Dylan Bundy, 2018 Topps Big League #380

This was a set I really liked. It was geared towards kids, with a lower price, a simple and colorful design, and a few fun features. For example, some great former players were peppered throughout the set, and there was a Ballpark Landmarks subset that included Oriole Park's own B&O Warehouse.

Speaking of the Warehouse, there have now been 28 seasons of baseball played at Camden Yards, and nobody has hit a home run that struck the edifice on the fly. It's certainly possible - 439 feet down the right field line - but Ken Griffey, Jr.'s moonshot in the 1993 Home Run Derby stands alone all these years later. If Dylan Bundy didn't serve one up in 2018, when he led the American League with an ignominious 41 homers allowed in 31 starts, maybe it's tougher than it seems.

Dylan Bundy, 2016 Orioles Postcards #NNO

One of the best developments of last season was Dylan Bundy's long-awaited emergence as a starter for the Orioles. After injuries limited the fourth overall pick in the 2011 draft to a total of 65.1 minor league innings from 2013 through 2015, he appeared in 36 games for the O's in 2016. He started out the year in the bullpen and was gradually stretched out before being slotted into the starting rotation in midseason. Considering that it was his first prolonged big league exposure and his first full-length pro season, Bundy held his own. He went 8-5 with a 4.52 ERA in 14 starts, allowing 63 hits and 30 walks in 71.2 innings while striking out 72. When you factor in his relief work, his overall stats were 10-6 with a 4.02 ERA; he actually allowed fewer base runners per inning as a starter (1.30) than he did as a reliever (1.53). It didn't happen the way we expected, but Dylan Bundy finally contributed to a contending Baltimore team.

As we kick off the 2017 season, the O's fortunes are expected to hinge on the performance of their two talented young starters, Bundy and Kevin Gausman. Two games in, and we're trending upward. Gausman, starting the opener in place of the injured Chris Tillman, allowed two runs in five and a third innings against a Toronto team that has hit him hard in the past. Tonight, Bundy was masterful in a 3-1 victory to sew up a two-game series sweep of the Jays. Pounding the strike zone with a fastball-curveball-slider mix, the Oklahoma native held the opposition to one run on four hits and no walks in seven innings. He struck out eight batters, and had five 1-2-3 innings out of seven. No sweat.

Friday night, the Yankees roll into town, and Dylan Bundy passes the baton to...Ubaldo Jimenez. Gulp.

Dylan Bundy, 2013 Bowman Chrome Blue Refractor #134

Dylan Bundy earned another win tonight with 2.1 scoreless innings in relief of Tyler Wilson, and the Orioles mounted another comeback, wiping out a pair of three-run deficits to top the Blue Jays 6-5. Chris Davis drove in three runs, including a game-tying solo homer in the seventh and the game-winning sac fly in the ninth (Hyun-Soo Kim led off the inning with a double off of Toronto closer Roberto Osuna). The Birds are a season-high 13 games over .500 and increased their division lead to two games over idle Boston. These guys might be on to something.

Dylan Bundy, 2013 Topps Making Their Mark #MM20

The Orioles had a weekend of firsts in Cleveland, and ultimately they're headed home with a series win.

On Friday night, Dylan Bundy earned his first major league win with an inning and a third of scoreless relief behind starter Mike Wright. Bundy entered in the fifth inning with two outs, two on, and the scored tied at three, and got the powerful Mike Napoli to pop out to end the inning. After allowing only a single in the sixth, Dylan was the beneficiary of Chris Davis' RBI double and Mark Trumbo's two-run homer; the O's went on to win 6-4.

Yesterday's game was much more of a downer for the Birds, as Ubaldo happened and the team was creamed 11-4. So we'll skip to today's game, another 6-4 win for the good guys. Early on, it looked like the Orioles might cruise, as they had a 4-0 lead after the top of the fourth inning. But Chris Tillman surrendered three home runs in his last three innings of work, allowing Cleveland to tie the score after six. With two outs in the top of the seventh, Hyun Soo Kim hit an absolute laser to the right field corner for his first MLB home run to put Baltimore back on top, 5-4. He got the customary silent treatment in the dugout and responded with some pantomimed high-fives before his teammates belatedly mobbed him to offer their congratulations.

Tomorrow begins a four-game series with the first-place Red Sox, as crucial as a set of games at the beginning of June can possibly be. The O's are just one game off the pace (and tied in the loss column), so if they manage to take three out of four they'll be back on top. Let's go!

Dylan Bundy, 2013 Bowman Platinum Gold #99

In any random game in early April, you can find plenty of things to like. Tonight:

-Ubaldo Jimenez rebounded after giving up two runs on four hits in the first two innings, completing seven frames and striking out nine...with NO WALKS.

-Caleb Joseph started at catcher and threw out two would-be base stealers. You run on Caleb at your own risk.

-The O's dug out of a 2-0 hole late in the game, thanks to a sixth-inning solo homer by Manny Machado, a two-run rally in the seventh featuring a Jonathan Schoop go-ahead single, and Rule 5 draft pick Joey Rickard's first career home run in the eighth.

-Dylan Bundy made his first major league appearance since 2012, tossing a scoreless eighth inning and protecting a one-run lead.

-The Birds won 4-2 without the services of Matt Wieters, Adam Jones, and Zach Britton. In their stead, Joseph, Nolan Reimold (2-4 with a double), and Darren O'Day (struck out the side for a rare save) filled in nicely.

-After losing all seven games against the Twins in 2015, the Birds just opened the 2016 season with a three-game sweep of Minnesota. Baltimore is currently the only American League club with a 3-0 record; Detroit won their first two games in Miami and won't play a third until tomorrow afternoon's home opener vs. the Yankees. I guess I don't mind if the Tigers start 3-0.

Dylan Bundy, 2012 Bowman Platinum Prospects #BPP64

It's been a rough few days at the ballpark for me. My wife and I endured 13 innings and four and a half hours of Thursday night's Orioles-Indians game, just to see the home team lose 8-7. I took last night off, so of course the Birds pulled out a relatively breezy 8-4 win. Then this afternoon, my sister and I witnessed an ugly, ugly, ugly 9-0 blowout loss to the Tribe. I think Ubaldo Jimenez just walked two more batters while I was typing. I don't want to dwell on the bad stuff, so...hey, lookit that! A shiny Dylan Bundy card! He threw two innings today in his latest rehab effort! He'll be back in Baltimore before you know it, and everything will be better...

Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman, 2012 Bowman Top Picks #TP-BG

Here's a doozy of a card that Max just sent my way (note to self: get your butt to the post office this week!), with a pair of reminders that the Orioles still have hopes for a competitive future despite their timidity in free agency. Both Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman have already had their first tastes of the major leagues, and with the proper sacrifices to the baseball gods, there should be better times ahead. As long as the O's don't wind up earning too many more top-five draft picks in the coming years, I'll be happy.

Dylan Bundy, 2013 Topps #82

Now that the offseason has begun for the Orioles, we could use some reminders that the future is still bright in Birdland. Here's one for starters: Dylan Bundy had his Tommy John surgery on June 27. If his rehab stays on schedule, he could easily be pitching after the All-Star break. Not only do most pitchers make a full recovery from elbow ligament replacement surgery in today's game, but some of them come back throwing harder than they did before. Think about someone with Dylan Bundy's skills and tools...and think about the possibility of him improving on those assets.