Baltimore Orioles Struggling Reliever Still Predicted to Make Opening Day Roster
The Baltimore Orioles' offense has been red hot throughout the Spring Training exhibition period, ranking second in runs scored (109), homers (29), and RBI (103) through their 19 games played.
They're hoping this strong start carries over into the regular season to help them get off to an early lead in the AL East standings in pursuit of their second straight division title.
Pitching has been solid as well, ranking seventh with a team ERA of 3.76.
One player who figures to factor into their bullpen this year has noticeably struggled, however, as Cionel Perez has allowed seven earned runs on 11 hits, including two homers, over his five appearances and 4 2/3 innings of work.
Still, the Orioles are expected to include him on their Opening Day roster according to Roch Kubatko of MASN.
For a veteran player like Perez, his Major League life doesn't depend on how he performs in Spring Training. He's an established arm who has appeared in 131 games in two seasons out of the bullpen for Baltimore and has recorded a 2.43 ERA.
"Obviously, in spring we don't really want to focus on the numbers too much and that's not our objective ... Right now I'm just trying to focus on pitching through the zone, locating my pitches in the zone, and doing that a lot better and addressing my preparation that's going to get me to perform better once the actual season starts," he told Kubatko.
Perez was sensational for the Orioles in 2022, posting an ERA of 1.40 across 66 appearances.
He struggled last year, but the team still stuck with him during that time, allowing him to recover and finish with a 3.54 ERA.
Baltimore has likely already penciled the left-hander into their bullpen and manager Brandon Hyde's comments suggests he doesn't base things off what has occurred this spring.
"I don't look at their numbers ... I don't put a lot of stock into early spring training outings on the mound. I've seen guys that have had terrible springs and won 20 games." he said.
Hopefully that's the case with Perez.
He's been a weapon for them in the bullpen and should expect to play a large role with the Orioles once again.
