Kimbrel picked up the save against the Angels on Wednesday, allowing one unearned run on one hit and one walk over one inning while striking out one.
Kimbrel surrendered a leadoff single to Ehire Adrianza to open the bottom of the ninth, who then advanced to third on a throwing error by Jorge Mateo. This would lead to a run coming home for Los Angeles in the frame on a groundout to make it a 6-5 game, though Kimbrel was able to retire two of the next three batters to nail down his seventh save of the season. The veteran reliever has now converted each of his last seven save attempts after blowing the save to open the campaign, but he's also allowed a hit and a walk in each of his last two appearances.
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Orioles' Craig Kimbrel: Secures sixth save
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Kimbrel earned a save against the Angels on Monday, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out two batters over one scoreless inning.
Kimbrel ran into some trouble in attempting to protect Baltimore's two-run ninth inning lead when he allowed the first two batters he faced to reach base. A one-out walk -- Kimbrel's first free pass of the campaign -- loaded the bases for Los Angeles, but the veteran closer got Nolan Schanuel to pop out before striking out Mike Trout looking to slam the door closed in dramatic fashion. Kimbrel is now 6-for-7 in save opportunities this season, and he's allowed just one earned run over 10 frames while racking up an impressive 16:1 K:BB.
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Orioles' Craig Kimbrel: Nabs fifth save
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Kimbrel picked up the save Saturday, pitching a perfect ninth inning in a win over the Royals.
Kimbrel entered the game with a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth and needed just nine pitches to retire the side and secure his fifth save of the season. The veteran right-hander has been phenomenal since blowing his first save attempt back on April 1, allowing only two hits and no walks over his last eight appearances while striking out 12. Saturday's save actually marked his first outing in which he didn't record at least one strikeout.
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Orioles' Craig Kimbrel: Earns third win
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Kimbel (3-0) earned the win Wednesday against the Twins after he retired all three batters he faced in the ninth inning. He had one strikeout.
The veteran right-hander entered for the top of the ninth in a 2-2 tie and retired the side in order on 12 pitches, and he picked up the win when Cedric Mullins launched a walk-off homer in the bottom of the frame. Kimbrel allowed a run in his season debut but has since delivered seven straight scoreless appearances, and he has a 0.29 WHIP and 12:0 K:BB with four saves and two wins during that stretch.
Kimbrel tossed a perfect ninth to earn the save Monday against Minnesota. He struck out two.
Kimbrel earned a save for the second-consecutive day, but after allowing two hits to the Brewers on Sunday rebounded with a perfect inning Monday, needing just 13 pitches to close out the contest. The veteran closer now has four saves to go along with two wins through seven appearances this season.
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Orioles' Craig Kimbrel: Picks up third save
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Kimbrel earned the save Sunday against Milwaukee, allowing two hits and no walks with three strikeouts over a scoreless inning.
Kimbrel allowed multiple hits for the first time all season, allowing runners to reach first and third off of a pair of singles before striking out back-to-back batters to close out the game. Since blowing a save chance in his first appearance of 2024, Kimbrel has rattled off five scoreless innings and has 11 strikeouts with no walks on the season.
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Orioles' Craig Kimbrel: Picks up second win
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Kimbrel (2-0) struck out one in a perfect ninth inning to earn the win over the Red Sox on Thursday.
Kimbrel now has two wins and two saves (in three attempts) through five appearances. He did his job to keep the game tied at 3-3 in the ninth Thursday before the Orioles' offense erupted in the 10th. He's kept runs off the board in four of his outings while posting an 8:0 K:BB over five innings this season. Kimbrel pitched both Wednesday and Thursday, so manager Brandon Hyde may turn to Yennier Cano or Dillon Tate if a save situation arises Friday versus the Brewers.
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Orioles' Craig Kimbrel: Clean inning for save No. 2
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Kimbrel struck out two batters over a perfect inning to log the save Wednesday against the Red Sox.
After blowing the save in his first appearance of 2024, Kimbrel has logged three straight perfect innings to bring his season ERA down to 2.25. After finishing between 20 and 25 saves the past three seasons, Kimbrel will look to surpass the 30-save mark for the first time since 2018.
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Orioles' Craig Kimbrel: Notches first save
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Kimbrel struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Friday to record his first save of the season in a 5-2 win over the Pirates.
The veteran closer blew his first save of the season, but Kimbrel bounced back in his second appearance despite a fastball that topped out at 93.8 mph, although bad weather in Pittsburgh may have contributed to his inability to fully dial it up. Kimbrel is being counted on to handle the ninth inning for the O's this season while Felix Bautista (elbow) recovers from Tommy John surgery, and while the 35-year-old won't be as dominant as the younger reliever he's replacing, he's got more than enough experience -- his 418 career saves is eighth on MLB's all-time list.
Kimbrel (1-0) blew the save but collected the win Monday against the Royals. He allowed one run on one hit and no walks with two strikeouts over an inning.
Kimbrel provided a taste of his typical rollercoaster self in his first Orioles appearance Monday. Even though he blew the save, it was not his standard meltdown. The Royals played small ball to collect the run off Kimbrel as Kyle Isbel knocked a single and was substituted for Dairon Blanco, who proceeded to steal second and third. Maikel Garcia then drove home Blanco with a sacrifice fly. Despite the blown save to start his tenure in Baltimore, Kimbrel should be firmly cemented as the Orioles closer ahead of Yennier Cano.
Kimbrel (quadriceps) expects to make his Grapefruit League debut Thursday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
The veteran closer had to cut a live batting practice session short over the weekend due to quad soreness, but he faced hitters Monday and reported feeling "great" Tuesday morning. With that, he appears to be in the clear for his debut in an Orioles uniform. Kimbrel signed a one-year, $13 million deal in December to replace the injured Felix Bautista (elbow) in the ninth inning.
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Orioles' Craig Kimbrel: Quad soreness crops up
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Kimbrel cut his session of live batting practice short Saturday due to quadriceps soreness, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
It doesn't appear to be a serious issue, and the veteran closer is penciled in to throw again Monday. Assuming Kimbrel experiences no further issues, it shouldn't be long before he's cleared for game action.
