It’s getting late early for the Baltimore Orioles. After two consecutive postseason appearances, the O’s find themselves in last place in the American League East with a 13-23 record heading into Friday night’s game against the Los Angeles Angels.
The main culprit has been their struggling starting rotation. After losing ace Corbin Burnes in free agency, Baltimore opted against trading for Garrett Crochet or signing Max Fried. Instead, they acquired aging veteran Charlie Morton and 35-year-old Japanese pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano.
While Sugano has pitched to a respectable 3.00 ERA and 125 ERA+ in seven starts, the Morton signing has been a disaster. The 41-year-old carries a 9.38 ERA, has surrendered an MLB-leading 33 earned runs and leads the AL in walks with 22. He was recently demoted to the bullpen.
Meanwhile, Kyle Gibson has been shelled in his first two starts, including allowing four home runs to the New York Yankees in his season debut. Overall, he has posted a 14.09 ERA, giving up 12 earned runs in just 7 2/3 innings.
The team has also dealt with injuries to Zach Eflin and Grayson Rodriguez.
Baltimore’s starters hold the worst ERA in the American League at 5.65, better than only the Miami Marlins and Colorado Rockies across MLB. They also rank last in the AL in batting average allowed (.282), and 29th in baseball — ahead of only the Rockies.
That’s why Yahoo Sports MLB insider Russell Dorsey predicts the Orioles will lose 90 games this season — something they haven’t done since going 52-110 in 2021.
“We’re not yet at Memorial Day, and it already looks like this Orioles season is beginning to wind down,” notes Dorsey. “Things have not gone well for Baltimore in what was supposed to be a big season for this organization after it won 90-plus games and made the playoffs in both 2023 and ’24. And so far in 2025, the Orioles’ weakness remains the same: starting pitching.”
Dorsey adds: “Of the six teams that finished 25th or worse in starter ERA last season, five lost at least 90 games. The other was the Arizona Diamondbacks, who had the best offense in the league, something the Orioles decidedly do not have. It feels like Baltimore’s window is beginning to close, which is hard to believe.”
With the Orioles in a bind and no pitching reinforcements on the horizon, general manager Mike Elias and manager Brandon Hyde could soon find themselves looking for new jobs.
