Orioles Aren't Messing With Their Starting Rotation After It's Started Heating Up

One of the main reasons why this Baltimore Orioles team has drastically underperformed compared to expectations so far this season is because their starting rotation has been one of the worst in Major League Baseball.

Entering Friday with a cumulative 5.23 ERA that puts them 27th out of the 30 teams, the inability for their starters to give the Orioles a chance to win has hamstrung them throughout the campaign.

However, the tide has started to turn in Baltimore.

While their record of 27-40 has them 8.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot as longshots to play October baseball, they have begun to perform much better since the latter part of May.

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In fact, since May 23, they have gone 11-7, the best stretch they've had all year that has injected some life back into the clubhouse that they might be able to make a late run.

One of the reasons for this turnaround has been the improvement of the rotation.

Since that point, the starters have combined for a 3.60 ERA, good for ninth in the MLB.

Because of that, it should come as no surprise that interim manager Tony Mansolino is not messing with anything when it comes to that unit.

"I think right now with how things are structured, we're kind of rolling with our guys," he said, per Roch Kubatko of MASN.

That means Charlie Morton is going to open the series against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday. He'll be followed by Tomoyuki Sugano and Cade Povich to round out that set. Zach Eflin and Dean Kremer are then expected to start the first two games of the Tampa Bay Rays series beginning on Monday before the cycle repeats again.

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Noticeably absent from these plans is Trevor Rogers, the left-hander who was acquired ahead of last season's trade deadline.

He's been relegated to pitching with Triple-A Norfolk after he was demoted there following his struggles with the Orioles in 2024.

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While he did make a cameo for a one start during a doubleheader, it doesn't seem like he is in the equation until someone else gets hurt or they start to struggle.

Baltimore is certainly hoping they don't have to make changes to their rotation.

With the unit performing the way they have over the last 18 games, they have finally started to win.

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