves last season and is just five short of moving into the top five closers on the lifetime list in that department.
“Felix saved a lot of games for us,” said Hyde of injured Orioles closer Felix Bautista, sidelined after Tommy John elbow surgery. “But it’s huge to have guys like Craig who have gone through it to help out the younger guys and help our team.”
Bench coach Fredi Gonzalez, who has managed two major-league teams himself, agreed.
“We won 101 games but we didn’t win enough in the playoffs,” he said. “It was a great year for our young players to win all those games after winning something like 83 the year before. “We’re learning how to win and we’re learning together but I’d take 10 of those 100 wins back if we could have won them in the playoffs.”
