Orioles facing tough rotation decision ahead of ALDS, with 2 open spots for 3 pitchers

Manager Brandon Hyde has been tight-lipped about the tough decisions the Orioles have to make ahead of the American League Division Series this weekend.

None are more important (or more challenging) than how to sort out the starting rotation.

Instead of the standard five-man rotation — or the six-man system Baltimore used for the majority of the season’s final two months — the Orioles have to cut their starting corps down to four. All five starters in Baltimore’s rotation ended the regular season pitching well, making the decision on whom to leave out a difficult one.

Hyde said that depth — perhaps the Orioles roster’s greatest strength — is a good thing to have entering the postseason.

“To be able to have starting pitchers be available out of the bullpen is a plus,” Hyde said during the team’s workout at Camden Yards on Wednesday. “Starting pitchers normally have multiple pitches to go to, instead of just a two-pitch reliever. So we’re working out all those things with all these guys, and it could change in the middle of a series also. Win a couple, you lose a couple, things might change.

“But I do like where our rotation and bullpen is right now.”

Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez are locks to be in Baltimore’s playoff rotation. Bradish, an AL Cy Young Award candidate with a 2.83 ERA, will likely start Game 1 on Saturday at Camden Yards — the first playoff game in Baltimore since 2014 — and the if-necessary Game 5. Rodriguez, whose second-half ERA of 2.58 ranks him behind only AL Cy Young front-runner Gerrit Cole and Bradish, would presumably either start Game 2 at Oriole Park or Game 3 in Arlington, Texas.

That leaves three pitchers — John Means, Dean Kremer and Kyle Gibson — for the other two spots.

Means returned in September after missing 17 months as he recovered from Tommy John elbow reconstruction. He didn’t need any time to look like the Means of old — the Orioles’ best starting pitcher during the rebuild — with a 2.66 ERA across four starts, including one in Cleveland in which he carried a no-hit bid into the seventh inning. However, the left-hander’s sample of 23 2/3 innings is small, and some of his underlying metrics — an 11.4% strikeout rate and a 16.4% swing-and-miss rate — are concerning.

After an up-and-down first half, Kremer established himself as a reliable starter during the season’s final three months. In his final 15 starts of the regular season, the right-hander posted a 3.09 ERA with 75 strikeouts in 81 2/3 innings with only eight homers allowed compared with 19 in his first 17 starts. The Orioles went 24-8 in games Kremer started. He also delivered in the club’s two biggest games of the season, combining to pitch 10 1/3 innings with just one run allowed in the Orioles’ playoff-clinching win and AL East title-clinching victory. However, Kremer ended the season with a 4.12 ERA and didn’t pitch more than 5 1/3 innings in any start in September, as Hyde shortened his leash.

Gibson struggled in August, but September was his best month of the season. The 35-year-old veteran posted a 2.45 ERA in his final five starts, not allowing more than three runs in any of them. He was also the club’s wins and innings leader with 15 and 192, respectively, and 17 of his 33 starts were quality. However, his 4.73 ERA is the worst among the Orioles’ five starters, and he’s given up five or more runs six times this year.

One of these three pitchers will presumably be a reliever for the playoffs, potentially joining Jack Flaherty and/or Cole Irvin, two starters the club traded for this year who might be in the bullpen when the Orioles announce their ALDS roster. After his final start of the season Saturday, Gibson, who was pushed to the bullpen during the Philadelphia Phillies’ playoff run last year, said he and his rotation-mates are ready to pitch whenever called upon.

“Just be ready whenever they tell you it’s your chance to pitch, and you take the ball whether it’s in the first inning, the fourth inning or the eighth inning,” Gibson said. “I look forward to a chance to pitch whenever it is.”

Around the horn

• In addition to not naming his starters for the best-of-five series versus the Rangers, Hyde also said the club would wait to provide its 26-man roster. Whether the Orioles keep 12 or 13 pitchers — offering an extra bat on the bench or another arm in the bullpen — is one of its biggest roster questions.
• The Orioles held workouts at Camden Yards on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday ahead of Friday’s with the Rangers in town. Tuesday featured a live bullpen session from Rodriguez and batting practice, while Wednesday included a simulated game with a few thousand Orioles fans in the stands. “That was super cool, Hyde said. “What a great idea, and we’re really appreciative of all the fans that came out. I wasn’t expecting this, and it shows you how incredible Orioles fans are. They were energetic and into it, and our players appreciated it.”

• Four players who weren’t on the club’s active roster to end the regular season participated in the workouts this week: relievers Mike Baumann and Bryan Baker, outfielder Ryan McKenna and catcher Anthony Bemboom. Those four players could be on the Orioles’ taxi squad during the postseason.
• Reliever Jorge López, whom the Orioles designated for assignment last week, cleared waivers and chose free agency, the team said Thursday. He was an All-Star with Baltimore in 2022 and returned in September amid a disappointing season with the Minnesota Twins and Miami Marlins. López, who was not eligible to play for the Orioles in the postseason, posted a 5.25 ERA in 12 innings with Baltimore.
• Corner infielder-outfielder Josh Lester, who briefly played for the Orioles this season and tallied his first big league hit, chose free agency after the end of Triple-A Norfolk’s season. Lester, 29, hit .257 with 23 homers and 87 RBIs for the Tides this season.
• Norfolk manager Buck Britton was named the International League Manager of the Year after leading the Tides to a Triple-A championship. Outfield prospect Colton Cowser, whose grand slam propelled the Tides to victory in the national title game, was named an IL All-Star.
• Orioles top prospect Jackson Holliday won another award this week. In addition to being named Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year and the Orioles’ Brooks Robinson Minor League Player of the Year, he was also honored as Minor League Baseball’s Prospect Hitter of the Year. He hit .323 with a .941 OPS across four levels at just 19 years old.

ALDS, Game 1

Rangers at Orioles

Saturday, 1:03 p.m.

TV: FS1

Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM

()