Losing O'Day another major complication for the bullpen (O's up 2-1)

Since winning still matters to the Orioles, as manager Buck Showalter pointed out again this week, they were dealt another massive blow with the news that reliever Darren O'Day will undergo season-ending surgery.

The recovery period for O'Day is estimated at six months and the Orioles reached the mathematical halfway point of their season last night with a 23-58 record.

O'Day reinjured the hamstring while trying to field a bunt by the Mariners' Jean Segura in Tuesday night's 3-2 loss. The last throw for O'Day in the 2018 season was a warmup pitch before exiting the game with head athletic trainer Brian Ebel.

The look on O'Day's face pretty much told the story. So did the tiny, deliberate steps he took in the hallway the following day while headed to the trainers' room.

A second opinion sought yesterday in Nashville led to O'Day's decision to have the surgery. It's a Grade 2 strain that initially brought hope that he'd avoid the procedure.

The Orioles again have lost their bullpen leader, who went on the DL earlier this season with a hyperextended right elbow and has made five trips to it since re-signing in December 2015. I haven't viewed him as one of the prime trade chips due to age, the injuries and the remainder of a contract that paid him $31 million over four years, but the club certainly was ready to field offers and there might have been a market for a non-rental.

(O'Day's status as a 10-5 player, achieved earlier this season, allows him to veto any deal.)

The injury brings a heightened sense of pain for the Orioles due to Richard Bleier's season-ending lat surgery. Two important components of their bullpen won't face another hitter this summer and there's no way to know on this date whether spring training will be compromised.

Now, factor in the possible departures of Zach Britton and Brad Brach, pending free agents who could be moved by the non-waiver trade deadline. It's fine to suggest that the Orioles need to focus more on the future and audition some of their younger arms, but recording outs remains a necessity until the final game.

Just how much inexperience can be pumped into one bullpen?

The two Rule 5 picks are gone - Nestor Cortes Jr. back to the Yankees organization and Pedro Araujo to the disabled list - but we've seen some of Tanner Scott's growing pains as he tries to compensate for Bleier's absence. Miguel Castro is 23 and, while deserving of his roster spot, is still working to become a more consistent strike-thrower and a more reliable alternative.

Ryan Meisinger and Paul Fry made their major league debuts last night. More inexperience and uncertainty while Showalter tries to maneuver through games and avoid finishing with the worst record in franchise history.

Subtract Britton and Brach and a season that appears incapable of getting any uglier could get much uglier.

You can't run through an entire bullpen every game in a desperate attempt to complete nine innings.

Maybe the foursome would have been gone anyway via trade as the season slid into August, but the injuries forced the Orioles' hand and they get nothing in return for Bleier and O'Day besides heartache - which doesn't spark a rebuild.

Don't ask what else could go wrong this season.

For the Angels
Kole Calhoun RF
Mike Trout CF
Justin Upton LF
Albert Pujols DH
Andrelton Simmons SS
Luis Valbuena 1B
Ian Kinsler 2B
Martín Maldonado C
David Fletcher 3B

Tyler Skaggs LHP

Update: The Orioles opened the bottom of the first inning with consecutive singles by Tim Beckham, Adam Jones and Manny Machado and a sacrifice fly by Danny Valencia to take a 2-0 lead.

Update II: The Angels cut the lead to 2-1 in the fourth on Andrelton Simmons' two-out RBI single, but they left the bases loaded in the fifth.