Baltimore Orioles Moving To Six-Man Rotation

With Grayson Rodriguez reinstated and just one scheduled off-day in 31 days, the Baltimore Orioles are moving to a six-man rotation.

On Friday, Baltimore began a 45-day stretch that starts with 13 consecutive games before a break on May 30th. Then continues with 17 more games until another break on June 17th, and concludes with 13 consecutive game days leading up to July.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde hinted Friday that the reigning division champs will likely move to a six-man rotation “pretty soon.” Hyde said Baltimore has started mapping out starts for the upcoming stretch to help ease the workload of their starters. Baltimore plans to keep ace Corbin Burnes on regular rest, then fill in Grayson Rodriguez, Kyle Bradish, John Means, Dean Kremer, and Cole Irvin as they see fit.

However, shifting to a six-man rotation comes with a caveat. It increases the pressure on the already overworked Orioles bullpen.

Baltimore Orioles Shifting To A Six-Man Rotation

Following Sunday’s series finale against the Seattle Mariners, Baltimore’s bullpen boasts the seventh-best ERA in the majors at 3.39. At their best, Orioles relievers have delivered dominant performances, but their effectiveness is often undermined by bouts of inconsistency.

Part of that inconsistency comes from Orioles starters not going deep into games. Through the first 43 games of the season, Baltimore’s rotation is averaging 5.6 innings per outing. While moving to a six-man rotation, will take one more reliever out of the Baltimore bullpen, the good outweighs the bad.