MINNEAPOLIS \u2014 The Orioles, owners of MLB\u2019s third-worst starting pitching ERA entering Wednesday, are soon to receive a boost to their pitching staff when right-hander Zach Eflin returns this weekend.<\/p>\n
Eflin, who has missed a month due to a strained right lat muscle, is scheduled to pitch against the Los Angeles Angels, manager Brandon Hyde said. The specific day is to be determined.<\/p>\n
Hyde also said he expects outfielder Tyler O\u2019Neill (neck inflammation) to join the Orioles in Anaheim.<\/p>\n
Before Eflin\u2019s injury, he provided stability for a unit that has been rocked by poor results. Eflin navigated six innings in each of his first three appearances of the season. He has allowed six runs while striking out eight and walking one. Eflin has been a bright spot since arriving in a trade from the Tampa Bay Rays midway through the 2024 season. He finished last year with a 2.60 ERA in 55 1\/3 innings.<\/p>\n
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.<\/a><\/p>\n Without Eflin, right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano has carried the torch. The 35-year-old holds a 3.00 ERA in seven appearances. Right-hander Dean Kremer, who is scheduled to pitch Thursday, has a 5.73 ERA but posted seven scoreless innings in his last start.<\/p>\n With Eflin\u2019s return, Baltimore could move right-hander Charlie Morton out of the rotation again. The Orioles briefly moved Morton to a bullpen role amid the disastrous beginning to his time in Baltimore (9.76 ERA), but Morton will start against the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n The overall performance from the pitching staff has been a major catalyst of the 13-21 beginning to the year. The staff as a whole carries a 5.49 ERA, which is the second worst in the majors. The starters have a 5.75 ERA.<\/p>\n General manager Mike Elias hasn\u2019t shied away from the performance issues or the fact some of his offseason additions, such as Morton, haven\u2019t played at a high enough level. But Elias has pointed to injuries for Eflin and right-hander Grayson Rodriguez as exacerbating factors in the poor start.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re getting back to five strong here pretty soon, but sometimes that doesn\u2019t last real long, here. We\u2019ll see,\u201d Elias told \u201cThe Show\u201d podcast<\/a> from the New York Post on Tuesday. \u201cThis was something that was perceived as a possible shortcoming heading into the season. We thought we were going to have a very talented offensive group. We thought we were going to have a good enough rotation with a very strong bullpen and a very strong offense to take on the division. It just hasn\u2019t worked out that way for the first month.\u201d<\/p>\n