The rotation comes under the microscope after Orioles lose another to the Yankees

NEW YORK — The Orioles did not sign a top-of-the-rotation arm this winter, just as they did not sign one last winter. They made bids and didn’t win those battles, and that happens sometimes in free agency, even though it was less than ideal.

To soften the blow, the reasoning for why it was not crippling to miss out on a top-end starter was a belief that the internal options at Baltimore’s disposal are — or could become — No. 1 starters.

There is no guarantee that a high-priced free agent signing would have worked. Injuries are a risk for any pitcher, and regression is likely on the back half of those long-term deals. But the pitchers the Orioles propped up as ace-type arms aren’t pitching like it, either, and the trickle-down effect is this: Baltimore banked on depth and best-case scenarios from Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers.

Neither seems to lead to a winning formula so far. The rotation, which was so deep during spring training that right-hander Dean Kremer was optioned to Triple-A to begin the season, has been whittled down through injury. And those ace-like arms of Bradish and Rogers? They aren’t pitching at that level.

The latest example came during Baltimore’s 9-4 loss to the New York Yankees on Saturday, when Bradish allowed five runs in four innings. It continued a three-game losing streak in which Orioles starters have conceded five runs or more in four innings each, and now Baltimore is three games below .500 (15-18).

“Not concerned,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “It’s more, on my end, more frustrating, just because that group is really talented. And I feel like we should not be three games below .500. That’s on me. I gotta do a better job leading these guys and getting the most out of them, because the talent in that room, we should not be where we are right now, as far as the record.”

Given that this remains early in the season, there is time for a turnaround. But, through 13 starts, the combination of Rogers and Bradish leaves much to be desired (and Rogers is on the 15-day injured list for the flu). They own a combined 4.90 ERA. Bradish’s mark jumped to 5.03 after his Yankee Stadium struggles Saturday.

This is less than a week after right-hander Chris Bassitt said the rotation had a “come-to-Jesus” talk, during which the pitchers challenged each other to perform better. Bassitt declined to elaborate on that discussion. Right-hander Shane Baz didn’t disclose specifics, either, but he said “we had to have a little talk about what we wanted to do going forward, and I think it was very productive.”

Baz and Bassitt pitched well after that meeting. But the next three starts haven’t followed that trend.

“We talk about it, but it’s not just one thing that you can just wish would happen,” Bradish said. “I go out every outing and I think I’m going to go out and dominate every time, and that’s just not happening right now. It’s just a tough spot to be in. It’s definitely not for a lack of effort with the whole starting staff.”

There can be no denying Baltimore bolstered its rotation depth. But the top end of that rotation didn’t see significant improvement, and there was always a risk Rogers would regress from his 2025 heights. That regression has arrived in 30 1/3 innings, but the calendar is on his side to make amends.

The same goes for Bradish. He returned late in 2025 from elbow surgery and showed promise that he could re-create the highs of his 2023 season, when he earned Cy Young votes. Instead, Bradish’s command has been a consistent issue.

From 2022 to 2025, Bradish maintained a 7.8% walk rate with an average of 2.9 walks per nine innings. This season, those numbers have leaped to a 13.5% walk rate and 5.6 walks per nine innings.

Albernaz said the coaching staff is “trying to problem-solve to get the best version of KB,” and Bradish said “if I knew” what was leading to the command issues, “I’d try to fix it. It’s one of those things right now.”

Some of his misses hurt dearly Saturday. He bounced curveballs, grooved a middle-up slider to Cody Bellinger for a solo homer and gave up a two-run shot to Trent Grisham on a sinker that sat middle-middle.

And, as soon Bradish left the game, the Bronx Bombers bombed another. Left-hander Keegan Akin’s second pitch turned into the second solo homer for Bellinger.

A third straight short outing from a starting pitcher only further taxes a pitching staff that is in the midst of a 15-game, 14-day stretch. It also adds pressure to right-hander Trey Gibson’s major league debut Sunday, with length a must from the highly ranked prospect.

“For all of our starters, it’s extremely important for them to go deeper into games,” Albernaz said. “It takes the load off the bullpen, and it takes the load off of everybody else. That’s something that they recognize and that they’re out there actively trying to get better at.”

Still, unlike some of the other contests lately, Baltimore stayed in the game until late. Pete Alonso clubbed a home run for the second straight game, and the Orioles chased left-hander Ryan Weathers by loading the bases with no outs in the sixth inning. Alonso, against right-hander Jake Bird, grounded into a double play to bring one run home, and pinch-hitter Samuel Basallo lined an RBI double.

An inning later, pinch-hitter Dylan Beavers manufactured his own run. He walked, stole second and third, and scored on Taylor Ward’s groundout.

But the all-too-familiar lapses made their presence felt, and the Yankees stretched their lead again in the seventh.

“I felt like we went out there and battled,” shortstop Gunnar Henderson said. “It’s not going to be just, I mean, they’re getting paid to do this just like we are. It’s not going to be easy going in every day. You’re not going to feel your best every single day. But it is what it is, and we’ll go out there and compete. We were within two runs late in the game, and they ended up breaking it open. But we were getting close there right there towards the end, so just keep getting shots on goal like that.”

For a team that has preached fundamental play, the Orioles have yet to enact it. In the third inning, Henderson and second baseman Jeremiah Jackson both left the bag for the shallow outfield as cutoff men. That allowed Bellinger to stretch a single into a double, although Bradish stranded the bases loaded to render that miscue moot.

In the seventh, when New York plated three runs against right-hander Anthony Nunez, a bobble from right fielder Tyler O’Neill as he attempted to field Jazz Chisholm’s single was ruled an error.

This four-game series is halfway over, and the Orioles are failing the test. If this was to serve as a measuring stick for Baltimore, it is far too short. The Yankees have outplayed the Orioles in every facet , and by the end of this weekend, the answer could be simple. The Orioles may just not be as good as they thought they were.

This article has been updated.