Relief pitcher Bryan Baker joined the Orioles for the 2022 season and is in his fourth year with the team. On Sunday, the 30-year-old right-hander allowed two home runs, which raised his ERA to 2.57. Baker is 2-0, and he’s struck out 16 batters in 14 innings. This interview has been edited for clarity.
Question: What do you attribute your success to this season?
Bryan Baker: “Just a little more consistency, just attacking the zone with three different pitches, being comfortable throwing any of them over the plate.”
Q: When you came to the Orioles in 2022, you had a lot of success, but by last year, you were in the minor leagues for much of the season. Why the turnaround?
Baker: “I think it’s just more opportunity. The last couple of years, it’s been shorter windows of being able to prove myself. The consistency aspect wasn’t really there as much. It’s a lot harder to be consistent when you’re not getting regular reps. I just think being able to be settled in and get a really good relationship with the catchers and get on the same page and be a little more comfortable every time I go out there. It feels a little bit differently than last year, for sure.”
Q: You’ve had a better year, and it’s been largely overlooked because the team hasn’t been playing well. Are you able to still able to get personal satisfaction from it?
Baker: “I don’t really take too much joy in performing well myself if we’re not winning. It’s nice to throw well and try to help the team has much as possible. At the end of the day, it’s always better when you win. I want everybody in this clubhouse to be feeling good about themselves. I think winning does that. It’s nice to throw well and try to help the team. We need to win more, so we’re going to focus on that.”
Q: With so many key players on the injured list, do you have to grade yourself on a curve?
Baker: “It’s always tough when you’re missing a big chunk of who you thought you were going to be using this year, who’s going to be playing. We’ve just got to overcome it and know that what we have is what we have. We’re going to have to execute and play better. We’re starting to get there. It’s slowly but surely. Take it one day at a time. It’s a cliché. We’ve got to win one day at a time.”
Q: In the past few weeks, you saw 24 runs scored against you, and Kyle Gibson allow four home runs to the first five batters. Do you wonder how things like that can happen?
Baker: “There’s been some weird moments, for sure. It’s never fun to lose by 20-plus runs or give up that many runs as a staff. We obviously want to avoid that. We look at it as one game, a loss. Don’t make it worse than it is. I think we do a good job of moving on, flush the day before and show up and be prepared to work that day. It’s like [Saturday] night. You can draw positives by the way Sugano threw the ball. [Cionel Pérez] looks better. You can draw positives. We just didn’t score any runs. Take the positives and learn from the negatives and try to go into the next day with as much optimism as possible and try to bring up the guys around you and bring the best effort the next day. I think we’re doing a good job of flushing whatever happened the day before and start with a clean slate. That’s what we have to do, one day at a time.”
Q: You’re getting into higher and higher leveraged spots. How much fun is it to be in those kind of roles?
Baker: “It’s great. I love the big moments, for sure. It’s always fun to help the team secure a win. In my three, four years, I’ve been in probably every spot possible from opening games to coming in in the fourth when we’re down by five…It’s important for us in the bullpen to versatile, coming into different situations. It’s such a long year. It’s such a long season. Everybody’s going to have their peaks and valleys and whatnot. Being prepared to come into any spot is valuable. We have a bunch of guys that can do that, so it’s pretty fun to be a part of. No matter what the game is, I’m excited to come in and try to influence the game positively. If that means more big spots like that, that’s great. Bring them on.”
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