A question that Ubaldo Jimenez has often brought to the forefront is one that now needs to be answered: Who's next in line for the Orioles to start outside of the five pitchers who have been in the rotation all of May?
It's not Jimenez who is necessitating an answer, as the five spotless innings before the five-run sixth inning Thursday provided enough reason to stick with the $13.5 million man at least for the time being. Instead, it's the demotion of right-hander Mike Wright that means the Orioles need another starter.
The pending activation of Yovani Gallardo off the disabled list on June 12 means the Orioles don't need to search for a long-term solution — they really only need one start — but what better time than now to do an inventory of starting rotation depth, an aspect of the Orioles that even entering spring training was the first thing anyone skeptical of their chances questioned.
The active candidates
Vance Worley: It's hard to call Worley an unsung hero given how often the value of long relief is demonstrated for the Orioles, but he's been so important to this season. Since getting shifted out of the starting rotation for Tyler Wilson in late April, Worley has given the Orioles more than two innings of relief five times, and has allowed three earned runs in 23 innings out of the bullpen.
There are questions as to whether those results would be replicated as a starter, and then there's the matter of who takes his place in the role he's taken so well to. He also bounces back well from those long outings. Showalter made it clear in adding T.J. McFarland that the Orioles wanted two long relievers, and that's even more important without a day off until June 13. Worley might be the fan's pick to replace one of them, but the possible reverberations make it hard to move him from where he is.
T.J. McFarland: For all the same reasons as Worley, moving McFarland from the role he was summoned for in relief might not only weaken the bullpen, but may not be that big of a boost in the rotation. McFarland gets to start when he goes down to Triple-A, but it seems he'd have gotten a chance to start if he was going to by now.
That said, we're only talking about one start. He's a favorite of manager Buck Showalter, and he showed an ability to pitch deep into games in his brief stint in Norfolk — he pitched into the sixth inning in one start and the eighth in another before leaving his third with a knee injury. His and Worley's candidacy both probably hinge on them not being used too extensively in the weekend series against the New York Yankees. This weekend's starters, Chris Tillman, Tyler Wilson and Kevin Gausman, haven't required much long relief this season.
The 40-man candidates
Chris Lee: Of the starting options on the 40-man roster, Lee seems to be the hot name around Camden Yards. He's 5-0 with a 2.98 ERA in 51 innings (nine games) with a 1.05 WHIP and a groundball/fly ball ratio of 1.95. He's pitching to contact at Double-A Bowie, with just 19 strikeouts, raising questions as to what his out pitch in the majors will be, but with a mid-90s fastball, plus a cutter, a softer breaking ball and a changeup, he may be able to get by a few times before teams figure him out.
It's curious that the organization decided to skip his turn in the Baysox rotation, with Showalter citing fatigue, but the timing of this seeming rotation crisis and the skipped start seem to add up neatly. He's scheduled to make his next start Sunday, so if the Orioles burn McFarland or Worley this weekend to the point that Monday's not an option, keep an eye on who takes the mound for Bowie in their doubleheader Sunday against Akron.
Odrisamer Despaigne: Acquired during the offseason from the San Diego Padres, Despaigne is on the 40-man roster but hasn't been mentioned much in these discussions to come up and join the rotation. He's spent parts of two seasons in the majors, and with six innings of one-run ball Thursday has a 3.96 ERA in 56 2/3 innings over 11 starts.
He's not getting terribly deep in games, with just four of his 11 starts lasting six innings or longer, but he might be able to give them one representative start before going back to Norfolk.
Options off the 40-man roster
Wandy Rodriguez: This is the most familiar name to people who don't follow the minors, but it's also probably the least likely. Rodriguez signed a minor league deal with the Orioles last month and has been working himself into form in extended spring training. But there hasn't been much discussion of how those outings there are going, and it's hard to tell whether it can play when he has been facing teenagers at the complex in Sarasota. My guess is things have to be a lot more dire for the Orioles to find out at this level.
Joe Gunkel: Gunkel's first run in Triple-A has gone largely well, with one disastrous nine-run, three-inning outing bringing down his line for Norfolk. He's 1-3 with a 4.36 ERA and 19 strikeouts and seven walks in 33 innings. Going by the idea that anyone who masters Double-A for the Orioles can pitch in the majors, he's ready, and the fact that no one really jumps out from the Tides rotation means Gunkel has to at least be in consideration. Gunkel features a low-90s fastball that's difficult to pick up, plus a slider and changeup.
Ariel Miranda: It's been an uneven 2016 for Miranda, a Cuban left-hander who debuted in the organization last season. He's allowed four or more runs in five starts, and either zero or one run in his other five starts this season, leaving him with a 4.81 ERA in 48 2/3 innings and a 1.44 WHIP. He's a fly-ball pitcher who, like Despaigne, has a wide array of pitches at his disposal. Whether they'll play in the majors is a question mark. He, like many of these possibilities, would have to be added to the 40-man roster, but would have options after he is.
Andy Oliver: A former second-round pick of the Detroit Tigers, Oliver is starting again after seemingly finding his niche as a reliever. He hasn't started since 2014, but his longer relief outings in Norfolk led the team to see if he can do it again. His longest outing this year is five innings, and he has a 3.21 ERA in 14 innings over four starts after posting a 1.31 ERA out of the bullpen.
The Tigers burned his minor league options early in his career, so the Orioles would have to add him to the 40-man roster and risk losing him if they tried to take him off the active roster at any point. That was the hold-up last week when they needed a lefty out of the pen, and may be again as they let him redevelop as a starter after so long out of the rotation.
David Hess: Hess has many fans in the Orioles organization, and with good reason. The 2014 fifth-round pick is already in Double-A, where he's pitched to a 3.35 ERA this season while riding a consistent fastball. With 10 starts at Double-A this year and only a handful last season, plus the fact he'd have to be added to the 40-man roster, he's more of one for the future. He's worth mentioning here, however, because of his consistency, his three-pitch mix, and the fact that he's one of the best performing pitchers in the Orioles' high minors this season.