Is Baltimore Orioles Closer Already Broken?

Baltimore Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel has been a complete mess lately.

Baltimore Orioles pitcher Craig Kimbrel (46) is pulled out of the game in the ninth inning. / Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY

It's only May, but it might already be time for the Baltimore Orioles to start looking for a new closer.

After losing last year's closer, Felix Bautista, for the season due to Tommy John surgery, the Orioles signed nine-time All-Star Craig Kimbrel to a one-year, $13 million deal to be their new closer. Compared to the five years and $95 million the Houston Astros shelled out for Josh Hader, it seemed like a bargain.

Now, it's becoming apparent why other teams were reluctant to sign the 35-year-old flamethrower. After struggling during the playoffs for the Philadelphia Phillies last fall, Kimbrel's issues have already resurfaced.

After dominating through the first three weeks of the season, Kimbrel has suddenly fallen apart. He's allowed multiple baserunners in six of his last seven appearances, leading to seven runs (six earned) in 4 1/3 innings. His command has abandoned him, as he's thrown 132 pitches during that span and barely half (53%) have been strikes. He has more walks (nine) than strikeouts (seven) and has also hit a batter.

In the rare instances when Kimbrel has gotten the ball over the plate during that stretch, he's been getting hammered. He's allowed a whopping 42% line drive rate, yielding eight hits (including two doubles and two home runs). Opponents have torched him for a .421/.621/.842 batting line and 18 of the 29 batters he's faced have reached base.

How bad have Craig Kimbrel's last 6 games been? Let's look...

• needed 110 pitches in 3.1 innings.

• just 56 pitches (51%) have been strikes.

• allowed a run in 5 games (7 runs total).

• converted 3 of 6 save opportunities.

• allowed 7 hits and 8 walks - a 4.50 WHIP. pic.twitter.com/SKiZZ21qL3

— Dan Clark (@DanClarkSports) May 9, 2024

In short, the last two weeks have been absolutely brutal for Kimbrel, and he's shown no signs of pulling out of it.

His latest appearance on Wednesday produced another meltdown. With two outs and a two-run lead against the Washington Nationals in the bottom of the ninth, Kimbrel couldn't finish the job, allowing a solo homer and back-to-back walks. Fortunately, Brandon Hyde pulled him before he could give the game away, allowing Baltimore to pull out a 7-6 win in extra innings.

Hyde avoided disaster this time, but the larger problem still remains. Kimbrel can't be trusted in high-leverage situations right now, so Hyde should start using him in lower-leverage situations to let him work through his issues and try to get his confidence back.

And if that doesn't work, the Craig Kimbrel era might be over before it even began.