Andrew Stetka: Injuries likely to test Orioles early in season

Despite a pair of losses over the weekend, the Orioles were able to split a four-game series with one of the hottest teams in baseball. They played a strange back-and-forth affair with the White Sox on Saturday against the red-hot Mat Latos and were mostly shut down by perennial Cy Young candidate Chris Sale on Sunday. While the weekend may have looked bad from a win-loss standpoint, it looks even worse from an injury standpoint.

Zach Britton and J.J. Hardy were both hurt, and while we don't know the full extent of either injury just yet, both will test the Orioles in many ways. Both players will have further tests today to determine how serious of an injury they face. Britton's ankle and Hardy's foot could even go a long way into deciding if the O's can hang around atop the American League East, despite it only being the beginning of May.

Britton has been the steady hand at the back end of the bullpen for some time now, and his absence will shift things around. Darren O'Day, Mychal Givens and Brad Brach will all be tested to fill in for him in the meantime. It sounds as if Britton will avoid the disabled list, but even losing him for a few days will put a strain on a bullpen that is already constantly stretched by a rotation that mostly fails to go deep in games and provide a break.

Britton has proven himself as one of the better closers in the game with a sinker that falls off the table, but he's also one of only a few lefties in the bullpen. Brian Matusz and T.J. McFarland are the only healthy left-handers not only in the bullpen, but on the entire pitching staff. It's hard to understate Britton's value, but as the anchor of the bullpen, many others will have to pull their weight.

Hardy could cause quite the shuffle, not only in the infield, but in the lineup as well. The veteran's presence hasn't quite been felt at the plate this year, despite a pair of Fenway Park home runs that likely wouldn't have left any other stadium. While nine of his 19 hits have gone for extra bases, Hardy's likely absence will more be felt in the field. We'll likely get the chance to see Manny Machado play more shortstop, something many fans have been clamoring for. That causes quite the shift, however, and a hole at third base. Buck Showalter will need to figure out who fills that spot.

Does Pedro Alvarez see time in the field? Does Chris Davis shift over from first base, leaving Mark Trumbo to come out of the outfield? Ryan Flaherty will likely be recalled from Triple-A if Hardy does indeed visit the DL, but will he take many starts? There are many questions to be answered, but only after we know exactly what the depth of the team will look like.

The Orioles were always going to be challenged this season. Injuries only add to that equation. It's a bit under the radar, but even prospect Hunter Harvey is dealing with another injury issue. He'll reportedly be evaluated for a possible hernia today. These bumps in the road can't be turned into mountains if the Orioles want to continue to have success. They are in first place a month through the season, but any small thing can derail that. The Orioles came into the season without a ton of depth in any position. That's going to be the big test while both Britton and Hardy are out, and likely beyond that as the possibility of more injuries creep into the season.

Andrew Stetka blogs about the Orioles for Eutaw Street Report. Follow him on Twitter: @AStetka. His thoughts on the O's appear here as part of MASNsports.com's continuing commitment to welcome guest bloggers to our little corner of cyberspace. All opinions expressed are those of the guest bloggers, who are not employed by MASNsports.com but are just as passionate about their baseball as our roster of writers.