Rogers looks forward to second start and Westburg talks about his rehab and more

TORONTO - The Orioles rotation began play last night with a 3.83 ERA and that ranked as third-best rotation ERA in the American League. That is a solid placing but how long can a rotation stay there when it keeps taking hits?

Kyle Bradish made just eight starts this year. John Means made four and Tyler Wells made just three. Recent trades brought reinforcements with right-hander Zach Eflin and lefty Trevor Rogers. But then righty Grayson Rodriguez gets scratched last night minutes before the game and seems likely headed to the injured list for the second time this year.

Rodriguez is returning to Baltimore to get further evaluation and imaging on an issue the club announced as right lat/teres discomfort. No word yet on how long he may be out.

With that news as a backdrop, lefty Rogers makes his second O's start tonight. In 22 starts this season with 21 for Miami and one for Baltimore he is 2-10 with a 4.76 ERA.

In his last nine Marlins starts before the O's traded for him, he had an ERA of 3.17. But in his first O's outing on Thursday at Cleveland, he gave up five runs over 4 1/3 innings.

Now much more settled in with the club and beginning the process of working with the club's pitching coaches to make both short and long-term improvements, he described himself yesterday as "pumped and excited" for tonight.

Those strong last nine starts with the Marlins gave Rogers confidence.

“I think just finding where my strengths are," he said before Tuesday's game at Rogers Centre. "Meaningless walks just killed me earlier in the year. I really need to attack the zone with all my stuff and not be predictable. Those things really helped me those starts.

“Really throwing offspeed pitches in fastball counts (is important). Just mixing and matching, up, down and out. Using the whole zone, instead of specific parts of the zone that batters can eliminate.”

And now after a few days with the club he actually has had time to meet all his teammates.

“Definitely feeling a lot more settled in. Gotten to know the guys really well and the coaching staff, the pitching department. Just able to go about my routine every day. So definitely got my feet underneath me," said Rogers, 26, who is under team control through 2026.

Will the change of scenery do him some good?

“It’s huge, something that I wanted for a long time. We had a really good last year with Miami, but it didn’t go the way we all wanted it to. But being with a team that is really competing for a pennant, I am really excited and really pumped for the last two months of the regular season," said Rogers, a National League All-Star in 2021 when he finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting.

Rogers said he is open to getting input from the O's pitching coaches. They have already had thoughts for him on things like his pitch mix and mechanics. They want to bring out the best in him.

“Yeah, for sure (I'm open to that)," Rogers said. "The information is a lot more than I am used to in a good way. Just their ability to break things down and show me what I was doing right when I was going really well and where I am at now. And how I can get back to the guy I know I can be. I was really pumped about that. Their tools and the knowledge they have for me just leading up to the next two months and two years I am here, really excited about that.”

Westburg still helping this team: O's infielder Jordan Westburg remains hopeful, he said yesterday, of a return before the regular season is out.

He was hit by a pitch July 31 and went on the IL with a fractured right hand. That hand and arm were wrapped heavily yesterday, and his right arm was in a splint. 

"It just comes down to how quickly the bone heals and how quickly I can progress,” Westburg said Tuesday in the visitor’s clubhouse. “I am just taking it one day at a time and personally, I’m optimistic I can be back before the end of the season. I am going to do everything I can to get back out there.”

Westburg was very upbeat during this interview, and it was clear he is excited to be with his teammates on this road trip. He is still trying to help this team win, even without being on the field.

"I'm in good spirits. Not going to let this weigh me down," he said.

"Immediately (when it happened) I was very disappointed. I want to play and be part of this team. But I’m choosing to find the good in this circumstance. Whether it’s just time to sit and talk with Coby (Mayo) and Jackson (Holliday) and be here for any of our young guys. Want to give back to this clubhouse and be some kind of energy in the dugout. I am trying to find different ways to go about this and still be productive.”

Manager Brandon Hyde said he was not surprised in the least that Westburg is now mentoring younger players and doing whatever he can to still help his teammates.

“He already is a special guy, special player. His first full year in the big leagues, there’s a lot of veteran in him already," Hyde said. "I saw him interact in the dugout in Cleveland. He was in our hitters meeting – he doesn’t need to be there. But he is trying to stay super engaged, super involved. He wants to help as much as he can.

"It’s killing him that he can’t be on the field right now, killing him he can’t compete with our guys every single day. But if there’s anyone who will be back as soon as possible, it’s going to be him. I love his makeup.”

O's lose in series opener: After scoring 16 runs on 30 hits the last two games at Cleveland, the O's batters went 3-for-29 last night with two singles and Jackson Holliday's solo homer. 

The Orioles scored 24 runs in their June four-game series at Rogers Centre.

The Birds are now in second place, falling a half-game behind the Yankees, who were rained out. It's the first time since June 26 the Orioles were neither alone or tied for first place. They are 67-47 for the year, 33-22 on the road, 6-5 against Toronto, 23-11 versus AL East foes and 9-9 since the All-Star game.