SteemSports Presenter:
SteemSports Editor:
To say that Dylan Bundy has been inconsistent this season would be a massive understatement.
The 24-year-old right-hander began the season with five terrific starts, boasting a 1.42 ERA and 11.34 K/9 through his first 31 2/3 innings. The extremely promising young hurler looked to be on the precipice of a true breakout season.
Then, he came crashing back to Earth.
In his next three outings, Bundy was bombed for 19 earned runs in nine innings of work, watching his pristine 1.42 ERA balloon up to 5.31. Just as fantasy owners were starting to second guess him and keep him on the bench in most formats, he responded with seven shutout innings in a victory over the Rays. He followed up that gem with a pair of mediocre outings heading into Thursday's start against the White Sox in Chicago.
There, he delivered one of the finest starts of his young career.
Bundy racked up a season-high 14 strikeouts on Thursday, scattering just two hits and a walk over nine stellar innings. It marked the second complete game of his career. Unfortunately for Bundy, one of the two hits that he did allow was a three-run blast off the bat of Jose Rondon in the fourth inning.
Perhaps one questionable decision in the ballgame was Orioles' manager Buck Showalter deciding to send Bundy back out in the ninth inning while the Orioles clearly had the game in hand with a 9-3 lead. He wound up throwing 121 pitches in the contest, after his previous high on the season had been 108.
Overall, he'll head into Tuesday's start against the Nationals with a 3-6 record, 4.45 ERA, 1.245 WHIP and 77/20 K/BB ratio across 62 2/3 innings. The talent is certainly there, as was evidenced by his brilliant display on Wednesday, but remember just three starts ago he allowed seven runs and didn't record an out. Fantasy owners will just have to ride the wave this season and be able to stomach the inconsistency.
On the offensive side of the ledger, Adam Jones led the way, going 3-for-6 with a solo homer and three runs scored. The veteran outfielder now has nine homers and 25 RBI on the season. Trey Mancini also homered, his seventh, while Manny Machado went 3-for-5 and drove home his 44th run of the season.
With the win, the O's now sit at 16-34, in the cellar in the American League East. On the losing end, the White Sox fall to 15-32 which has them in last place in the American League Comedy Central.
