masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgTORONTO – Orioles reliever Dylan Bundy had been scored on in five of his six previous outings when he took the mound in the sixth inning at Rogers Centre last night.
The Orioles were trailing 5-4 and if Bundy could keep Toronto off the board, they might have a chance to post another comeback win.
He did just that with one of his best outings in the majors. Over 2 1/3 scoreless innings and 47 pitches (his second most this year), Bundy allowed just one hit – a bunt single – and fanned three…

TORONTO – Orioles reliever Dylan Bundy had been scored on in five of his six previous outings when he took the mound in the sixth inning at Rogers Centre last night.

The Orioles were trailing 5-4 and if Bundy could keep Toronto off the board, they might have a chance to post another comeback win.

He did just that with one of his best outings in the majors. Over 2 1/3 scoreless innings and 47 pitches (his second most this year), Bundy allowed just one hit – a bunt single – and fanned three batters.

Was it indeed one of his best 2016 outings?

“Yeah definitely,” Bundy said this afternoon in the visiting clubhouse. “I think it was just the way I attacked the guys last night and went at them with the fastball and mixed in the curveball well too. I think I got two or three groundballs and normally I get a lot of pop ups. Getting the groundballs means I had some good movement on the fastball and I was pleased to throw my curveball for strikes.”

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On a night when manager Buck Showalter was not planning to use Brad Brach and was also trying to not use Mychal Givens, Bundy was on the spot in a close game on the road and trying to keep Toronto from adding to a one-run lead.

“It’s a 5-5 game. You don’t want to be the one to lose it. I’ve done that once this year. So, yeah, it was fun to be in a tight game and come out on top,” he said.

It was also noticeable last night that Bundy pitched with some of his best velocity of the season. His fastball was sitting between 95 and 97 mph. He got Josh Donaldson looking in the sixth inning at a 97-mph heater.

This fangraphs chart shows that Bundy averaged 95 mph last night for the third time this season.

“Lot of people have told me it was up a click or two last night,” Bundy said. “I think it has come up one or two miles per hour since early April. I think that is just getting my arm strength back to where it used to be.”

The added tick or two on the radar gun is nice, but Bundy said is not critical.

“I think locating 94 is better than not locating 97,” he said. “Especially at this level. Those guys can hit 97. If I can get the command and a couple more miles per hour, that is great. But if not, I’ll settle for commanding 94 better.”

The Orioles bullpen has thrown 14 scoreless innings during the Orioles’ five-game win streak and leads the majors with an ERA of 2.61.