Do Baltimore Orioles Officially Have a New Ace on Their Hands?

Is Corbin Burnes' run as the Baltimore Orioles' ace officially over?

Jun 22, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Corbin Burnes reacts after a pitch. / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

When the Baltimore Orioles traded for Corbin Burnes from the Milwaukee Brewers in February, they hoped they'd finally acquired the missing piece to the puzzle and something they hadn't had in years -- a bona fide ace.

For the first four months of the season, the former NL Cy Young winner lived up to the hype. He dominated opponents every five days, started the MLB All-Star Game and appeared poised to challenge Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal for the AL Cy Young award.

Then August came, and Burnes suddenly fell apart.

The four-time All-Star was horrendous last month, allowing a whopping 28 runs (21 earned) and 34 hits in 25 2/3 innings. He logged only one quality start in five turns, going 1-3 with a 7.36 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP as opponents clobbered him for a .304/.345/.482 batting line.

Fortunately for the Orioles, they already have a new ace to replace Burnes at the top of their rotation -- Zach Eflin.

Eflin was outstanding again on Sunday, shutting down the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in his stellar return from the 15-day injured list. The veteran righty fired seven innings of one-run ball, yielding just four hits and one walk while racking up a season-high nine strikeouts.

He was highly efficient, too, throwing 63 of his 85 pitches for strikes and taking a perfect game into the sixth inning.

In his first start back from injury, Zach Eflin was perfect through five innings and completed seven total innings of work.

Hear from the righty on his performance. pic.twitter.com/DPsGvgLZKu

— Orioles on MASN (@masnOrioles) September 1, 2024

The 30-year-old righty has been exceptional for Baltimore since coming over from the Tampa Bay Rays in late July. Over his first five outings with his new team (all quality starts), Eflin is 5-0 with a 1.95 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP and 34 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings.

With Burnes fading during the dog days of August, Eflin has emerged as the Orioles' most reliable starter heading into September. Burnes may have the better pedigree and track record, but Eflin has been much sharper over the past month.

If Eflin keeps it up and Burnes doesn't turn things around in September, Brandon Hyde should have no qualms about starting Eflin over Burnes in Game 1 of a playoff series. Burnes may not like it, but the stats speak for themselves.