A look at Dylan Bundy's strong record against the AL East

So we could look at plenty of stats this year that show us that right-hander Dylan Bundy is having a big season for the Orioles. As he pitched the club past the Yankees Monday with bullpen help from Darren O'Day and Brad Brach, Bundy improved to 6-3 with a 2.89 ERA.

But how about Bundy's 2017 stats in his seven starts versus American League East teams? Well, they are great.

He is 5-1 with a 1.93 ERA in those outings, which include three against Boston, two versus Toronto and one outing each against Tampa Bay and New York. The Orioles are 6-1 in those seven games and Bundy has thrown seven innings four times. So yeah, that is indeed pretty impressive.

Monday his velocity ticked up after the first two innings and he averaged 92.5 mph on both his four and two-seam fastballs. His best inning with his velocity was his seventh and last, when he averaged 94.0 on his two-seamer and 93.9 on the four-seam fastball.

Did Bundy pitch with more confidence in his fastball against the Yankees? He wasn't saying.

"You just try to hit the glove, you know. The catcher sets up inside or out, you just try to hit wherever he set up. Usually, if you hit your spot, good things are going to happen. But every start is different. I'm not going to have the same feeling every single start as far as body and arm. Velo is going to be different, every time for me, probably," he said.

Bundy has recorded quality starts 10 times in 11 outings. In six home starts he is 4-1 with a 2.23 ERA.

Manager Buck Showalter praised Bundy for his ability to read bats. Meaning he can sense which pitches will give which hitters trouble by how they reacted to pitches he's already thrown them. That allows him to make changes and adjustments over the course of a seven-inning outing. I asked Bundy if reading bats has been big for him?

"Yeah, absolutely. That involves a lot of people, though. Pitching coach and Caleb (Joseph) back there. He can read them better than me, I'm pretty sure, so he helps me a lot. He's the one calling the game back there, and I'm trying to hit the mitt."

Bundy is always pretty modest about his own game and usually credits his teammates for their help. But he set a strong tone Monday. On a day the Orioles would not get much offense, he helped them snap a seven-game losing streak.

"We've got a good clubhouse here and we have good leaders here that can handle this. They've been through it before, so they are showing us how (to end the losing streak)," he added.

The Orioles also ended a seven-game losing streak in one-run decisions yesterday, They are now 9-8 in one-run games.

While the Orioles clubhouse seemed to be a stress-free room with some pressure relieved after Monday's win, manager Buck Showalter would not claim that getting a much-needed win provided him with any sense of relief.

"No. Not at all," he said. "(We face Luis) Severino tomorrow. Maybe for a short period of time. It's a challenge every day not living in that world, staying strong mentally through the challenges that every season presents, good and bad."

Yankee Aaron Judge homered off Bundy yesterday, driving a 431-foot blast to center in the seventh inning. In seven games versus O's pitching, he is 8-for-20 (.400) with five homers and eight RBIs. He has also walked eight times, so he has a .571 OBP against the Orioles and is slugging 1.150 with an OPS of 1.721 in the season series.

But batting with his team down 3-2 in the ninth, he struck out on four pitches against right-hander Brach. Brach threw Judge four straight fastballs, getting him swinging at a 96 mph heater.

"I knew he was coming up and I knew it was a one-run lead, but once I got the two strikes, and I got ahead on him, I'm being ultra-aggressive. He's one of their better hitters right now. He's hot. I just knew my fastball was good today," Brach said.

It was, and O's pitching was solid in their win in the series opener. They quieted a lineup that began the day leading the American League averaging 5.4 runs per game.

The Orioles are 18-10 against AL East teams and 4-3 versus New York. They are 9-5 against the Yankees since last Aug. 28.

With the losing streak finally over, can the Orioles now get hot again and build on Monday's win?