Baltimore Orioles Relief Pitcher Providing Excitement Despite Team’s Ugly Start

A Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher has been one of the bright spots in an ugly start to the season.

Oct 2, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Seranthony Dominguez (56) throws a pitch in the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals in game two of the Wild Card round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles have not provided their fans much to be excited about over the first few weeks of the 2025 MLB regular season.

With a 10-14 record entering play on April 25, they are currently in the cellar of the American League East. The Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox are the only teams with fewer victories than them in the AL.

Certainly not the start the Orioles were hoping to get off to, struggling in virtually every facet of the game.

Their offense has been inconsistent outside of center fielder Cedric Mullins, utility man Ramon Urias and designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn.

The starting rotation has unsurprisingly been a disaster. It was a major question mark entering the season and has somehow failed to even meet the muted expectations many shared for the group.

But, if there has been one positional group that has answered the call thus far for Baltimore, it has been their bullpen.

The Orioles came into the regular season with arguably the best relief staff in baseball even with veteran free agent signing Andrew Kittredge being sidelined after having to undergo a procedure on his knee.

All-Star closer Felix Bautista returning to the mix provided a massive boost and the team had some incredible depth to work with.

One of the players who has stood out the most thus far this campaign is Seranthony Dominguez.

Acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies ahead of the trade deadline last year in exchange for outfielder Austin Hays, he has turned into a force out of the bullpen once again, looking more like the dominant reliever he showed earlier in his career.

Dominguez has made nine appearances thus far, throwing 8.1 shutout innings with 10 strikeouts. Walks are a little bit of a concern with six issued, but they haven’t come back to bite him since he has given up only two hits.

Inconsistent usage could certainly be playing a part in the shaky control out of the gate, receiving at least three days of rest between outings on three occasions, not counting his first appearance of the campaign.

He is not someone afraid of the big moment, picking up 10 saves last season with the Orioles and 28 in his tenure with the Phillies.

Dominguez has postseason experience as well, where he thrived, allowing only three runs, two earned, across 17.2 innings.

He should continue factoring into the mix as a late-game, high-leverage reliever, providing manager Brandon Hyde another weapon out of the bullpen for whenever his team is fortunate enough to build a lead.