Dylan Bundy Showed Birdland What Their Future Could Look Like

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BALTIMORE, Md. — I don’t even know where to begin.

In the eight days leading up to Star Wars Night at Camden Yards on Saturday, there were few good moments for the O’s. But after a stretch that saw the team lose six of seven and get outscored 42-18, everything was alright seeing Birdland get up from their chairs on Saturday to give starting pitcher Dylan Bundy a well-deserved standing ovation.

Bundy was electric in 7.1 innings, giving the O’s their longest outing of the season in an eventual 3-0 win over Tampa Bay. Newly-acquired reliever Shawn Armstrong finished the eighth unscathed, followed by a scoreless ninth from Mychal Givens.

The win was great. The ovation, more the moment, was special. Everyone in orange was on their feet, giving kudos to the only current Orioles’ pitcher around when the team was legitimately feared. He hasn’t always been reliable. Sometimes, he’s downright awful. Yet, the former No. 2 overall prospect always had that scary P-word attached to him — if he could only put it all together, he’d be an ace.

And there he was on Saturday, painting corners and doing things on the mound that Rays manager Kevin Cash referred to as “really nasty” after the game. On one special night, with more fans than normal dressed in costume, he did put it all together.

Birdland’s ovation, however, was about more than just Bundy. It was about everything that fans can hope for moving forward: solid pitching, sturdy defense, and manufactured runs from homegrown and Moneyball-type players. This was what winning looks in the Mike Elias era.

For the time being, these wins will be sprinkled in here and there. The losses will still come more often than the wins. But there’s hope…and fans in Baltimore are hopeful. There aren’t expectations this year, for the first time in a while, Birdland just wants signs that there’s something better down the road. Bundy’s performance and the way they beat the American League’s best team was a sign, and 15,000 fans at Camden Yards let them know they’re on the right track.

Baltimore (12-22) will finish their series with Tampa Bay on Sunday at 1:05 P.M ET. Lefty John Means will take the hill for the O’s against Tampa Bay righty Ryne Stanek.