Cavaliers in the Pros

BALTIMORE, Md. – Former Cavalier Branden Kline made his major league debut on Saturday, April 20 with the Baltimore Orioles. He was recalled as the team’s 26th man from Triple-A Norfolk in a doubleheader against the Minnesota Twins at Camden Yards.

Kline is the 40th Cavalier to appear in a Major League Baseball game and the 17th player to reach the big leagues having played for the current coaching staff (since 2004).

Including the recent call ups of Phil Gosselin (Phillies) and Josh Sborz (Dodgers), Virginia had placed eight players on Major League rosters this spring– Sean Doolittle (Nationals), John Hicks (Tigers), Mark Reynolds (Rockies), Chris Taylor (Dodgers) and Ryan Zimmerman (Nationals).

Kline played at Virginia from 2010-12 was a second-team All-ACC pick in 2012 as a starting pitcher, as he went 7-3 with 3.56 ERA. In 93.2 innings, he struck out 94 batters and limited foes to a .241 batting average. Kline moved to the starting rotation as a junior after earning first-team All-America honors as a sophomore while serving as UVa’s closer. He recorded an ACC-record 18 saves in 2011 while helping UVa to the College World Series. In three years, Kline went 16-5 with a 3.22 ERA; in 201.1 innings he has struck out 206 batters.

Kline worked two innings, including a perfect seventh in a 16-7 loss to the Twins. Kline was optioned back to Norfolk after the game. MLB’s 26th man rule allows an extra player that is already on the team’s 40-man roster to be added to the roster for the day.

Kline has overcome a number of setbacks after being selected in the 65th overall by the Orioles in the 2012 MLB Draft. In his first full year back since 2015, Kline spent most of the 2018 season with Double-A Bowie where he went 4-4 with a 1.81 ERA and 15 saves. He started this season in Triple-A Norfolk where he’s 1-1 with a save in 6.1 innings pitched.

More postgame coverage on Kline after his MLB Debut

BaltimoreBaseball.com: https://www.baltimorebaseball.com/2019/04/21/kline-eventful-debut-davis-mound-cobbs-rough-night/
Frederick News Post: https://www.fredericknewspost.com/sports/level/professional/kline-makes-it-big-tj-grad-o-s-reliever-keeps/article_044ee84a-6182-5aac-bae8-058bf6b99f77.html