The Orioles are assured to make the playoffs. At least, that’s what FanGraphs says.
The web site’s projections give the Orioles a 100% probability to make the postseason with 24 video games remaining. At 87-51, Baltimore is atop the American League and on tempo to win 102 video games.
But supervisor Brandon Hyde nonetheless isn’t keen to speak concerning the postseason but. He’s dodged playoff questions this month, as his crew’s chance of constructing it grew to become a digital assure.
The fifth-year skipper, nonetheless, did acknowledge he’s in search of extra than simply regular-season success. After successful his three hundredth sport Monday, Hyde was requested whether or not he acquired any “hardware” for the milestone.
“No, I’m hoping that I’ll get some other hardware that’s a little bit more important sometime,” Hyde quipped.
While the playoffs are a near-lock, successful the AL East and being the highest seed within the circuit aren’t. To accomplish that, and to advance within the postseason, the Orioles have a number of robust inquiries to reply and issues to resolve — most of them regarding their pitching workers.
Here are six pitching-related questions the Orioles need to reply earlier than the playoffs arrive in early October.
What position will John Means have?
Throughout the season, the Orioles have solved a number of difficult issues, and their solutions have largely paid off. But what to do with John Means could be the trickiest of the yr.
Means’ minor league rehabilitation project can not lengthen previous Friday, that means the left-hander will doubtless rejoin the crew this weekend in Boston. Whether to place the previous All-Star again within the rotation — one he headlined to open the 2021 and 2022 seasons — or use him as a reliever is the query. It’s one Hyde and basic supervisor Mike Elias have been requested near a dozen instances over the previous few months, and neither has supplied perception on which course they’re leaning.
Means’ outcomes on his rehab project have been about pretty much as good as could possibly be hoped for a pitcher getting back from Tommy John elbow reconstruction. The 30-year-old surrendered six runs in his first 16 2/3 innings in 5 rehab begins.
After his first 4 begins got here on a five-man rotation schedule with 4 days’ relaxation, his most up-to-date one was on a six-man timeline with an additional day of relaxation. Means’ remaining rehab begin is Wednesday for Triple-A Norfolk.
“We have some plans in place of some different scenarios, but we’ll kind of wait and see,” Hyde stated. “He’s going to make another start there. We’ll see where we are and see how he throws and what we feel like the best thing for our team is at that time.”
How for much longer will they keep on with the six-man rotation?
Hyde has praised the advantages of it. Since switching to the elongated system Aug. 12, the membership’s younger starter pitchers — Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer and Grayson Rodriguez — have been dominant, with all however one in every of their 12 begins being high quality ones.
“I think the six-man rotation has been enormous for all of our starters,” Hyde stated. “So happy that we did that. They’ve all pitched extremely well since we went to it.”
However, it’s doable the six-man rotation will come to an finish within the coming weeks because the Orioles strategy the postseason, throughout which they’ll doubtless have simply 4 pitchers beginning video games. Hyde stated the membership will preserve the plan in place by way of its collection in opposition to the Red Sox in Boston this weekend and reassess after. Means can be out there to start out Monday or Tuesday at Camden Yards.
Baltimore has a important collection in opposition to the Tampa Bay Rays subsequent week — a four-game set that would decide the winner of the AL East. If the Orioles have been to stay on flip with their rotation, Cole Irvin and Jack Flaherty would begin the primary two video games of that collection.
“We’re mapping out some guys for certain teams in a series. Might have a spot start here and there, might just go straight five-man,” Hyde stated. ”There’s quite a lot of completely different eventualities. Let’s get by way of the weekend in Boston after which form of reset a bit of bit. We’ve bought Tampa, these are some massive video games arising.”
Either manner, the six-man rotation has achieved its objective, Hyde believes, of limiting the workloads and holding recent the membership’s younger beginning pitchers as they’ve approached and surpassed their single-season highs in innings.
Does Grayson Rodriguez’s innings complete matter?
