MLB trends: Unsweepable Orioles, Phillies’ potential October weapon and Rays’ rebuilt bullpen

The ultimate days of the 2023 MLB common season are upon us. Five postseason spots stay up for grabs, plus the precise seeding remains to be to be made up our minds. Awards applicants are hanging the completing touches on their seasons as smartly. Only 5 days stay within the common season however nonetheless lots is at the line.

Our bi-weekly collection breaking down more than a few traits around the league wraps up for the 2023 season with one contender’s skill to steer clear of sweeps, any other’s overhauled bullpen, and one rising pitcher’s elite pitch. Two weeks in the past we tested two younger gamers breaking out and one pitcher’s excessive platoon splits.

The unsweepable O’s

At 98-59 going into Wednesday evening’s sport, the upstart Orioles are having their perfect season because the 1997 crew went 98-64. They might be the 6th crew in franchise historical past to win 100 video games, becoming a member of the 1969, 1970, 1971, 1979, and 1980 squads. At some level quickly Baltimore will clinch its first AL East name since 2014. It has been an overly thrilling season in Charm City.

Every crew, even one as just right because the 2023 Orioles, will handle a couple of dropping streaks all through the season. Dropping 3 or 4 or 5 in a row is inevitable. That’s simply baseball. Baltimore’s longest dropping streak this season is 4 video games achieved a number of occasions, maximum not too long ago Sept. 12-15. One factor the Orioles have now not achieved this season is get swept in a sequence. Not as soon as.

In truth, the O’s streak of now not getting swept dates all of the as far back as remaining May. The Orioles have been remaining swept by means of the Tigers in a three-game collection at Comerica Park from May 13-15, 2022. That predates the Adley Rutschman generation. Rutschman was once referred to as up remaining May 21. The subsequent time the Orioles get swept would be the first time they get swept with Rutschman on their MLB roster.

Tuesday’s win over the Nationals stretched the O’s streak to 90 directly collection with out being swept. All that stands between them and going all of the 2023 common season with out getting swept is 4 video games with the Red Sox this weekend. That does not occur continuously — six groups have long past a complete 162-game season with out being swept since 1990 — despite the fact that the Braves did it simply remaining 12 months.

More exceptional is Baltimore’s 90-series streak of now not getting swept. It’s the 3rd longest such streak in baseball historical past and the longest since World War II. Here are the longest streaks of now not being swept in historical past (minimal two-game collection):

1. 1942-44 Cardinals: 125 collection with out being swept
2. 1903-05 Giants: 106
3. 2022-23 Orioles: 90 and counting
4. 1922-24 Yankees: 83
5. 1904-06 Athletics: 74

The remaining crew to head even 70 consecutive collection with out being swept was once the 2003-05 Braves (72 directly collection). If this present Orioles streak lasts lengthy sufficient to check the 1942-44 Cardinals streak, they’re going to tie the document with their a hundred and twenty fifth consecutive collection win subsequent July 26-28 in opposition to the Padres, and beat it subsequent July 29-31 in opposition to the Blue Jays. That Cardinals streak is improbable.

Baltimore has undoubtedly had some shut name alongside the best way. During this spectacular streak, the Orioles needed to win the overall sport of a sequence 10 occasions to steer clear of being swept, maximum not too long ago Aug. 8-10 in opposition to the Astros. That collection was once memorable for Kyle Tucker’s titanic grand slam off Félix Bautista. Houston received the primary two video games sooner than the O’s rallied to salvage the finale.

Again, even the most productive groups get swept all through the process the lengthy season. The 2001 Mariners tied the MLB document with 116 wins and even they were given swept as soon as. Baltimore has long past just about two complete seasons with out being swept despite the fact that and that speaks to the membership’s general skill, and their skill to steer clear of even medium-length dropping streaks. It’s awfully spectacular.

