Baltimore Orioles ‘Wish’ They Could Add a Starter Amid Corbin Burnes Struggles

The Baltimore Orioles can't go back in time, but with their rotation struggling, they could've used another arm.

Sep 1, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Zach Eflin (24) pitches in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles are now a half-game behind the New York Yankees in the American League East after going 5-5 over their last 10 games. It's been much of the same for the Orioles since the All-Star break, as neither side of the baseball has played well.

Baltimore's starting pitching, however, hasn't stepped up. With all of the injuries they've dealt with, it's tough to ask too much of them. However, even the proven pitchers who are healthy are struggling.

That includes Corbin Burnes, who took the loss in Sunday's contest against the Tampa Bay Rays. Burnes has been better in recent outings, allowing four earned runs in his last three starts spanning over 16.0 innings, but he hasn't been nearly as dominant as he once was.

The right-hander has just 10 strikeouts in that time frame.

For the Orioles, they'll need him to be as good as he's been for most of his career in October, as winning without an ace-caliber arm is nearly impossible.

Even if he does, however, the rest of the staff has to step up.

Looking back, it's clear that Baltimore didn't do as much as they needed to do at the deadline for the second straight year, a major issue.

That's why Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report believes the Orioles "wish" they could trade for a starter.

"Bringing in a healthy infielder or two would be nice, too, with all of Ryan Mountcastle, Ramón Urías, Jordan Westburg and Jorge Mateo currently on the IL. However, with Corbin Burnes struggling in recent weeks, the short supply of reliable O's starters feels even more pronounced than usual. It's a darn good thing they did trade for Zach Eflin, but it'd be swell if they could add at least one more arm to a rotation that needs Grayson Rodriguez back from his lat injury ASAP. Even if Burnes, Eflin and Rodriguez are all healthy for October, the starter for Baltimore's fourth postseason game will be a colossal question mark."

If they get four combined good starts out of Zach Eflin and Burnes in each series, Baltimore should like their chances.

As always, it'll be tough for them to win the four games they'll play with them on the bump, but if they do and sneak out one of the other three contests, that should be a recipe for success.

The Orioles can't go back in time, but hopefully, this offseason, they understand they need another arm or two, especially if Burnes departs.