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Baltimore Orioles: Kevin Gausman Surging Earlier Than Expected

By Christopher Church

OAKLAND, CA - MAY 05: Starting pitcher Kevin Gausman #34 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches against the Oakland Athletics in the bottom of the ninth inning at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum on May 5, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - MAY 05: Starting pitcher Kevin Gausman #34 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches against the Oakland Athletics in the bottom of the ninth inning at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum on May 5, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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As the rest of the Baltimore Orioles starting rotation sputters, Kevin Gausman has proved his value and consistency on the mound as of late.

When the Baltimore Orioles drafted premiere pitching prospect Kevin Gausman with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2012 MLB June Amateur Draft from LSU, it looked like the perfect pitcher to make an immediate impact on the Orioles starting rotation.

The right-handed pitcher made his debut at 22-years-old on May 23, 2013, when he tossed five innings, giving up four earned runs and striking out five in a loss.

March, April and May and for much of the first half of the season is no easy task for Gausman. However, as the season progresses closer toward the MLB All-Star break, Gausman evolves into one of the best pitchers in baseball.

Gausman’s career ERA per month include:

  • March/April: 5.19
  • May: 4.61
  • June: 4.43
  • July: 4.03
  • Aug: 3.63
  • Sept/Oct: 3.44

Gausman finished the April with a 2-2 record and 4.10 ERA, which is actually lower than his career 4.61 ERA in April.

In 2018, Gausman is off to the best start of his career and has avoided a bumpy first half of the season so far, something he’s failed to do throughout his career. Through 10 starts this season, Gausman has a majestic 3.48 ERA and we’ve yet to reach June.

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The 27-year-old has emerged as the leader of the Orioles inconsistent rotation and one of the most important players on the Orioles roster. With a 1.9 WAR, Gausman sits only behind MVP candidate Manny Machado as the Orioles Top 12 Players, per Baseball-Reference.com.

Gausman has outperformed all of the Orioles starting pitchers and leads the team in wins (3), ERA (3.48), innings pitched (62), and has allowed only 24 earned runs this season.

Most noteworthy, Gausman is showing the ability to bounce back from tough starts including Tuesday night’s 10 strikeout performance, which set a new career high, against the Chicago White Sox.

Gausman also accomplished the first Baltimore Orioles first immaculate inning since 1999 by throwing nine pitches to retire the Cleveland Indians on nine straight pitches.

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On Sunday, Gausman gets a chance at four wins before May concludes and turns to June, something Gausman has yet to do in his career. Gausman is 6-3 in his career at Tropicana Field with a 3.46 ERA.

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