Facing perhaps the best lineup of his life, Luis De León looked like he belonged.
The Orioles’ pitching prospect found himself in a small pickle in the first inning Saturday with a runner on third, one out and the heart of the Atlanta Braves’ big league lineup due up. De León, a 22-year-old lefty who has faced only 68 batters above High-A, was suddenly facing Matt Olson and Austin Riley, a pair of mashers with five All-Star appearances between them.
De León didn’t flinch.
He threw a first-pitch slider to Olson to induce a weak groundout to first base. He then started Riley off with a slider and ended the eight-pitch at-bat with a 3-2 slider that spun beneath the slugger’s bat to end the inning.