
Orioles Fans Getting the 2023 Second Half Craig Kimbrel Experience
Looks like the Craig Kimbrel thing isn’t working out very well in Baltimore:
Craig Kimbrel just blew another save. pic.twitter.com/OnQG3HHmbu
— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) May 9, 2024
Craig Kimbrel had three days rest, a two-run lead, and had to face a pretty bad 6-7-8 in the Nationals lineup. Couldn’t do it. Feeling like the Orioles are going to have some tough decision to make there, because this ain’t working.
— Camden Chat (@CamdenChat) May 9, 2024
Craig Kimbrel has failed to complete the ninth inning in four of his last five appearances. Three of those resulted in blown saves
— Andy Kostka (@afkostka) May 9, 2024
If you were wondering whether the Orioles were getting first half 2023 Kimbrel or second half 2023 Kimbrel, it’s been much more of the latter. He’s got eight saves but has now blown a handful and is logging a 4.73 ERA, 6.1 BB/9 number, and a 1.500 WHIP. He’s given up seven home runs in 13 innings and finished 10 of the 16 games he’s appeared in.
That O’s team is stacked and still ahead of the Yankees despite the closer problem, but you recall a lot of people wondering why they signed Kimbrel in the first place. It was a placeholder thing, a rough situation because All Star Felix Bautista had Tommy John surgery late last year and they needed a replacement during his rehab stint. That’s why Kimbrel ended up in Baltimore, and he’s gonna be viewed now as a late-career journeyman despite being a Hall of Fame closer just based on what he did in Atlanta and Boston. If he had maybe 10-15% more in the tank last year, be it a lower pitch count or whatever, maybe we’re talking Phillies World Series instead of a disappointing NLCS home exit, but alas, here we are.