Cole Sulser

Sulser didn't pitch Thursday versus the Red Sox due to a stomach illness, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports. Sulser was scheduled for his second appearance of spring training Thursday, but that'll have to wait a couple more days. The right-hander is expected to be part of the Orioles' closer committee this season. He has previous experience closing -- he's logged 13 saves in 79 appearances over the last two seasons. Sulser pitched to a 2.70 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 73:23 K:BB across 63.1 innings last season.

At the 2021 deadline, the Mariners made a couple of moves, mostly involving their bullpen. They traded away Kendall Graveman for Joe Smith, dumping Montero in the process and obtaining Abraham Toro (a massive win). Then, they traded JT Chargois and Austin Shenton for Diego Castillo. I think they should make a similar trade this offseason for a controllable reliever, and try and obtain Orioles reliever Cole Sulser.

The Orioles are coming off their fourth consecutive season posting one of the five worst records in MLB. It is very slowly becoming easier to see the potential for better days, with top prospects Adley Rutschman and Grayson Rodriguez soon to join breakout star Cedric Mullins and solid young players like Austin Hays and Ryan Mountcastle at the big league level.

There were 42 players who threw a pitch for the 2021 Orioles. This may be a good number for fans of Douglas Adams, but it is not a good answer for an MLB team’s pitching staff. Of those 42 players, it is a short list of three who meet these two criteria: Pitched in at least three games, and had an ERA under 4.00. It’s another illustration of how the Orioles lost 110 games. Two of these guys are starting pitchers: John Means and late-season waiver claim Chris Ellis. The third is Cole Sulser.

Sulser earned the save by firing a perfect inning against the Red Sox on Tuesday. Susler retired all three of his batters in 12 pitches to tally his eighth save of the year. With Tyler Wells (shoulder inflammation) done for the season, Susler looks to be the favorite for ninth-inning duties in Baltimore. He's collected two wins and a pair of saves this month.

Sulser (5-4) struck out two in two perfect innings to earn the win Thursday versus the Yankees. The 31-year-old kept the game tied in the ninth and 10th innings before Baltimore walked it off on a bases-loaded Austin Hays single. Sulser has pitched five consecutive scoreless innings after a shaky run of performances when the calendar flipped from August to September. For the year, he owns a 2.98 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 71:22 K:BB in 57.1 innings as one of Baltimore's most effective high-leverage arms.

Sulser (3-3) took the loss Saturday versus Tampa Bay. He allowed two runs on two hits and a walk with one strikeout in one inning. Sulser surrendered a two-run home run to Randy Arozarena in the eighth inning, turning a one-run lead into a one-run deficit. It'll count as Sulser's second blown save of the year. He's given up five runs in 8.2 innings across nine outings in August. The right-hander has a solid 3.19 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 62:21 K:BB through 48 innings overall, but he's been trending slightly in the wrong direction lately. He's added five saves and three holds in 47 outings.

Sulser (3-2) allowed a run on one hit and a walk with one strikeout in one inning, taking the loss versus the Yankees on Wednesday. The right-hander worked efficiently in the sixth inning, but he walked the first batter he faced in the seventh. Paul Fry came on in relief and allowed the inherited runner to score the go-ahead run, which resulted in Sulser getting charged with the loss. The 31-year-old has seen more high-leverage work lately, but he made a rather early appearance in a tied game, and his scoreless streak ended at 6.2 innings over eight appearances. He has a 2.90 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 55:19 K:BB through 40.1 innings overall.

Sulser allowed a run on one hit in two-thirds of an inning, taking a blown save versus the White Sox on Sunday. The right-hander's strong June put him in the closer conversation in Baltimore, but he's now allowed five runs in just two innings across three July appearances. Sulser entered Sunday's game in the sixth inning and gave up a three-run home run to Andrew Vaughn, with two of those runs charged to Paul Fry. Through 32.2 innings overall, Sulser has a 3.31 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 44:15 K:BB. He'll likely continue to see time in high-leverage roles, as Baltimore has few dependable arms in its bullpen.

