The Baltimore Orioles are in first place in the American League East and they have a 2-game lead over the second-place New York Yankees. While they have a 61-41 record that is tied with the Cleveland Guardians for the best record in the American League, their position is anything but secure.
The Orioles have shown some deficiencies with their pitching staff — both starters and relievers — and it seems quite likely that Baltimore general manager Mike Elias will be active prior to the trade deadline as he looks for adequate pitching.
Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox is considered one of the top targets for contending teams in need of pitching help. Crochet is clearly the best pitcher on the 27-78 White Sox, and he possesses an overpowering fastball and a sharp slider as his primary weapons.
The Orioles are considered the favorites to land Crochet by BetOnline at odds of plus-300. The Los Angeles Dodgers are also in need of pitching despite their 7.5-game lead in the National League West. They are the second choice at plus-400. The New York Yankees are the third choice at plus-500, and those are the same odds the Philadelphia Phillies have of acquiring the powerful lefthander.
The Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox are next in the betting sweepstakes for Crochet with the Braves at plus-900 and the Red Sox a plus-1000. Eight other teams are listed as being contenders for Crochet, with the Arizona Diamondbacks listed as the outsiders at plus-2500.
Orioles looking to strengthen the pitching staff
Corbin Burnes is the ace of the Orioles staff and he is having a solid year. He has pitched 132.0 innings this year while starting 21 games for the defending American League East champions. He has a 10-4 record while striking out 121 hitters and recording an earned run average of 2.45.
Grayson Rodriguez has also had a solid season with 18 starting assignments, 10 of which have been quality starts. He has a 12-4 record in 105.2 innings on the mound and he has struck out 120 batters. He has a 3.83 ERA.
While those two appear to be fairly dependable, manager Brandon Hyde is not getting a lot of quality performances from Cole Irvin, Albert Suarez or Dean Kremer. Those three starters have combined for 9 quality performances even though they have started 40 games for the Orioles.
As big as the team's need for quality starting pitching is, the need for relief pitching is also strong. However, finding quality relievers will be quite challenging for Elias since so many of the contending teams find themselves in the same position.
The Orioles registered a 7-6 victory over the Miami Marlins Thursday in 10 innings. In that game, the Orioles took a 6-1 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning, but the bullpen gave up a pair of runs in the eighth inning and three more in the ninth to tie the game. Craig Kimbrel blew the save for the Orioles for the fifth time in 28 games, and his closer role appears to be in jeopardy.
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