Zach Wilt: Even former O's starting pitchers are underperforming

Starting pitching has been the story of the 2017 season for the Orioles. It seems to be a topic every night in Charm City as the Birds have again fallen below .500 at 35-37 and their rotation has produced just two quality starts in their last 16 games. Collectively, the O's pitching staff has allowed five or more runs in 19 consecutive games and they have gone 6-13 over that span.

Last week, I wrote about the Orioles' production in June 2016 when they went 19-9 and finished the month with a four game lead in the American League East. Despite their starting rotation ranking 26th in the league in ERA (5.56) and 24th in innings pitched (147 1/3), the O's offense led baseball in batting average (.300), on-base percentage (.357), slugging (.531), and home runs (56). They totally outmashed the competition for 28 games for their winningest month. I used these numbers as an example of why the Orioles can still win with bad starting pitching.

Unfortunately, even with that type of offensive production, the Birds would still be losing games at too high of a pace to remain competitive within the division. Since June 1, Orioles starters are surrendering nearly eight runs per nine innings and opponents are hitting them at a higher average than any team in baseball. The Orioles offense would need to produce close to double digit run totals every night to have the type of success they had a year ago.

Naturally, there has been a lot of finger pointing about this problem. There are many theories on who's to blame and how the Orioles got here. Like any similar situation, there's never really one simple answer or solution. What I do find fascinating though, are the struggles of former O's starters in 2017.

It's natural to start with Yovani Gallardo, who made 23 starts in the Orioles rotation a season ago and recorded a 5.42 ERA over 118 innings. Gallardo inked a two-year deal with a club option in February 2016, but after underperforming in Baltimore, he was traded to the Seattle Mariners last winter for outfielder Seth Smith. The change of scenery didn't help much for Gallardo, over 75 2/3 innings in the Mariners rotation, he's compiled a 6.30 ERA and the team announced earlier this week he's moving to the bullpen.

Between 2012 and 2014, the Orioles had a true unsung hero in their rotation. He signed a minor league deal with the O's in March 2012 and ending up pitching Game 3 of the American League Division Series for the big league club that season. I'm talking, of course, about Miguel González, who pitched to a 3.82 ERA over parts of four seasons in Buck Showalter's rotation. The Orioles released González last March and he found success with the White Sox, recording a 3.73 ERA over 135 innings last season. This season hasn't been nearly as kind for the 33-year-old, over 78 2/3 innings, González has collected a 5.49 ERA with the South Siders.

Wei-Yin Chen was another impact starter in the Orioles rotation. Over four seasons (2012-2015), Chen allowed less than four runs per nine innings and tallied over 190 innings pitched twice. He signed with the Marlins as a free agent on Jan. 13, 2016, pitched just 123 1/3 innings last season and collected a career-high 4.96 ERA. Chen is currently on the disabled list with a UCL tear in his left elbow.

During their playoff runs, the Orioles have dealt several starters to improve their October chances. Prospect Zach Davies was sent to Milwaukee in exchange for Gerardo Parra, Eduardo Rodriguez was dealt to Boston for Andrew Miller and Jake Arrieta was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Scott Feldman. All three of these pitchers have seen success with their new clubs, Arrieta even won a Cy Young and a World Series ring. But none have lived up to the hype in 2017.

After 28 solid starts last season, Davies is walking more opponents and striking out less. He's 7-4 with a 5.40 ERA. Rodriguez has shown signs of being a solid rotation piece for Boston, but was inconsistent last season (4.71 ERA in 20 starts) and is currently on the DL with a knee injury. There's no doubt that the Orioles could have used Arrieta over the last five seasons, he's been one of the game's best starters. This year, he's giving up nine hits per nine innings and has pitched to a 4.64 ERA.

We can all agree that the O's rotation has struggled mightily this season and they have certainly made moves to deplete their depth and further the problem. But in 2017, there truly isn't much help to be gained by going back in time and undoing part of the past. Across baseball, starting pitching is weaker than it was a decade ago, and no one knows that more than the Orioles. But there isn't much that could have been done to change how 2017 has played out.

Zach Wilt blogs about the Orioles at Baltimore Sports Report. Follow him on Twitter: @zach_wilt. His views appear here as part of MASNsports.com's season-long initiative of welcoming guest bloggers to our pages. 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.