Sulser (2-1) allowed two runs on three hits and a walk while striking out a batter over a third of an inning as he took the loss Sunday against the Angels. Sulser was called upon to protect a one-run lead in the ninth and completely imploded. He walked the leadoff batter and proceeded to give up back-to-back singles before Juan Lagares ended the game with a two-run double. Sulser had previously put up five consecutive scoreless outings before Sunday's meltdown and now owns a 2.61 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 44:13 K:BB over 31 innings.

Sulser threw 1.2 scoreless innings Wednesday against the Astros while earning his third save of the year. He did not allow a hit and struck out one in the effort. Susler relieved Paul Fry with a man on and one out in the eighth and sent down all five batters he faced with relative ease. He picked up his second save over the last five days as it appears he'll continue to be in the mix for save opportunities for the time being. He could be an option to scoop up in AL-only leagues but overall still isn't very trustworthy on most rosters given the fact that he's in a committee on one of the worst teams in baseball. Sulser now owns a 2.05 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 43:12 K:BB over 30.2 innings.

Sulser walked one and struck out one in a scoreless 10th inning Friday to record his second save of the season in a 6-5 win over the Blue Jays. He earned this save by getting Vladimir Guerrero to ground into a double play with two on and nobody out. Both of Sulser's saves have come in June, and he's put himself back into the high-leverage mix for Baltimore with a 2.30 ERA and 40:10 K:BB through 27.1 innings on the year.

Sulser gave up two runs on two hits and struck out one in two-thirds of an inning during Thursday's 10-3 loss to Cleveland. The right-hander was able to get the last two outs of the fifth inning after Jorge Lopez exited the game. Sulser continued in the sixth inning, but allowed two batters to reach before Dillon Tate replaced him and allowed both inherited runners to score. Sulser has hit a rough patch with three runs allowed in his last 2.2 innings after a stretch of 8.2 scoreless frames. He has a 2.59 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 36:8 K:BB across 24.1 innings. He's added a 2-0 record, one save and one hold in 22 outings. Playing for cellar-dwelling Baltimore hasn't provided many high-leverage opportunities for most of the relievers on the roster.

Sulser (2-0) allowed one hit and no walks while striking out one in a scoreless seventh inning to earn the win against Cleveland on Friday. Sulser earned his first save of the season in his last outing, and he was able to pick up his second win of the year Friday. Although the right-hander was used in a save situation Tuesday, Paul Fry appears to be manager Brandon Hyde's preferred option for closing duties for now.

The Orioles filled the opening on their 26-man roster today by recalling reliever Cole Sulser from the alternate training site in Bowie. Sulser is riding the proverbial shuttle. He broke camp with the team, was optioned to make room for reliever Shawn Armstrong and served as the 27th man in Thursday’s doubleheader.

Sulser was recalled from the Orioles' alternate training site Sunday. The 31-year-old joined Baltimore as the 27th man for Thursday's doubleheader, but he returned to the alternate site after delivering a scoreless frame. Sulser has a 5:0 K:BB through three innings across his first two appearances of the season.

Sulser was added as the 27th man for Thursday's doubleheader against the Mariners. Sulser logged two scoreless innings with three strikeouts prior to getting sent down earlier this season. He will offer bullpen depth during the twin bill before being sent back to the alternate site.

Sulser was returned to the Orioles' alternate training site Thursday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports. Sulser was called up as the 27th man for Thursday's doubleheader against Seattle. He appeared in the second game of the twin bill and allowed one hit and no walks while striking out two in one scoreless inning. He's now tossed three scoreless innings in two relief appearances this year but will continue to work at the team's alternate camp.

Sulser was optioned to the Orioles' alternate training site Monday. Sulser was effective in his 2021 debut Sunday, as he allowed one hit and no walks while striking out three in two scoreless innings. However, he'll now be sent down by Baltimore after right-hander Shawn Armstrong was recalled from the COVID-19 injured list in a corresponding move.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Wednesday that Sulser will be included on the Opening Day roster, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports. Though he had a brief run as the Orioles' closer in 2020, Sulser's rough finish to the past season meant that he had to battle for a bullpen job in spring training. He was able to lock down a spot by holding opposing hitters to a .118 average over his five innings this spring, though both of the hits that he gave up were home runs. The Orioles' closing situation remains unsettled heading into Opening Day, but Sulser isn't believed to be part of the conversation at the moment. Instead, Tanner Scott, Shawn Armstrong and Cesar Valdez likely profile as the top options for saves.