Orioles counting on rotation spillage supplying bullpen with ample arms

The trade deadline shined a brighter light on the Orioles’ rotation. Jack Flaherty is in it. Very illuminating.

The five starters are confirmed: Flaherty, Kyle Gibson, Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer and rookie Grayson Rodriguez. All of them right-handed with Cole Irvin staying in the bullpen.

But how long does the unit remain intact?

While addressing the buildup of bullpen innings that could empty the tanks of relievers like Félix Bautista and Yennier Cano, executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias talked about injured guys getting healthy and how the rotation could factor into it.

“Bringing in an extra starter, you can always spill over into the bullpen to help with those innings, and I think we have several legitimate, accomplished major league starting pitchers, all of whom are having good years right now,” Elias said in his video call.

“And if any one of those five aren't in the rotation in a given time or a given week, we could see fit to deploy them in the bullpen."

For a team that’s sporting the best record in the American League and World Series aspirations, it possesses unique traits compared to other contenders. This team is really good, and in some ways, really different.

The youth and inexperience show, which hasn’t hurt at this point. Quite the contrary. The Orioles are flourishing, regardless of their injuries or unexpected demotions. And of the division opponents and visiting ballparks.

All they do is win, win, win, no matter what.

Well, unless middle relief lets them down again.

Shintaro Fujinami let two inherited runners score last night in the sixth inning, hitting two batters and walking one, and he also allowed an unearned run after Jorge Mateo’s fielding error to break a 1-1 tie.

The Orioles don’t know how the expanded roster will look in September. They’re busy trying to get through August.

Teams can carry 28 players in September, but pitchers are capped at 14. That helps only a little.

The current 13-man staff includes relievers Irvin, Bautista, Cano, Fujinami, Mike Baumann, Danny Coulombe, Cionel Pérez and Joey Krehbiel. Bryan Baker was optioned yesterday to Triple-A Norfolk after Flaherty joined the club, though Krehbiel seemed more vulnerable based on his newcomer status to the ‘pen.

Baker’s leash kept shortening as his ERA climbed over the past few months and inherited runners scored at a 51.5 percent clip this season – 17 of 33 to rank second in the majors yesterday among qualified relievers behind Kansas City’s José Cuas (20 of 36, 55.6 percent).

The Orioles don’t want their younger starters to crash and are devising ways to get them through October. And Elias offered a peek with the suggestion that there could be some bouncing between rotation and bullpen.

Not everyone, of course. I think Gibson and Flaherty are safe. But Tyler Wells isn’t staying in the minors for the rest of the summer. John Means is aiming for a Sept. 1 return and obviously prefers to start if given the opportunity.

Maybe they both go directly to the ‘pen. The Orioles have lots of time to figure it out.

Let’s see how the other starters fare and if there are clear indicators of fatigue.

DL Hall is returning to Norfolk, though he remains absent from its active roster, and is set for relief duty. The Orioles are deciding whether to stretch him out or keep him as a bullpen option down the stretch, as they did in September 2022.

Hall would have to fit on that expanded roster next month.

Imagine having him as a late-inning weapon, capable of covering multiple innings, after failing to join the club until the last month. Also unique, and a little weird. But so on brand.

“It's a huge talent with an enormous arm, and you saw what he could do last year toward the end of the season out of the bullpen,” manager Brandon Hyde told the media yesterday in Toronto, “and I hope that he can get back to that point and help us."

My guess is Hall’s in the ‘pen in September.

Keegan Akin and Mychal Givens are pitching in the Florida Complex League as they try to return from back and shoulder injuries, respectively. Austin Voth is on a rehab assignment with Norfolk and he’s out of minor league options, which could be a complication down the road.

The Orioles haven’t given up on Dillon Tate for 2023, according to Elias, but the last update still had the reliever in shutdown mode due to a right elbow flexor strain.

Tate is the longest shot of the group based on his health. He hasn’t pitched since 2022, and that includes spring training. But there could be a crowd building, whether or not he’s in the mix.

So, in conclusion, the rotation and bullpen are fluid and there could be crossovers. The Orioles are prepared to wing it.

And they're also hoping that the internal movement makes up for failing to land another reliever at the deadline.