Since allowing three runs to Miami on July 25 and two runs to San Diego a day later, Craig Kimbrel has taken a step back from the closer role with the Orioles.
Kimbrel’s next four appearances all came in low-leverage situations until he allowed the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning of a 2-1 loss to Tampa Bay on Aug. 11. Recent save chances have gone to Yennier Cano (July 28 and Aug. 3) and Seranthony Domínguez (Aug. 10 and Aug. 14).
So … what’s the plan for the Orioles with six weeks left in the regular season?
“There may be a lot of Tums that are needed,” FOX Sports analyst John Smoltz said on Glenn Clark Radio Aug. 12. “But that’s OK. You find a hot guy, you ride the hot guy until he’s not. In a prototypical world, everyone wants the one guy. I look around the league, the Yankees have had some struggles in that area. That’s the team you’re going against, typically. Boston could still make a run, but more than likely it’s New York and Baltimore in the division.”
Indeed, Yankees closer Clay Holmes has been credited with nine blown saves so far this year. Other AL contenders have steadier ninth-inning situations than the Orioles and Yankees, including Cleveland (Emmanuel Clase), Houston (Josh Hader) and Seattle (Andrés Muñoz).
But not having a set closer in mid-August doesn’t disqualify a team from making a deep October run, according to Smoltz. Arizona made it all the way to the World Series a year ago by relying on Kevin Ginkel, Joe Mantiply, Paul Sewald and Ryan Thompson in high-leverage situations.
“It doesn’t always work this way, but when you get somebody hot, you can ride that guy for a short period of time and that’s all it takes in the postseason. That’s all it takes,” Smoltz said. “The Arizona Diamondbacks rode a couple hot guys at the right time last year. They went to the World Series, almost won. The point I’m making is you’ve got to get there, which you’re in good position to get to the postseason, and then you’ve got to get a couple guys hot at the right time.”
But for now, the Orioles are searching for answers. The club signed Kimbrel to a one-year deal worth $13 million guaranteed in the offseason with Félix Bautista down for the entire 2024 season due to Tommy John surgery. Kimbrel was mostly solid prior to the All-Star break, posting a 2.80 ERA with 53 strikeouts and 16 walks in 35.1 innings.
It’s been a struggle in the second half for Kimbrel, who is working to find his command again. That’s cause for concern, according to “Foul Territory” host Cameron Maybin.
“I faced Craig quite a few times. What used to make Craig extremely effective to me was that even though he was electric, he was ahead in the count,” Maybin said on GCR Aug. 9. “One thing the last few years that I’ve watched [with] Craig Kimbrel, it’s just too many counts where he’s getting deep in counts, he’s falling behind and now guys are getting a better look at his stuff.”
Domínguez has given the Orioles a lift since coming from Philadelphia in a trade a few days before the deadline. The 29-year-old has been a mostly solid reliever breaking into the big leagues in 2018, establishing himself as a reliable right-on-right option.
Perhaps his best stretch in Philadelphia came during the 2022 postseason, when he allowed just two runs and struck out 18 hitters in 10.2 innings across four playoff series. The Orioles would love for Domínguez to duplicate that in 2024, regardless of his role.
“Everything comes down to fastball command,” Smoltz said of Domínguez. “He can tell everybody what’s coming. They’re not going to square up his fastball too often. They’re going to hit a mistake slider, and if he’s behind in the count then hitters can kind of lock in on a fastball. If he can find that fastball command, which probably fell out of favor with Philadelphia, then yes, he absolutely has the stuff. I watched it in the postseason a couple years ago where he was unhittable.”
Though he loves how Domínguez has pitched in Baltimore, Maybin admittedly isn’t sure who the club can trust at the back end of a game right now. What he is sure about is that the Orioles are really missing lefty reliever Danny Coulombe, who hasn’t pitched since June 8 following a procedure to remove bone chips from his elbow.
The Orioles are hopeful their top lefty setup man can return at some point in September, a necessary boost considering Coulombe has posted a 2.68 ERA in 77.1 innings since the beginning of the 2023 season.
“That guy can get lefties out, he can get righties out,” Maybin said. “I think losing him has been extremely detrimental and more detrimental than what people may realize. He’s a lefty, not really flashy, but that dude gets the job done. I think they’re really missing that arm out there right now.”
For more from Smoltz, listen to the full interview here:
For more from Maybin, listen to the full interview here:
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