Should Orioles put Kimbrel on postseason roster? / MAILBAG

Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.

Question: Should the Orioles place Craig Kimbrel on the postseason roster?  He is not used in tight spots and has lost the closer role. Also, he was a one-year rental so there is no concern about how the decision would impact his development as an Oriole. From: Steve Standherr 

Answer: Steve, I think it’s going to be difficult for Kimbrel to make the postseason roster unless his performances improve markedly over the final two weeks of the season.

The Orioles currently have 14 pitchers on the roster, and they’ll only be able to use 13 pitchers in the postseason. When Danny Coulombe, Grayson Rodriguez and Jacob Webb return, room must be made for them, so I think it is questionable if Kimbrel is on the October roster.

Question: Do you think that the Orioles’ schedule in June when they had only one day off is the reason they seem to be a different team in the second half? They powered through June but seem to have lost the drive and the upbeat attitude they had before. From: Barbara McCann

Answer: Barbara, the Orioles schedule was arduous in June, and they played the Braves, Phillies, Yankees, Astros and Guardians in consecutive series.

The most important June development was that they lost their most effective starter, Kyle Bradish, to Tommy John surgery and Danny Coulombe, their most effective reliever, to surgery for removal of bone chips in his left elbow.

Those are the key reasons why their record peaked in June and they’ve been struggling since.