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A significant amount of sports sadness was packed into the District of Columbia on Wednesday night. Unfortunately for Orioles fans, it was they who partook of the ultimate sadness in the baseball portion of that regrettable series of events. But the thing about baseball is that the next night you're back at it, or at least, weather and off days permitting.
Can Dylan Bundy keep pitching deep into games and save a bullpen that is perhaps more battered than we were allowing ourselves to admit while the O's had the best record in MLB? That is one important question facing the O's in tonight's game. Another is whether their lineup regulars can do sufficient damage to Washington starter A.J. Cole to put the game out of reach no matter what kind of weird bullpen shenanigans may end up occurring. I won't be holding my breath.
Cole is one of those perpetually disappointing pitching prospects who rocketed up to the MLB level on the back of serious minor league success then has disappointed in his limited big league tests. This included a re-banishment to Triple-A last season, where he did worse than he did on the way up the first time, and some Triple-A struggles to start 2017 as well. Cole has only made one start at the MLB level this season, giving up one run in six innings.
No, there is still no sign of Hyun Soo Kim in the starting lineup. Maybe we can dream of seeing him in the field in Kansas City. Except they have a huge outfield, so maybe not then either.