This story was excerpted from Jake Rill’s Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

BALTIMORE -- Orioles manager Brandon Hyde is quick to credit his bullpen when the team is having success. It’s clear why -- the relievers always seem to be the driving force behind it.

In 2022, Baltimore’s relief corps ranked seventh in the American League and ninth in MLB with a 3.49 ERA. The unit’s success was a big reason for the O’s 83-win campaign.

“Last year, we had no idea what we were going to get with a lot of guys,” Hyde said. “Guys were brand new to the big leagues, brand new to the bullpen. Didn’t really have any roles set in place to start the year. That developed over the course of the season.”

The roles in the 'pen were more defined heading into 2023, but they’ve since shifted a bit, partially due to high-leverage right-handers Mychal Givens and Dillon Tate still being on the injured list, where they opened the season. Others haven’t pitched as well as expected, such as lefties Cionel Pérez (4.66 ERA in 11 games entering Wednesday) and Keegan Akin (6.35 ERA in eight appearances) and long man Austin Voth (6.39 ERA in eight games).

Yet, the Orioles’ bullpen is again thriving. Heading into Wednesday, the team’s 2.88 relief ERA ranked third in MLB behind only a pair of AL East rivals -- the Yankees (2.61) and Rays (2.66). During Baltimore’s seven-game winning streak from April 16-24, its bullpen ERA of 0.81 was the second best in the big leagues over that span.

At this point, the ‘pen can be broken down into three groups:

• Excelling as expected: Félix Bautista, Bryan Baker

Bautista and Baker were breakout rookies last year, and they’ve been even better this season. Bautista had a 1.69 ERA through 11 appearances and started 5-for-7 in save opportunities. Baker allowed three runs in two-thirds of an inning on Opening Day in Boston, then rattled off 11 straight scoreless outings to lower his ERA to 2.25.

•Surprise standouts: Mike Baumann, Yennier Cano, Danny Coulombe

Baumann was a starter entering Spring Training ... then got converted to a reliever who has now posted a 0.64 ERA over his first 10 appearances. Cano opened the year at Triple-A Norfolk ... then got called up and retired each of the first 20 batters he faced over six perfect outings. Coulombe was traded from Minnesota to Baltimore for cash considerations on March 27 (the final day of Spring Training) ... then became a left-handed weapon for the O’s with a 1.00 ERA through 10 games. This trio is largely behind Baltimore’s early bullpen success.

• Trying to turn it around: Akin, Pérez, Voth

Hyde has kept his confidence in this trio as they work through their early struggles. It’s understandable why, as Akin (3.20 ERA last year), Pérez (1.40) and Voth (3.04) each pitched well in 2022. They’ve all looked better of late, and it’s quite possible all of their 2023 ERAs will continue to drop -- especially Pérez’s.

With so many viable relief options -- and even more when including Givens, Tate and some quality arms in the upper Minors -- the Orioles’ bullpen appears built to have sustained success again this year.

“The more weapons you have out of the ‘pen, then the more different arm angles you can give to the opposing team to match up,” Hyde said. “It makes it difficult on them.”