Orioles reliever Seranthony Dominguez pitches against the Red Sox in the ninth inning. The Orioles defeated the Red Sox (4-2) at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun/TNS
NEW YORK — Forget figuring out the ninth inning. The Orioles are still trying to come up with a bullpen combination that gets them through the sixth, seventh and eighth.
Their relief corps faltered again Wednesday as Craig Kimbrel and Seranthony Domínguez combined to cough up a pair of runs late in a 4-3 loss to the New York Mets . Kimbrel, still demoted from the closer role, allowed a go-ahead blast in the seventh inning to erase any hope that his ongoing struggles were behind him. Domínguez followed by allowing his second walk-off home run in three days, casting doubt over his ability to pitch in big moments.
“I don’t have a set closer,” manager Brandon Hyde said after the game. “Searching for outs from whenever the starter comes out to the end of the game. Searching for outs.”
Uncertainty over who can be trusted to close games for Baltimore has loomed ever since reigning American League Reliever of the Year Félix Bautista underwent Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery last October, knocking him out for the 2024 season. The Orioles signed Kimbrel, a future Hall of Famer, to a one-year, $13 million deal last winter to be their closer, and he put together a borderline All-Star case with his first half. However, he lost his hold on the job in July and hasn’t inspired enough confidence to reclaim it since.
Kimbrel was the lone major bullpen addition the Orioles’ front office made in the offseason, which has forced the team to turn to internal options and midseason additions for key outs late in games. Trade deadline acquisition Domínguez was starting to look like the answer after he recorded three consecutive saves and posted a 1.74 ERA over his first 10 appearances with the Orioles, but he’s suddenly given up home runs in three straight outings, a reminder of why the Philadelphia Phillies were willing to part with him while in a pennant race of their own.
“It’s part of the game,” Domínguez said Monday of allowing the walk-off homer to Francisco Alvarez. “No one wants to feel that but it’s part of the game.
“I know I can do the job. I’ll be better.”
Injuries to Danny Coulombe (2.42 ERA this season) and Jacob Webb (3.08) haven’t helped, but the Orioles’ bullpen has unraveled in August with a 6.16 ERA that ranks 29th in the majors. Gregory Soto, another reliever plucked from the Phillies’ bullpen at the deadline, has allowed eight runs in 4 2/3 innings since joining the team. Burch Smith, designated for assignment by the Miami Marlins earlier this season, pitched his way into some eighth-inning work and he’s allowed seven runs (six earned) in three appearances.
Colin Selby was considered in their plans after they traded for him in a cash deal with the Kansas City Royals. Selby posted back-to-back scoreless outings after being recalled, but Baltimore optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday amid a flurry of roster moves.
Two bullpen reinforcements arrived among the moves. The Orioles optioned starter Trevor Rogers to Triple-A and selected the contract of right-hander Matt Bowman, a 33-year-old journeyman whom the team signed to a minor league contract a week ago, and recalled left-hander Nick Vespi from the Tides.
The only proven, reliable relievers for Baltimore right now are Cionel Pérez and Yennier Cano. Pérez has been the Orioles’ top option against left-handed hitters and he’s held them to a .225 batting average this season. Cano, who leads the team with 58 appearances, has posted a 3.00 ERA in August and a mark of 2.86 for the season. After taking over for the injured Bautista down the stretch last year, he might soon find himself once again closing out games for the Orioles as they chase a division title.
But whether Cano is up to the task will be moot if the Orioles can’t hold leads late enough for him or any of their other relievers to take the mound for the ninth. A two-man bullpen isn’t sustainable for a pennant race, and even with Coulombe and Webb targeting September returns, the Orioles will need others to step up in the meantime if they hope to fend off the New York Yankees and win the AL East.
“We’re going to continue to throw them out there,” Hyde said. “Whoever’s on the roster. We’ve got eight guys in our ’pen and trying to find some guys to get hot for us.”
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