Baltimore Orioles Top Priority Will Be Figuring Out Trusted Bullpen Arms

For the rest of this season, the Baltimore Orioles will need to figure out which one of their relievers they can turn to when they need them most.

Jul 26, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde (18) stands in the dugout during the eighth inning of there game against the San Diego Padres at Oriole Park at Camden Yards / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

This is a dangerous time for the Baltimore Orioles.

They have started to falter a bit since they were so dominant at the beginning of the season, much of that due to the injuries they have suffered to their pitching staff.

Currently down four out of their five Opening Day starters, their offense has not been able to pick up the slack when it comes to putting together consistently good performances.

Because three of those starting pitchers are out for the year after undergoing elbow surgeries, and Grayson Rodriguez is sideline for the foreseeable future with a concerning injury of his own, the Orioles have to start finding ways to win again or else they will have a hard time holding onto their AL East lead.

Outside of the obvious issues that comes from not having top-end rotation arms, this is going to put a ton of stress on Baltimore's relief staff.

That's why coming down the stretch of these final two months of the regular season, Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report thinks they have to figure out which of their bullpen pieces can be trusted in high-leverage situations.

Unfortunately, two of their top relievers, Jacob Webb and Danny Coulombe, are also on the injured list with elbow issues of their own.

This can provide the Orioles with a great opportunity to see what their other bullpen options can do until those two return, but it can also hurt this team's chances to win games during the final parts of the year if they struggle.

Seranthony Dominguez and Gregory Soto, their two deadline additions, are going to be heavily relied on now, but there was also a reason the why Philadelphia Phillies discarded them ahead of their own playoff push.

The best-case scenario for Baltimore is their current crop of healthy relievers are able to pitch solid innings for this team down the stretch, giving manager Brandon Hyde a better idea of who he can turn to in high-leverage situations during the postseason.

Hopefully by that time, Rodriguez will be back in the rotation and Webb and Coulombe are healthy.

If that happens, and the Orioles were able to figure out a better idea of what their bullpen pecking order should be, then they will be better set up for success.

If not, they unfortunately could be facing another early exit in the playoffs.