The way the Orioles rotation is set up is tailor-made for moments like this. With nearly every bad loss, there's a sense that the season is on the brink — and Friday night's 14-4 loss to the Yankees qualifies.
So the Orioles turn to Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman, who at ages 23 and 25 have transformed into the Orioles' best hope for the rest of this season and for the future.
The first round picks in 2011 and 2012 don't get to grow up slowly any longer. Not with with the shoulder bursitis to Chris Tillman limiting him this month and Wade Miley and Yovani Gallardo combining to be a grab-bag of results.
If the Orioles are going to be a playoff team, they'll need Bundy and Gausman to make quality, if not spectacular, starts.
Bundy gets the first crack following Gallardo's 1 1/3-inning meltdown Friday. He's coming off of six quality innings on Monday against the Washington Nationals, and is 4-1 with a 3.10 ERA in August.
This month has been even better for Gausman, who starts Sunday. When he pitched six shutout innings on Tuesday, the day Tillman's injury severity became clear, he talked about the need to take his consistency to the next level. He has a 3.03 ERA this month, just in line with Bundy's. The rest of the Orioles' rotation outside those two in that same span has a 7.25 ERA this month.
The Orioles have had them shine back-to-back before. Mid-July against the Cleveland Indians at Camden Yards comes to mind. They both beat Texas in early August as well.
An injury to center fielder Adam Jones means there's a heightened sense of gloom surrounding this weekend in the Bronx. The season's volatile nature means there have been a few moments like this recently. The Orioles will hope their two young pitchers can stem this one.