Baltimore Orioles vs. Kansas City Royals: 4 things to watch

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May 8, 2017; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Brad Brach (35) throws a pitch to a Washington Nationals batter in the ninth inning during a game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Patrick McDermott-USA TODAY Sports /

Battle of the bullpens

To say it has been a rough go for these bullpens would not be a major statement.

As I said, the Royals traded Wade Davis, allowing Kelvin Herrera to inherit the closer role. Herrera is 1-1 with a 3.46 ERA and five saves in six opportunities.

Also doing well has been Mike Minor and lefty Scott Alexander, with 2.50 and 1.26 ERAs respectively. Joakim Soria has also done a great job for KC. However, just the thought of facing the Orioles probably has Soria running for cover. Remember Delmon Young. Yup.

But, Travis Wood has an 11.91 ERA in 12 appearances spanning 11.1 innings. Peter Moylan has a 7.62 ERA in 18 appearances spanning 13 innings.

So, it has certainly been a mixed bag for the Royals’ bullpen.

The Orioles’ bullpen has been better, but issues have popped up recently. Brad Brach has a 3.79 ERA and has left up runs in his last four appearances, including blowing a save and losing to the Nationals on Wednesday.

Darren O’Day has a 5.02 ERA, although his ERA has come down after a few bad outings to start the year. Alec Asher, Mychal Givens and Donnie Hart all have ERAs under 3.

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