When the Orioles traded for Jack Flaherty just ahead of the trade deadline a year ago, I wrote a piece titled, “Did Orioles GM Mike Elias Just Pull Another Rabbit Out Of His Hat?”
Turns out I was only off by eight months and had the wrong pitcher.
Whatever rock Elias and his pro scouting department found Albert Suárez under, they’d be wise to bronze it and bring it back to Baltimore as a keepsake. Suárez’s numbers — 96.1 innings, 3.18 ERA and 1.28 WHIP — don’t tell the story. Time and time again, he has saved manager Brandon Hyde’s bacon by delivering what the club needs when inserted into the rotation.
The most recent time was when Grayson Rodriguez was a late scratch on Aug. 6 up in Toronto. Suarez had about 15 minutes before first pitch to warm up. All Suárez did that night was toss five innings of shutout ball, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out six.
Suárez has now tallied 17.2 innings of shutout ball since rejoining the rotation, lowering his ERA from 3.89 to that 3.18 number.
Suárez pitched in Japan and Korea from 2019-2023. I am not quite sure why the 34-year-old wanted another shot at pitching in the big leagues, but his decision has paid off in spades for the Orioles.
As far as I can tell, Suárez is under team control for 2025 if he wants to pitch in MLB. His seasons overseas were probably a good bit more lucrative than 2024 in Baltimore, where he is likely making the league minimum of close to $750,000.
While Elias is big-game hunting to replace Corbin Burnes this offseason, he should do right by Suárez and try to buy out two years of club control for about $5 million. Suárez has proven to be more than just an insurance policy. He is an important low-risk, high-upside piece to plug in for a professional performance in any role.
In the bullpen, it’s clear now that we have had a changing of the guard from Craig Kimbrel to Seranthony Domínguez saving games. I won’t bore you for long, but indulge me in wondering why Kimbrel was not used for six days back in July when the Cubs and Yankees were in town.
Just as it takes a level of finesse to not overuse a pitcher, it also takes a level of sophistication to not underutilize a pitcher.
After his blip in late April and early May when Birdland had its pitchforks out, Kimbrel quickly got back on track. In his next 22 games, he posted a 0.43 ERA and 0.52 WHIP in 21 innings. He struck out 31 and didn’t allow a homer.
Then came those mysterious six days of no usage in July. Since then, Kimbrel has pitched sporadically. In his last 9.2 innings, he has allowed 11 hits, 12 walks and four homers. He has posted a 10.24 ERA and 2.38 WHIP during that stretch.
Kimbrel turned 36 on May 28, so maybe it was just inevitable that Father Time was coming for the overdue rent, but I’ll always wonder what if Hyde had used him to mop up one or two games that week in July before his tire blew out on July 14 against the Yankees.
I’ve gone on too long to not trumpet Domínguez, the fireballer who saved 19 games for the Phillies at the age of 23. Now 29, he came over a few days ahead of the deadline for Austin Hays. He arrived with a 4.75 ERA in 36 innings in Philadelphia, finding himself in a similar place with the fans of Philly that Kimbrel is now in Baltimore. (Incidentally, Kimbrel was held in that type of esteem from about August on last year.)
Not handed anything upon his arrival in Baltimore, Domínguez quickly earned Hyde’s trust and the results are as follows: 3-for-3 in save opportunities, a 1.74 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP.
The handoff, while maybe not handled flawlessly, has been made. Domínguez also gives the Orioles an option to close in 2025 if Félix Bautista isn’t the same upon his return next season.
That brings me to Cade Povich. No, he won’t be Mike Boddicker circa 1983. But if the Cade Povich of Saturday can reappear for a few cameos the rest of the way, the O’s may just have enough starters to get past the regular-season finish line.
Taking on a very good Red Sox offense, Povich was everything he hadn’t been but for a handful of innings in his previous eight starts spanning 37.1 innings. He was truly focused and determined, executing a game plan masterfully.
Povich had walked 23 and struck out 25 prior to his start against the Red Sox. This time around, he struck out six and walked none in 6.1 innings. It was a major step forward.
There isn’t exactly a totally happy ending to this pitching story. Right now, Hyde has confidence in three relievers — Domínguez, Yennier Cano and Cionel Pérez. He has bits of confidence in Keegan Akin and Burch Smith. But as Hyde emphasized in his postgame presser on Sunday, using the same three relievers every game isn’t sustainable.
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