Baltimore Orioles: Pitching Moves Bring Jubilation And Sadness

The Baltimore Orioles made a number of major league roster moves on Thursday afternoon, including placing their top arm on the Injured List.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Baltimore Orioles saw their top player in Trey Mancini leave the ballgame after being hit in the elbow. His pain and agony were felt throughout Birdland as the worst case scenario quickly ran through the minds of Orioles fans everywhere. Luckily, Mancini is day-to-day and he doesn’t appear headed to the Injured List, however, the same cannot be said for starting pitcher John Means.

As announced by the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday afternoon, LHP John Means has been added to the 10-day Injured List with a shoulder strain. His injury doesn’t appear to be serious. As reported by MASN’s Steve Melewski, “It’s just muscle…It’s something we just don’t want lingering, so we’re going to take a start off and I’ll make my next one.” While Means should make his next start, Dan Straily won’t be suiting up again for the Orioles.

At the same time as their announcement of an IL trip for Means, the team announced that outfielder Dwight Smith Jr.has been activated, RHP Evan Phillips has returned to the major league roster, and RHP Dan Straily has been designated for assignment. Yes, Birdland, the Dan Straily experiment is finally over.

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Originally signed to eat innings and help the Orioles get through the 2019 season while prospects like Keegan Akin continue to slowly work through the minor leagues, Straily was unsuccessful in his attempts to navigate an outing.

Straily made 14 appearances in an Orioles’ uniform (eight starts), finishing with a 2-4 record, 9.82 ERA, and 1.99 WHIP. In just 47.2 innings, 30-year-old gave up 22 home runs and walked 22 hitters, while striking out only 33. Straily was a miss for Mike Elias and his staff, but it’s hard to fault the organization. It’s hard to believe, but did the Miami Marlins actually get it right by dropping the veteran righty?

In the short-term, there’s an extremely large void in the starting rotation and bullpen, but at least we don’t have to sit through another outing from Straily.

The Orioles begin a four-game set against the Seattle Mariners Thursday night. How will Brandon Hyde manage his pitching staff during this stretch against a ballclub who is one of the best home run hitting teams in baseball? Tune in to find out!