Tuesday's marathon game with the Mariners has required the Baltimore Orioles to do something quite rash: they've called up top pitching prospect Dylan Bundy, reports Ken Rosenthal of Fox.
Bundy's promotion isn't "for good", but after an 18 inning game that saw the leaders for the second wild card in the American League use seven relievers, the team apparently felt as if a fresh arm was needed for Wednesday's game in Seattle with Joe Saunders on the hill. The Orioles have an off day on Thursday, so everything should be back to normal by then, but the O's could have a dominant bullpen arm in the mold of Francisco Rodriguez back in 2002 with the Angels.
Over 103 2/3 innings this year in Delmarva, Frederick, and Bowie, Bundy was dominant, striking out 119 batters while walking only 28 in 103 2/3 innings with a miniscule 2.08 ERA. The 19-year old will likely start the year in Bowie last year, with promotions to Norfolk and the majors likely in reach next year.
After the promotion of Manny Machado last month, the Orioles are clearly going all-in with the promotion of Bundy, even if it's just for a two week period. It's going to be a trial by fire for him, but this is a move that could pay out in the long-term for Baltimore.
