Baltimore Orioles: Can Jim Johnson Bounce Back?

Being a closer is one of most high-pressure jobs in all of sports. It requires a consistent mental fortitude that never wavers along with having the skill to throw the right pitch at the right moment. Day in and day out a closer is expected to not only efficiently shutdown an offense with a chip on its shoulder but he also has to do it with thousands of fans watching intensely as he throws each momentous pitch that could be the difference between a supreme victory or a deflating defeat.

The Baltimore Orioles have insistently lacked reliability in their bullpen, particularly when it comes to an avid closer.

Before his recent struggles, Jim Johnson seemed to be the next superstar closer and was crucial in the Orioles miraculous regular season success last season. From July 30, 2012 to May 13 2013, Johnson had 35 straight saves with an overall ERA 0.61. Johnson’s abilities appeared to not only supersede Rivera’s ERA (Rivera Career ERA is 2.20), but the level of consistency and effectiveness he brought to each and every game made him a man amongst boys in terms of his sensational pitching abilities.

However, in his last 5 attempts as a closer, Johnson has only managed a single save. While it could be argued that Johnson is simply in a random slump, the problem with that notion is that 3 out of his four losses have come at the hands of division opponents. In arguably not only the toughest division in the American League but in the Majors as a whole, every win that you can earn could be the difference between making the playoffs or going home empty handed.

Even with these recent travesties, it’s hard to condemn Johnson as having permanently lost his touch after only a few games, especially when the rest of the roster is having a terrific season. The Orioles offense is second to none in the majors placing third overall in runs (259), second in batting average (.275), and first in slugging percentage (.459). What these states emphatically suggest is that the Orioles have a variety offensive weapons that are not only instinctually gifted at locating the ball at the right moment, but that they have the vast strength and power to knock it out of the park at any time.

With that being said, the Orioles will only find success in their division if they’re a complete team that is able to work together in cohesive manner with all cylinders firing. If they were in any other division it would be feasible to postulate that they would easily be in first place and would even be up a few games to boot. Yet, in a division where every team either has stellar pitching, a high-octane offense or both, it becomes absolutely necessary to have all facets of your game polished and fine tuned to avoid precarious situations against these opponents who could unpredictably turn the tides of a game in their favor. As a result, having a single deficiency such as an incompetent closer is enough to plunge a recuperated franchise like the Orioles into the middle of the pack.

Of course, this is baseball. In a sport where 162 games are played over six months, it’s not fair or even realistic to destroy a teams hopes and dreams just because they are facing some minor adversity at this point in the season. If the Orioles were the franchise they were two years ago, it wouldn’t be difficult to confidently suggest that this team would have even a remote chance at competing. However, with the inspirational resurrection and determination this team has emulated these last couple of years, thanks largely in part to the management of Buck Showalter, the Orioles have valiantly proven that they are no longer the epitome of a disgrace. Gone are the years where the Orioles were forced to compete for fourth place against the Toronto Blue Jays (often failing in even that endeavor) as the only morale victory they could gain from every season that was an utter disappointment.

Now, with nearly every athletic component of the Orioles roster working smoothly and effectively, this team cannot be counted out as a playoff contender. But when all is said and done, if this team really wants a chance at being the kings of this division come the end of the regular season, Jim Johnson has to shake off the jitters of these last few games and revert himself to the prolifically gifted pitcher he truly has been over the last year. If Johnson can recover from these early season struggles and return to form as a reliable and consistent closer, he could once again lead this team to not only another playoff berth but to a desired destination far beyond it.