Orioles get much-needed positive update on Zach Eflin

Talk to any Baltimore Orioles fan right now and you will hear the same thing: this team is snakebitten. And you can't blame them. The vibes are not good in Birdland after two gut-punch walk-off losses to the Mets at Citi Field this week followed by a 6-0 clunker against the Astros on national TV.

Losers in 3 of their past 5 games, the Orioles are in the midst of a tough stretch that sees them hosting the surging Astros before traveling to LA to face the mighty Dodgers for 3. The recent struggles, combined with the endless injuries piling up, have the Orioles and their fans feeling the slog of the dog days of August.

To put it lightly, positive news - any positive news - would be appreciated. So Zach Eflin, whom the Orioles recently added to their already devastating list of injured players, provided the needed jolt:

Oh, thank you merciful baseball gods.

Eflin had been scheduled to start Wednesday's matinee finale against the Mets at Citi Field before the Orioles announced that he was being placed on the 15-day IL with right shoulder inflammation. Birdland immediately swept into a panic, and for good reason.

The team has already lost starting pitchers Kyle Bradish, Tyler Wells, and John Means for the season, and Grayson Rodriguez has been on the IL since August 6 when the Orioles scratched him moments before a start in Toronto. Infielders Jordan Westburg and Jorge Mateo, along with key reliever Danny Coulombe, have missed significant time and remain out. In other words, when the Orioles receive injury news, they expect it to be bad news.

Orioles' right-hander Zach Eflin confirms that he expects to return from injury in early September

So news that Eflin, who has been lights out since the Orioles acquired him in July from Tampa in exchange for prospects Mac Horvath, Jackson Baumeister, and Matthew Etzel, plans to return after his fifteen days are up, is a breath of fresh air. In four starts with the Orioles, Eflin has gone 4-0 with a 2.13 ERA. And if all goes as planned, he should be back on or around September 1.

The positive effect of Eflin's potential return for all of September cannot be understated. Despite their recent struggles, the Orioles are only 1.5 games behind the Yankees for first place in the American League East, and currently hold the American League's top Wild Card by three games over Kansas City.

To their credit, the replacements for Eflin and the injured Orioles starters have pitched well lately. Albert Suarez has been on fire, and brings his 17 2/3 scoreless streak into tonight's start in Houston. Cade Povich pitched well in Saturday's loss to the Red Sox, allowing only two runs over 6 1/3 innings. And the nearly-forgotten Cole Irvin kept the Orioles in the game on Wednesday against the Mets, allowing 2 runs over 4 1/3. But Corbin Burnes has slowed down, and the Orioles' rotation needs the steady presence of Eflin if it wants to catch the Yankees for the division crown.

While Eflin claims that he will be back after his fifteen days are up, there is no guarantee that something won't happen between now and then to elongate his stay on the IL. But for now, Orioles' fans can breathe easy: for the first time in a while, good injury news is upon them.