BALTIMORE — Craig Kimbrel‘s time with the Orioles could be coming to an end after the struggling team designated its former closer for assignment Wednesday following the latest in a series of rough outings.
Kimbrel gave up six runs on three hits in ⅔ of an inning of relief in Baltimore’s 10-0 home loss to the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night. Kimbrel has a 13.94 ERA in his last 11 appearances over the past month.
This season, his first with Baltimore, Kimbrel has a 5.33 ERA with six blown saves. Signed for $13 million, Kimbrel lost his job as closer in May.
The Orioles have lost eight of 11 games to fall four games back of the New York Yankees for first place in the American League East.
“The mojo that we’ve had has just drifted away from us the last few months,” Orioles general manager Mike Elias said Tuesday. “There are reasons for it that are obvious, but a lot of it is we’ve got people here that are experiencing a downturn — whether it’s themselves or the team.”
In a corresponding roster move, they recalled right-hander Bryan Baker from Triple-A Norfolk.