After tough series, when will be the right time to tap into Bowie group?

If you are trying to get a handle on how the Orioles will do this year and you watched them play the last week, you might be very confused. They swept three straight from a Tampa Bay team that won 96 games last year. Then they played the depleted Miami Marlins, who restarted their season after about a week's stay in the hotel and with little prep for this series, and they lost four straight.

The Birds have now played in three straight series ending in sweeps. They lost two in a row to the Yankees, took three in a row from the Rays and then lost four in a row to the Marlins. The Orioles are now 8-26 all-time versus Miami, which recorded its first four-game sweep since April 25-28, 2016 at the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In the series' first three games, the Orioles gave up seven total runs - just three in Wednesday's doubleheader - but they scored just one run. Of course, when they scored seven last night they gave up eight.

The solid run of the starting pitchers, who allowed two earned runs or fewer in each of six straight games, came to a halt. Wade LeBlanc allowed six runs in 3 1/3 innings Thursday. LeBlanc had given up just one run in the first four innings of his first two starts, but he was scored on in each of the first four innings last night.

The Orioles defense contributed greatly to their own demise. There is a lot to clean up before game time tonight in Washington.

It was nice to see four solo homers by the Orioles, including two by Renato Núñez, who produced his third career multi-homer game.

Catcher Chance Sisco hit a double and homer last night along with a walk and strikeout. He is batting .455 (5-for-11) and he's drawn five walks. His on-base percentage through 17 plate appearances is .647. It might be time for Sisco to get extended playing time. Why not let him start back there for a week or two and see if he can build on his good start on offense and show that he has made improvements on defense?

The club likes Pedro Severino a lot, but I think they also need to leave this season with a better handle on Sisco's future in Baltimore. Adley Rutschman's day is coming - very likely not this year though - so why not throw Sisco out there for a few starts? The Nationals are scheduled to start right-handers the next two days.

Fans also must be wondering when the club will call on some of its young talent at the Bowie alternate site. That group includes young outfielders Ryan Mountcastle, Yusniel Diaz and Ryan McKenna, along with young pitchers Keegan Akin, Dean Kremer, Michael Baumann, Bruce Zimmermann and Isaac Mattson, to name a few.

There are no minor league games being played right now, but the Bowie group of players are getting into simulated games and taking live at-bats and getting plenty of work in at Prince George's Stadium. And of course the organization is keeping close tabs.

"We do have game reports and we do have stats and we do have video," O's manager Brandon Hyde said yesterday. "So, I know on a daily basis what happens each day there. We do get reports every morning. We are keeping stats there and we do have video on everything. So, we are very aware of what's going on at our secondary site."

A pitcher like Baumann, who has one of the best arms in the organization, could impact the team this year in either the bullpen or rotation. Ideally, the club would have liked to send him to Triple-A this year and then later bring him to Baltimore. Now they don't have that luxury.

So the club will have to gauge when is the right time to start introducing some of these young players to the majors and make a young O's team even younger. No doubt fans anxiously await their arrival.