Orioles could get creative with pitching in September wild-card run

DENVER — On the last day of August, Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz didn't completely dismiss an idea focused on how the team could handle the final month of the regular season on the mound.

Before the Orioles began a three-game series in Denver against the Colorado Rockies, Baltimore called up left-hander Cade Povich to make his third start of August and fifth of the season. With the Orioles in the midst of 16 consecutive games without an off day, Albernaz said Povich's addition was not so much a "strategy" but rather a necessity.

"It's not a strategy so to speak, but it's just more to get our starters an extra day," Albernaz told reporters inside the Orioles dugout. "We have this 16-game stretch and we had a stretch of games before that too (Baltimore had just three off days in August)."

Could Baltimore Orioles employ a six-man rotation?

After Monday's series opener against Colorado, Baltimore will have just 24 games remaining in the regular season. The Orioles entered Monday just one game out of the final American League wild-card spot. With the addition of Luis Robert Jr. off waivers from the New York Mets earlier in the day, it's clear the push for the postseason is officially on.

That push will be influenced by three consecutive Thursday off days beginning on September 10. After that first Thursday off day, Baltimore will have a six-game road series and a six-game home series before finishing with three games in the Bronx against the New York Yankees.

With those six-game series lining up, could Baltimore employ a six-man rotation the rest of the way that could include Povich? Albernaz didn't rule out the idea.

"Like anything, that's up in the air," Albernaz said of the potential expansion of the rotation. "Looking ahead on the schedule, we have three consecutive Thursdays off so we're actively thinking about everything, especially with (Sept.1) tomorrow and how we can best fortify and deploy our roster and what that looks like.

"A six-man rotation is on the table, but we'll wait and see who goes from there. Going down the stretch, we love our starters and they've been throwing the ball extremely well."

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.