Andrew Stetka: Experiment with Bundy, Worley could work for Orioles

As the Orioles continue to tinker with their pitching staff, more specifically their starting rotation, they are searching for a mixture that works. Over the last four days or so, they appear to have found something. The experiment of placing Vance Worley and Dylan Bundy into the rotation has paying off in the early going. I went on record last week in this space as against plucking Bundy out of the bullpen and making him a starter at this point. I won't go back on that just seven days later, but the Orioles have been dealt few other options. The addition of Worley and Bundy to the rotation have been welcomed in the early going.

The Orioles have won the last four games on the strength of their starting pitching, not their bats. That's weird to even think about, much less read about. Even though Bundy was only able to go five innings because of his pitch count on Friday, he allowed a single unearned run and put Odrisamer Despaigne in a good position to hold down the fort out of the bullpen. The other pitchers (Worley, Chris Tillman, Kevin Gausman) delivered brilliant results that have vaulted the Orioles into the top record in the American League.

The results won't be this rosy each time out, but it's nice to see the potential is there. What's more important to realize is that between now and next week, when the non-waiver trade deadline hits, the Orioles are very unlikely to bring in a starting pitcher to this rotation. They are likely playing the "we are what we are" game from here on out. Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette praised the team's farm system during a meeting with season ticket holders recently. There were a few quotes that raised my eyebrows. If the farm system isn't in the bottom five, as many of the experts say it is, where are all the prospects coming to rescue the rotation? They aren't there, and there aren't many pieces the O's can sell off to acquire pitchers from another organization.

Instead, the Orioles are going to have to go the unconventional route, as they have in years past. One would think they'll have to bolster the bullpen in the coming week in an effort to shorten the game and help out the starters. They don't have to make a move like they did a few years ago in acquiring Andrew Miller, though a lefty sure would be nice. They need to get one or two arms that can help take the load off Zach Britton, Brad Brach and Mychal Givens. They also need to find someone to replace Worley and Bundy, who were serving important roles in that bullpen. The return of Darren O'Day is nice, but it doesn't solve all of the issues that can crop up for this team over the final few months of the season.

The Orioles have a great opportunity this season. It's similar to the one they had two years ago when they ran off and won the AL East. Moving Worley and Bundy into the rotation looks smart on the surface, and it may work. But they still need to prepare themselves for all possible scenarios. They have to prepare for the idea that it may not work perfectly and create a fallback plan. That's the goal of this team over the next week. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

The rest of this season will be much like the first 97 games. The Orioles will have to rely on that great offense and stellar bullpen to mask any deficiencies that show up in the rotation. And they will show up. But they sure didn't this weekend.

Andrew Stetka blogs about the Orioles for Eutaw Street Report. Follow him on Twitter: @AStetka. His thoughts on the O's appear here as part of MASNsports.com's continuing commitment to welcome guest bloggers to our little corner of cyberspace. 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.