In Saturday’s start against the New York Yankees, Tyler Wells showed the mentality that made him a successful reliever for the Orioles in 2021. He showed the pitch mix that could make him effective in the length role he’ll hold in 2022. And in the aftermath, the Orioles showed why their planned usage for him has its downsides.
Wells pitched four scoreless innings on 64 pitches Saturday night, working out of trouble in the first three before cruising in the fourth. But given that Wells is coming off a season in which he exclusively pitched in relief after missing consecutive seasons, the Orioles likely won’t push him much further than that during the course of this season, with manager Brandon Hyde saying afterward that Saturday’s outing “pretty much” represents where Wells will top out.
Yet even when Wells provides the maximum Baltimore is willing to allow him to offer, that leaves five innings for a bullpen that, despite its early-season success, lacks experience. Saturday’s 5-2 loss saw all of New York’s runs come in the two innings immediately after Wells’ exit.
“The competitor side of me always wants to go as long as I possibly can,” Wells said. “It’s just progressive build-up, just trusting the plan and kind of going based on that. Obviously, first three innings were a little rough on the pitch count, but the last inning was more who I am and what I was last year.
“Taking that mentality into a next inning would have been nice, but at the same time, too, I understand that we have a plan and we’re gonna stick to it.”
Hyde has hoped to pair Wells with another stretched-out pitcher in both of the 27-year-old’s starts, but that plan has been foiled twice. Last weekend, after Wells struggled to complete the second inning against a pesky Tampa Bay Rays lineup, Dean Kremer strained his left oblique warming in the bullpen. On Saturday, Mike Baumann faced only two batters before hail fell in Baltimore, a nearly 50-minute delay cutting his outing short.
Nine of the 13 runs scored against the Orioles bullpen this season came in those two contests. Four of Saturday’s runs landed on the line of Travis Lakins Sr., brought to the majors Friday when top Orioles starter John Means was put on the injured list with a left elbow strain. It’s an injury Hyde acknowledged Saturday could end Means’ season, depending on the severity additional testing reveals.
“Hopefully, it’s not too bad,” Wells said. “Hopefully, it isn’t as long as what it could be, but, you know what, it sucks. It does. It sucks a lot. But at the same time, too, I know that he’s always there.
“He is a huge part of this entire team, not just the starting staff, and hopefully we continue to have him around and still pick his brain.”
Those lost innings from Means will make each one Wells throws in 2022 all the more valuable, but Hyde has been clear that he does not intend to push Wells even if Means’ injury slightly alters their plans for other members of the rotation.
“We’re going to find out about him,” Hyde said before the game. “We have high hopes, and I think he’s got a huge future whether it’s in the rotation or in the bullpen, but we want to try him out as a starter, kind of give him that look and see how it goes because I feel like he’s going to be an impact major league pitcher in some role for the rest of his career because we really believe in his talent and the guy and his mentality and his makeup.”
After some early struggles in his first major league season, Wells settled in as one of the Orioles’ top relievers. In a 25-appearance stretch from the start of June to mid-September, he had 1.74 ERA, striking out 36 batters against two walks in 31 innings, though he tired after that and ended the season on the IL with right shoulder inflammation.
Although the Orioles could’ve had Wells return to the backend of their bullpen this season, they instead believe he can be a starter for them going forward, even if that means he’ll have his innings limited this year. They chose him for their rotation over a handful of other pitchers in their mid-20s who started for them last year in Kremer, Keegan Akin, Alexander Wells and Zac Lowther.
“I think we always had the mindset with Tyler was, whether he’s in the bullpen or in the rotation, we’re so happy we have him,” Hyde said. “Now let’s kind of figure it out.”
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