Notes on clubhouse at trade deadline, national attention for club, Wells' struggles

The trade deadline is fast approaching. It is Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET and we are getting real close now.

The deadline has seemed to not be a big topic in the O’s clubhouse this year, and one reason may be the team’s desire to be buyers this time and not sellers.

O’s executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said Friday he is not looking to trade from the current 26-man roster, but he could not rule it out. Still, an O’s deal or deals, barring a surprise, would be one where the club deals a prospect or more for current major league talent.

Asked again Saturday about the deadline and whether it impacts his club, manager Brandon Hyde indicated it really does not and has not.

“The trade deadline is there and everyone knows that date," he said. "But we are focused on the Yankees and their good pitching staff, and they’ve always been a tough team. … I don’t think any of our guys are thinking about the trade deadline right now. Think they are worrying about winning this series."

Hyde is pleased that his club is getting more national attention this weekend as Fox airing last night's contest and ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” showcasing tonight's Yankees-Orioles game.

“I think it’s awesome that our guys are getting the attention they are getting," he said. "And I love the fact they are getting recognized. I want (Anthony) Santander to be a household name, and Austin Hays, and I wish Ced (Cedric Mullins) was playing now and have him have in the spotlight a little bit.

“I was asked about Tyler Wells today. And it’s fun to tell them his story. Now everyone knows it. A Rule 5 pick that didn’t pitch for two years prior to that because of injury. Sticks on our team because we like his arm. We had a bad pitching staff and all of a sudden took a chance to keep him. And he’s the league leader in WHIP in the American League East. To tell the stories of our guys, I’m enjoying that." 

Speaking of Wells: He was struggling with control and command again last night and gave up a couple of long homers as the Yankees won 8-3 at the Yard. Wells went just 2 2/3 innings, allowing three runs, three hits and three walks.

Wells said he is not fatigued. His manager seems to agree. Both say he is currently struggling with command and location. So is a mechanics adjustment needed?

“I guess if you want to put it under that umbrella. But ultimately, to me, it’s a mindset thing," Wells said, adding, “Physically, I feel fine.”

But his performance lately is not fine. For a while he was the O's best starter. As we got to the All-Star break his ERA was 3.18 and WHIP was 0.927. In his last eight starts leading up to the break, he went 4-3 with a 2.83 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP and an opponent batting average and OPS of .213/.692. In 47 2/3 innings he walked 12 and fanned 49. He was rolling. 

In his past three starts, however, his ERA is 11.00 over nine innings and he's allowed 2.11 WHIP. He has given up four homers and nine walks while getting eight strikeouts. Opponents have hit .278 with a 1.069 OPS.

I certainly believe Wells when he says he is not fatigued. After all, he is just 10 innings past his season total from last year. No way I believe that a pitcher who was rolling into the All-Star break as he was suddenly can't pitch past the third or fourth because he is tiring.

“I think we are going to be talking about a lot of things here," Hyde said when asked if the club would consider skipping Wells' turn in the rotation. "We’re in a weird week and he’s had a tough time these last few starts. So there will be discussions going on."

Wells vows to turn it around, and maybe a pitcher who was so good for so long deserves time to do it. Reporters' postgame questions gave Wells the chance to second-guess Hyde's decision to pull him in the third inning, but the right-hander instead showed respect for his manager.

"It’s still a long season with a lot of baseball left to play," Wells said. "Right now that is all I’m focused on: continuing every turn in the rotation and just making sure that I’m improving.

“I always feel confident in my ability to, you know, work out of jams. But whenever Skip makes that decision I trust that his decision was best. Ultimately, it was his choice, but I think if he made that decision I trust him 100 percent.

“Everyone has a bad day at work. How you react to it is, ultimately, the biggest thing. Right now I am trying to take positives out of each start and continue to work on the things I need to get better at."

A pitcher that was so good for so long is suddenly not, and now the Orioles have to decide if it's just a bump in the road or something bigger. If it's the latter, they have to figure out how to fix it.