When it became apparent Baltimore Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman would be on the shelf until May, the Orioles were going to need young right-handers Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy to take steps forward to help ease the burden felt by Tillman's absence.
Bundy's spring training was less than auspicious, pitching to a 7.41 ERA during Grapefruit League play. He also finished his 2016 season on a bit of a down note, posting a 6.00 ERA during his last eight starts of the year, though, overall, his season was a big success. Bundy's stuff appeared diminished in September; it's possible he was fatigued, since 2016 was his first full season since 2012, and he pitched a career-high 109.2 innings.
But Bundy was electric during his first start of the 2017 season April 5, firing seven innings of one-run ball against the Toronto Blue Jays; he struck out eight and walked none on 99 pitches, about a third of which were sliders. He didn't throw his slider at all last year, but the slider was vital to producing 16 swings and misses against Toronto.
