What a week for the Local 9. First, they made the obvious but hard decision to demote infielder Jackson Holliday (hey, we did get those spiffy T-shirts that we’ll always remember).
More important to the matter at hand, what has been obvious to fans and media is that the Orioles — while we were all more focused on the needs of the rotation — have a very serious bullpen issue involving the manager’s lack of comfort in using certain relievers in late-and-close situations. That has put a huge strain on the ones Brandon Hyde does want to use in those situations.
As if that wasn’t enough, the fragility of the ‘pen got further exposed with a sudden and awful punch to the gut in the form of a possible back injury to closer Craig Kimbrel.
But good news could be on the way for a suddenly deep rotation. Kyle Bradish is expected to start for the Orioles against the Yankees on May 2. And what appeared impossible to imagine 10 days ago after a disastrous less-than-one-inning start, John Means threw seven innings in his final rehab start on April 28, allowing just one hit and no runs while striking out eight.
For now, let’s look at my latest MLB power rankings:
1. Atlanta Braves (19-7, No. 1 last week): They have this record and Ronald Acuña Jr. is batting .255 with one home run and six RBIs.
2. Philadelphia Phillies (19-10, No. 2): The Phillies are like the racehorse that comes out of nowhere to win the race. This year, they have decided to not let the other horse get too big of a lead.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers (18-12, No. 6): The Dodgers’ top two starting pitchers grade out as excellent, but after that, it’s not pretty. Walker Buehler has made five starts for Triple-A Oklahoma City and has a 4.86 ERA and 1.68 WHIP. Clayton Kershaw is nowhere near ready. GM Brandon Gomes will be frantically searching.
4. New York Yankees (19-10, No. 4): The Yankees pounded the ball big-time in taking the last two of three in Milwaukee, scoring 30 runs across the two wins. They catch the Orioles with a wounded ‘pen.
5. Baltimore Orioles (17-10, No. 3): The Orioles’ brain trust will have to get creative in solving a serious bullpen problem. I’m not just talking Kimbrel. They have three pitchers who virtually never appear in close wins. It’s just the end of April and the appearances are already piling up for Yennier Cano and Danny Coulombe.
6. Milwaukee Brewers (17-10, No. 5): Hey, here’s an idea — when DL Hall gets back from a left knee injury, why not make him a reliever? As a starter in 16.1 innings, he has allowed 27 hits and 10 walks. That stinks. By the way, young Brewers phenom Jackson Chourio is batting .207 with four homers and 13 RBIs and an on-base percentage of .253.
7. Cleveland Guardians (19-9, No. 8): I believe in Stephen Vogt. Hunter Gaddis was looking like a potentially great setup man … until he faced the Braves and blew a pair of two-run leads.
8. Texas Rangers (15-14, No. 9): Max Scherzer has made one rehab start, lasting seven outs. He’ll pitch again on April 30. We all know the Rangers desperately need him, but rushing him back makes little sense to me.
9. Cincinnati Reds (15-13, No. 7): The front office was correct in spending on pitching, but the offense has no teeth to it this year. Newcomer Jeimer Candelario is batting .159 with two homers and eight RBIs. Jonathan India, Tyler Stephenson, TJ Friedl, Matt McLain and Spencer Steer combined to hit 87 homers with 319 RBIs last year, but that group has hit just seven homers with 38 RBIs so far this year. Friedl (wrist) is due back soon, while McLain (shoulder) is out until at least August.
10. Kansas City Royals (17-12, No. 11): Finally, lots of positives to talk about. When did Salvador Perez become one of the toughest outs to get? Dude can’t be pitched to.
11. Chicago Cubs (17-11, No. 12)
12. Detroit Tigers (16-12, No. 13)
13. Seattle Mariners (15-13, No. 15)
14. Minnesota Twins (14-13, No. 22)
15. Boston Red Sox (16-13, No. 16)
16. Arizona Diamondbacks (13-16, No. 10)
17. Tampa Bay Rays (13-16, No. 14)
18. San Francisco Giants (14-15, No. 23)
19. Pittsburgh Pirates (14-15, No. 19)
20. Houston Astros (9-19, No. 21)
21. St. Louis Cardinals (13-15, No. 26)
22. Toronto Blue Jays (14-15, No. 17)
23. New York Mets (14-13, No. 18)
24. Oakland Athletics (12-17, No. 27)
25. San Diego Padres (14-17, No. 20)
26. Washington Nationals (13-14, No. 25)
27. Los Angeles Angels (10-18, No. 24)
28. Colorado Rockies (7-21, No. 29)
29. Chicago White Sox (6-22, No. 30)
30. Miami Marlins (6-23, No. 28)