Can the Orioles turn this season around? | MAILBAG

Question: It’s now over 1/5 of the season and no starting pitcher is living up to his expectations, injuries are piling up again and only Adley Rutschman and Jeremiah Jackson are hitting well (though Gunnar hits HRs but not for average). And we’re not doing much better than last year despite the money spent. Can the O’s really turn this season around? From: Bob Stier

Answer: Bob, the recent play of the Orioles has been disappointing. With Kyle Bradish a disappointment so far and Trevor Rogers on the injured list, things don’t look terribly bright.

The losses of Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg have created holes, and without them, the team’s lineup lacks diversification.

I do think Taylor Ward is hitting well, and I’m confident that Pete Alonso and Gunnar Henderson will hit better, but they’ll need much better starting pitching than they’ve gotten.

If Bradish improves and Rogers pitches as well as he did early in the season when he recovers, then that’s a solid 1-2, but I don’t know that the rest of the starting rotation will be strong enough to overcome underperformance from Bradish and Rogers.

Question: I know expectations were high (and still are) for Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish and rightly so. Why is Baltimore unable to attract true aces?  Is Camden an unappealing place to pitch?  Is Baltimore viewed as too small a market?  What’s your take? From: Bob Webster

Answer: Bob, there are few true aces in baseball. I don’t classify last offseason’s top free agents, Dylan Cease, Ranger Suárez and Framber Valdez, as aces. They’re excellent pitchers, but weren’t true No. 1’s.

The Orioles last top-tier pitcher was Corbin Burbnes, whom they had in 2024.

Under Mike Elias, the Orioles haven’t taken a pitcher in the first round of the draft, and I think that lessens the odds that they’ll develop a great pitcher.

The Orioles haven’t been willing to overpay to get top free-agent pitchers, preferring shorter-term contracts. I don’t think the ballpark is a detriment because with the fences farther away than they were a few years ago, it’s not a true home run haven any longer.

There are some pitchers that prefer not to pitch in the AL East, but overall, I think the team should be more aggressive in trying to develop heir own aces rather than trying to buy them.

Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.