Mailbag leftovers for breakfast

The Orioles are four games below .500 again and the rotation issues won’t go away. They were one-hit, so it isn't just the pitching. The anger generated from Sunday's 24-2 loss was supposed to shatter slumps and funks.

What can you trust? Well, there’s mailbag leftovers.

You asked, I answered, and some stuff had to be held. Let’s get to it before the Orioles send Tomoyuki Sugano to the mound tonight and hope that he can be their stopper.

How far away is Chayce McDermott’s rehab start?
Manager Brandon Hyde told the media in D.C. that McDermott was “ a little bit behind Trevor Rogers,” who starts this afternoon at Double-A Chesapeake. “I don’t think that date has been set in stone, but in the next week or so,” Hyde said. The Orioles want Rogers to get three or four starts before he’s reinstated. Not that you asked.

What’s happening with Zach Fruit? He really impressed me in spring training.
The Baysox put Fruit on the seven-day injured list yesterday. No explanation accompanied the news. Fruit allowed nine runs and 10 hits and walked six batters in eight innings over three starts. Patrick Reilly also went on the IL yesterday after exiting his last start with right elbow discomfort. Not that you asked.

Could Charlie Morton slot into the previous Albert Suárez role of part-time starter and long man in the bullpen?
Morton could get more starts, with the bullpen being Plan B as a reset. He’s being paid $15 million, which is a lot for a long reliever. However, Hyde told the media yesterday that anything is on the table. The Orioles wouldn’t want it to be a permanent move, but it might be a way to let Morton work through some issues in low-leverage situations. Let's see if he's one of the starters this weekend in Detroit.

Is it true that the last game against the Reds has now been marked TVMA due to the on-field massacre?
I’d skip the reruns.

Will Cedric Mullins have another 30/30 season?
He’s the only Oriole to do it. Expecting it to happen again is a lot of pressure, but he’s the team’s best player through 22 games - he reached base three times last night and had the only hit - and his six home runs put him on a nice pace. He’s stolen three bases in four attempts, so he’s got to get moving.

I'll assume that Mike Elias will be patient until some key reinforcements return from the IL (Zach Eflin, Colton Cowser and others). How long should he wait before trying bolder moves if those returning players can't jump-start this team?
Bolder moves aren’t usually made this early in a season. Elias is talking to other clubs but he mentioned in his last media scrum that deals normally happen closer to the deadline. It doesn’t hurt to try, of course, but anything impactful might not be possible in April or May. In the meantime, there could be another depth-type acquisition while some injured players make their way back to the club.

Where do they hide Charlie Morton if it's 100 percent impossible to expect a half-decent start from him any longer and they're not going to cut him?
Going back to the previous Morton question, the bullpen would be the logical spot if he isn’t hurt. And we’re told by Morton and Hyde that the veteran right-hander isn’t hurt. You really can't hide anyone. If he's in the bullpen, he's got to get outs.

What is your biggest concern about this club right now?
The starting pitching is the logical place to start. The rotation’s ERA increased last night to 6.22 after Dean Kremer surrendered five earned runs and six total in 5 1/3 innings. The 11 hits tied his career high. The eight extra-base hits against him are a record for an Orioles starter. But it’s also disturbing that throws are missing the cutoff man or going to the wrong base. No one covered second base last night on a single to Cedric Mullins. That’s a surprising issue. And we can’t ignore an offense that shut down again last night and is struggling to hit left-handers. The injuries are worrisome, too. There’s a bunch of stuff.

Do you see Ramón Urías playing more as a regular and Jackson Holliday starting to platoon?
I see Holliday still getting lots of opportunities in the lineup because it’s April. I think he’s in it most of the time but Hyde will try to find at-bats for Urías, too. Urías can sub for Jordan Westburg at third base, as well as filling in for Holliday at second. Holliday was in the lineup against a left-hander last night.

Do you think 24 is the most runs any team will give up this season? Or do you think we can eclipse it before the All-Star break?
I’ll predict that 24 is the most runs any team allows this season. But use two or three position players as pitchers and anything is possible.

Is Cedric Mullins more of a clubhouse exemplar than leader?
Can he be both? Mullins is a leader but he’s the quiet kind. Players respect him and watch how he goes about his business. I don’t know that he’s the kind of guy who’s going to call a closed-door meeting and peel the paint off the walls. I don’t know who’d fit that description. You need a veteran with a track record and that type of personality. And it helps if he isn't partly to blame for the disappointing start.

Should they make the Orioles wear City Connect jerseys with the orange pants until they win a game?
There’s no need to be cruel. The Orioles would wear rainbow-colored spandex onesies if it got them on a winning streak.

Which player's start to the season has been the most surprising (good or bad)?
Seranthony Domínguez deserves a mention in the good category after his brutal results in spring training. It’s almost like camp statistics don’t matter. Weird, right? Cedric Mullins moving atop the order again and being the team’s early Most Valuable Oriole isn’t something that I anticipated. I expected much more out of Charlie Morton and thought Adley Rutschman would be on fire after his tremendous spring. Jordan Westburg’s lengthy slump also is puzzling to me.

Why do the front office and Brandon Hyde have a hard time moving on from Jorge Mateo? Yes, he is fast, but if he can't get on base what good is that speed? And I’m not sure his glove is elite to warrant playing time and enough to make up for his lack of offense.
Mateo really isn’t playing that much and there are much bigger problems. I don’t think he’s the reason why this team is four games below .500. But he’s vulnerable if another infielder comes up. For example, if the Orioles want to promote Coby Mayo.

Should Jordan Westberg try to bunt to break his bad luck and break his hitless streak?
The streak ended with a home run but he’s still in a slump. I’d recommend a lot of bunting throughout the order to get runners on base, move in the infielders, change the mojo.

Can you pitch?
Do fits count?

With the Orioles being deficient in the starting rotation, it appears as if there is a significant need for a long man out of the ‘pen. Do you think the Orioles will turn to one of the acquired veterans or use a guy like Brandon Young or Cade Povich in this role?
I’ll go back to Brandon Hyde’s remark about anything being on the table. Albert Suárez is missed. The Orioles could use more length out of the bullpen, and moving a starter makes sense if there are enough to fill out the rotation. It could be Young or Povich or Morton or someone else. It could be a starter from Triple-A instead of bringing up another one- or two-inning reliever.

Do any of the army of hitting coaches have ideas as to why the team is struggling so much to hit LHP?
If they knew, the numbers would be much better. The Orioles dedicated part of their offseason to adding right-handed hitters who could balance the scale. It isn’t working. Mitchell Parker had the kind of outing last night that causes opponents to tip their caps. He isn’t just picking on the Orioles. But a left-handed cardboard cutout can be a challenge. Hard to explain.

If I promised you the moon and the stars, would you believe it?
No, because it’s just one of those games that people play in the middle of the night. I’m not falling for it. And this is probably a good place to stop.

Why didn't we re-sign John Means? He'd slot perfectly into our top-notch IL rotation.
I’m just gonna back away slowly, because this is definitely a good place to stop.