Bundy giving Orioles exactly what they need

SAN FRANCISCO — Dylan Bundy is ready to take on the big-league challenge.

Finally.

The fourth player taken in the 2011 Draft, the right-hander from Oklahoma, is healthy.

Finally.

And the timing couldn’t be better for the Orioles.

Used sparingly in relief to start the season, Bundy was finally inserted into the Orioles rotation after the All-Star Break, and he has settled in well. With 5 2/3 solid innings in the Orioles 5-2 victory against the Giants at AT&T Park on Friday night, Bundy won for the third time in as many starts, giving the Orioles rotation the kind of lift it needs for Baltimore to continue in its quest for an American League playoff spot.

• Bundy takes his first professional at-bats

It’s what the Orioles had hoped for since they signed Bundy in 2011, but had started to fear they might never see.

He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2012, forcing him to miss the 2013 season, and then pitched a combined total of 63 1/3 innings the last two seasons, and was a combined 1-6. He was shut down mid-season a year ago because of a calcium buildup and tendinitis in the right shoulder, and then again in the Arizona Fall League with right forearm tightness.

So when the Orioles decided to keep him out of spring training this year, they did it with care. He was spotted out of the bullpen, allowing him to build up arm strength, before finally getting to move into the …

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