In Monday’s win, Hyde initially deliberate to ship Rodriguez again out to start out the seventh inning at 90 pitches. But after Gunnar Henderson’s three-run homer, Hyde went with reliever Jacob Webb to start out the inning — a transfer in hindsight the skipper is completely satisfied he was in a position to “knock an inning off” his growing workload.
Rodriguez has pitched 140 1/3 innings this season — 99 within the majors and 41 1/3 within the minors — and is on tempo for greater than 160 within the common season. If the Orioles make a postseason run, that complete may strategy 180. The 22-year-old rookie totaled 75 2/3 innings in 2022 and 103 in 2021.
For now, it seems as if the Orioles will preserve pitching Rodriguez each six (or quickly 5) days, and the way may they not? The right-hander has emerged as maybe the membership’s second-best starter behind Bradish with a 2.85 ERA since he rejoined the rotation in July.
Hyde stated the group tracks a bevy of metrics after a pitcher’s outing that would decide fatigue, and that data — together with the “eye test” of seeing 98-99 mph on the radar gun late in his begins — is what makes the Orioles snug permitting Rodriguez to maintain pitching.
“I do feel comfortable with it,” Hyde stated about Rodriguez’s workload. “We’re monitoring him very closely, but we need him also. … It is on my mind the whole time, but trying to handle it the best we possibly can.”
Will Tyler Wells rejoin the Orioles? What concerning the different relievers in Triple-A?
Rodriguez hasn’t handled fatigue this season, however one other one in every of Baltimore’s starters already has. Tyler Wells was the Orioles’ finest beginning pitcher within the first half of the season, however he struggled to start the second half as he approached his high-water innings mark, spent a month in Double-A for what Hyde known as a “reset” and is now in Triple-A as a brief reliever.
On Tuesday, Wells pitched for the primary time since Aug. 25 as he managed a fatigued arm, permitting two runs in two-thirds of an inning. If the 6-foot-8 right-hander is wholesome sufficient to pitch and he readjusts to pitching briefly reduction as he did in 2021, the Orioles must determine whether or not so as to add him to their bullpen.
The Tides additionally produce other relievers who spent the vast majority of their seasons within the main leagues: Mike Baumann, Bryan Baker and Austin Voth. It’s doable a kind of right-handers makes his manner again to Baltimore earlier than the top of the season.
Is Félix Bautista in a position to return?
The center relievers who fill out the bullpen are vital, however no arm may increase it greater than Félix Bautista’s.
The most up-to-date replace on Bautista from the crew is that it’s ready for the irritation in his proper elbow to go away earlier than assessing the diploma of the harm to his ulnar collateral ligament. Even a minor harm to the ligament can be an uphill battle for Bautista to return, however the membership positioned him on the 15-day injured checklist and designated two pitchers for project to maintain him on the shorter IL.
Bautista was maybe the most effective reliever within the sport earlier than his harm in late August. He nonetheless leads all reduction pitchers in FanGraphs’ wins above substitute at 2.8.
Can they belief Shintaro Fujinami?
Bautista’s absence has elevated the necessity for relievers able to pitching in high-leverage conditions.
One pitcher whose stuff is probably in the identical stratosphere as Bautista’s is Shintaro Fujinami. But can they belief him?
That query may need been answered Tuesday when Fujinami was lights out within the tenth inning for his second save since becoming a member of the Orioles from the Oakland Athletics in July. In 21 innings with the Orioles, the 6-foot-6 right-hander has a 4.71 ERA and 26 strikeouts.
His electrical stuff makes him a compelling choice for large spots, and he’s had success in a few of them. But his inconsistency stays a priority. Before Tuesday, although, Hyde was reluctant to make use of the right-hander in shut video games. Fujinami completely pitched in low-leverage conditions over the 2 weeks earlier than Tuesday’s win with a 2.57 ERA and no walks in seven innings.
Fujinami has the flexibility to be one of many Orioles’ two finest bullpen arms. Whether he positive aspects the belief to show it stays to be seen.
Orioles at Angels
Wednesday, 9:38 p.m.
TV: MASN2
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
()
Source: www.bostonherald.com