Tampa comes into the series following a “Mother’s Day Massacre”-style meltdown at home last night, ironically against those same Boston Red Sox. Tampa went to the ninth inning with a two-run lead but closer Fernando Rodney gave up three runs in the top of the inning. That withstanding, Tampa’s an organization that’s become known for good pitching among other things, and they’ll send Jeremy Hellickson to the mound tonight against the O’s at the yard. Hellickson’s been somewhat of a hard-luck starter of late, pitching with leads in his last four starts but not winning any of them.

Courtesy of Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Jason Hammel will oppose Hellickson on the Orioles’ side, coming off of a lackluster four-inning outing last Friday in Minnesota. I’ve been asked questions all week regarding Hammel, and whether or not that Minnesota game indicates that he isn’t what he was last year. Let’s put it this way; the Minnesota start indicates that about as much as a perfect game or a no-hitter would indicate that he’s a step above last season. You have to take the good with the bad in sports, and all coaches and athletes will tell you that. The same goes for the Orioles’ previous series against San Diego as well.

Here’s an interesting question though; are the O’s catching Tampa at the right time? Losses such as the one they had last night are the type that could linger around a clubhouse for awhile and send a team into a bit of a tailspin. Personally I think that Joe Maddon‘s too good of a manager and a motivator to allow that to happen in total, but the fact is that losses like that sting. So in that sense the Orioles are seeing Tampa at a good time. However on the other hand one could submit that luck is due to flip back over the other way as well. They had a tough loss, and now maybe they’re due for a win or two. Incidentally, Tampa could probably say the same thing about the Orioles given their recent sweep at the hands of San Diego. Ultimately the Orioles probably have a bit of an advantage given that they’re at home, had an off day yesterday, and Tampa had to travel late at night to get to Baltimore.

With all of that said, Joe Maddon teams are always prepared well, just as Buck Showalter teams are. One way or another Hellickson vs. Hammel is a pretty decent pitching matchup. It’ll be interesting to see how Hellickson pitches Manny Machado, who’s obviously raking the ball right now. If he continues to get on base, good things will continue to happen for the Orioles.

The starting pitching is starting to become an issue with the Birds however, and one has to wonder what might happen with this team in the immediate future. Of the Orioles’ starters on Opening Day, only two (Jason Hammel and Chris Tillman)of the five remain in the rotation. Hammel’s struggled a bit here and there, but overall he’s been fairly solid. Tillman’s probably been the most consistent pitcher the Orioles have had thus far, which certainly is to his credit. However Jake Arrieta’s currently in the minors again, and Miguel Gonzalez & Wei-Yin Chen are on the DL. (Gonzalez will throw a simulated game at Camden Yards tomorrow, and if that goes well he could in theory come off the DL on Sunday.)

Let’s be fair about criticizing the Orioles’ starting pitching situation; only Arrieta is no longer with the big league club due to ineffectiveness. Once the season starts injuries are tough to control. However the rhetoric is that Chen and Gonzalez are not currently eligible to play. So that leaves the Orioles with the likes of Freddy Garcia, and Jair Jurrjens (who’s expected to be called up to make tomorrow’s start). Again, let’s be fair; Jurrjens might well come up to the Orioles and make a huge impact. It’s just not something we can properly gauge until he gets here.

That aside, the pitching depth that Dan Duquette has stockpiled has been pressed into use. And the fact is that it probably hasn’t worked out quite as well as many people thought it should have. I italicized and emboldened that word because I feel that there’s a thought that the depth should be as good as the everyday starters. Are backup quarterbacks in the NFL as good as starters? If they were, they’d be starting someplace. The same is true even of relief pitchers; if they were capable of being starters, they would be. Nevertheless, it might be unfair for people to think that Freddy Garcia or Josh Stinson was going to come up here and “kill it.”

Nevertheless, there’s good news and bad news on the horizon with regard to Orioles’ pitching. The good news is the aforementioned nugget that Gonzalez could be coming off the DL. The Orioles will potentially need another starter on Tuesday against NY, and the thought is that it’ll be Gonzalez if he’s able to throw in that simulated game without reopening the blister on his hand. The bad news is that Tuesday’s starter would basically be an add-on. In other words, whomever that guy ends up being is not on the roster right now. So odds are the corresponding roster move would be sending someone else back to Norfolk. I suppose my point is that if you’re tired of Freddy Garcia, bringing Gonzalez back wouldn’t simply be inserting him in place of Garcia. Gonzalez would in essence be the #5 starter.

Courtesy of Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

The fear is that Chen might be out for as much as six weeks. If that’s the case, the Orioles might be at a bit of a crossroads. I have no doubt that Garcia is trying as hard as he possibly can, and for sure he had Anaheim’s number in his first start. However whether or not he’s a long-term serviceable starter is another story. (Garcia’s line yesterday: 3.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 1 K.) That’s where the Orioles find themselves at a bit of a crossroads. Arrieta and Zach Britton are getting beaten around a bit at triple-A, and Steve Johnson still has to remain in the minors for another week or so after being sent down on Sunday morning. (Whether or not he would be in the mix to be called up is another story.) Many fans love to throw out Kevin Gausman’s name as a guy that could help the club. My vote would be negatory there. Is it really worth risking a potential future star to make ends meet now?

My thought process would be to look for a potential trade for a starting pitcher that would be able to go into the rotation immediately. (And in doing so it should go without saying that the likes of Gausman and Dylan Bundy would be off the table.) If you read www.mlbtraderumors.com from time to time, you know that Philadelphia might be looking to deal a starter at some point. If you’re the Orioles, there’s no time like the present. Is something going to happen imminently? Odds are against it. However these have to be conversations that are being held on daily basis’ y Dan Duquette.

Ultimately, the O’s just need to play better baseball than they did against San Diego moving forward. Some teams just have your number; as the Kansas City Royals when they play the O’s, or ask Duke about playing Maryland (basketball). The good news is that you’re only as good as your next day’s starter, and after an off day today the Orioles have Jason Hammel going tomorrow against Tampa.

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