Tampa’s rebuilt bullpen

In this very house on May 24, we famous the Rays had an incredibly shaky bullpen regardless of their improbable begin to the season. They have been 35-15 on the time regardless of a bullpen that ranked twenty fifth in win likelihood added, twenty ninth in WAR, and thirtieth in strikeout fee. Tampa at all times turns out to have a deep and dominant bullpen loaded with bat-missers. That wasn’t the case previous this season.

As they generally tend to do despite the fact that, the Rays figured issues out and rebuilt their bullpen at the fly. The bullpen they are poised to take into the bullpen does not glance similar to the bullpen that they had again in May. Here are their in-season bullpen additions:

Armstrong overlooked the beginning of the season after struggling a neck harm in spring coaching. Kittredge had Tommy John surgical treatment remaining June and the rehab carried into this season. Diekman allowed 14 runs in 11 1/3 innings with the White Sox, were given launched on May 6, then signed with the Rays a couple of days later. Tampa despatched infield prospect Alika Williams to the Pirates for Stephenson.

Tampa additionally added intensity palms Chris Devenski and Erasmo Ramírez in contemporary weeks, despite the fact that the ones 4 guys above — Armstrong, Diekman, Kittredge, Stephenson — are the true affect additions. Those 4 in conjunction with nearer Pete Fairbanks, lefty Colin Poche, and Rule 5 Draft select Kevin Kelly give the Rays one of these bullpen they generally have. It’s deep, it is various, and it is dominant.

Here are the sooner than and after numbers, the use of our May 24 post about Tampa’s shaky bullpen because the cutoff level:

Night and day. The Rays went from having one of the vital least efficient bullpens within the majors just about two months into the season to having one of the vital perfect bullpens within the sport the remaining 4 months. This is what the Rays do, proper? They remedy issues in-season and in ways in which are not splashy. The Diekman signing and Stephenson business have been afterthoughts strikes that experience paid off large.

Not all is easily with Tampa’s bullpen — ace setup guy Jason Adam simply went again at the injured record with any other indirect harm — however, as issues stand, the Rays are set to take any other very good reduction workforce into the postseason. They want it too, as a result of their rotation has been decimated by means of accidents. When it involves bullpens, do not doubt the Rays. They’ll determine it out. They at all times do.

Sánchez’s dominant changeup

The Phillies are in an enviable place. They have six bona fide MLB beginning pitchers — Michael Lorenzen, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sánchez, Ranger Suárez, Taijuan Walker, Zack Wheeler — and at this time auditions are being held for postseason rotation spots in the back of Wheeler and Nola. Lorenzen has begun understanding of the bullpen not too long ago to arrange for a reduction position in October.

Sánchez, in the meantime, is doing all he can to say to a postseason roster spot. The lanky southpaw has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 11 of his remaining 17 begins, and this previous Sunday he struck out 10 Mets in seven innings of two-run ball. All 10 strikeouts got here at the changeup. This is a few high quality changeup paintings right here:

That changeup is turning into one of the vital unmarried maximum dominant pitches within the recreation. It’s a low-80s pitch Sánchez throws with the similar arm pace as his sinker, and each pitches have very identical spin and motion profiles. In English, they give the impression of being the similar and transfer the similar popping out of Sánchez’s hand. The distinction is set 10 mph in pace, making it tricky to time the changeup.

The effects on Sánchez’s changeup are out-of-this-world just right. The effects discuss for themselves:

Elite whiff fee, elite floor ball fee, and hitters are slugging underneath .300 in opposition to Sánchez’s changeup. He’s gaining extra self belief within the pitch too. Sánchez has thrown 24 changeups to left-handed hitters in his remaining 4 begins. He threw 10 changeups to lefties in his earlier 26 video games this 12 months, Triple-A integrated. It’s turning into a weapon for same-side hitters now too.

Given the veteran intensity forward of him, Sánchez won’t get a postseason rotation spot, however his changeup is an elite pitch and might be helpful within the postseason in some position. There’s a spot for this man and that pitch in October. And, having a look forward to subsequent season, Sánchez has proven sufficient this 12 months to be strongly thought to be for a beginning process in 2024. The younger guy has very quietly had a robust season for a postseason-bound Phillies crew.