On May 3, the Orioles played the Seattle Mariners and rallied past them for a 5-3 victory. A key for the O’s was starter Dean Kremer, who pitched six strong innings, but it was also the bullpen, which saw Cole Sulser, Tanner Scott and Cesar Valdez come in and pick up key outs to allow Baltimore’s five-run eighth to stand up for the win.
The next day, the Orioles were tied 1-1 before giving the game away with a four-run eighth. This time, that bullpen buckled.
Was it a turning point? Probably not. But before and after that point, be it due to shaken psyches or nothing more than coincidence, the fortunes of Baltimore’s ‘pen have been night and day.