A pair of sore elbows throws the Orioles bullpen into flux as the team fights to keep its season alive

The Baltimore Orioles snapped an ugly four-game losing streak to finish off a 2-4 home stand that saw them go from 1.5 games out of a playoff spot to 4.5. 4.5 games out of a playoff spot in June is not a death sentence, but with the number of teams in the American League that stand between the Orioles and the playoffs and with the trade deadline approaching, the Orioles need to rip off a win streak of some kind to keep their season alive. That task just got a lot harder as, over the last couple of days, the Orioles have lost two veteran relievers that they have been depending on.

The Orioles' closer, Ryan Helsley, was warming up to get into a 6-1 game earlier today because he hadn't seen any action in the last few days. When it was time for him to enter the game, the bullpen doors opened, and Andrew Kittredge came out. The cameras panned and found Helsley still sitting in the bullpen with a dissatisfied look on his face, and everyone watching the game had the same thought. Helsley's injured.

The last thing the Orioles bullpen needed was a Ryan Helsley injury

That thought appears to be correct, as the Orioles officially shared that he was dealing with elbow discomfort and had been sent for testing. This is not an isolated incident, as Helsley missed about six weeks with elbow inflammation and had only returned recently. Back-to-back elbow injuries within such a short amount of time tend to mean one thing for high-powered pitchers like Helsley. Tommy John surgery.

That's not a sure thing right now, but until the Orioles announce otherwise, the specter of Tommy John is hanging over Helsley. If he does get the surgery, he would miss the rest of this season and then likely pick up his option, and the Orioles would end up paying him $14 million dollars to rehab with them before hitting free agency again.

The other arm injury was Keegan Akin. Akin is one of the longest-tenured Orioles and, in his time with the team, has often frustrated fans with how poorly he handles high-leverage spots. As frustrating as Akin could be in those situations, he was useful when used right. Losing him is not a good thing.

It'll be interesting to see who the Orioles call upon to try to patch together the bullpen for the next few weeks. They called up Cameron Weston to fill in for Akin, but the Orioles don't have anyone who can do what Helsley does. The ninth inning may be a rough watch for the Orioles for the rest of the season.

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