Orioles designate Craig Kimbrel for assignment during brutal second half as Baltimore struggles for playoff berth

The Baltimore Orioles designated veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel for assignment on Wednesday afternoon. In a similar move, fellow right-hander Bryan Baker was promoted from Triple-A Norfolk.

The 36-year-old Kimbrel has struggled with form recently, culminating in his poor performance against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night. He recorded just two outs while allowing six runs on three hits and two walks. It was his first appearance in over a week’s time. Kimbrel’s troubles also showed in his second half: While he entered the All-Star Game with a 2.80 ERA, he has seen that figure rise to 5.33 during his most recent 18 appearances.

For posterity, Kimbrel’s numbers in that span included 22 runs (20 earned) on 22 hits and 15 walks. He struck out 20 batters in those 17 innings, but also compiled a 10.59 ERA and .978 OPS.

The Orioles, leading 26-29 in the second half, removed Kimbrel from the closer’s job. Seranthony Dominguez, a midseason addition acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies, has gotten ninth-inning opportunities for the better part of a month.

“We’ve lost a lot of steam over the last couple of months,” Orioles general manager Mike Elias told reporters Tuesday. “There’s a lot of reasons for that, but a big part of it is we have guys that are in a slump — whether it’s themselves or the team.”

It’s fair to wonder if this is the end for Kimbrel, who ranks fifth in saves and second among active pitchers. As impressive as he can be when things go right, he’s just as prone to fireworks. In fact, this season is his third since 2019 when he’ll finish a campaign with an ERA+ below 90.

Baker, 29, has made 17 appearances at the big-league level this season and 130 in his career. He has a 108 ERA+ and a 2.61 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

The Orioles enter Wednesday four games behind the Yankees for first place in the A.L. East, and four games ahead for first place in the A.L. wild-card race.