Anthony Amobi: Gausman to the rescue?

Tonight will be quite an event for the Orioles and their fans as Kevin Gausman - one of the organization's top pitching prospects - takes the mound against the Toronto Blue Jays. The fans have wanted him called up for a while, and they have gotten their wish. As of early last week, executive vice president Dan Duquette noted to the media that Gausman would not be in line for a promotion to the majors soon; however, considering the precarious state of the starting rotation, the Orioles may not have had a choice. They need arms, and dominant ones that can pitch with some consistency. The Orioles - who have a 25-21 record as of this morning - have struggled to get their starting pitching deeper into games. Right now, with southpaw Wei-Yin Chen on the disabled list and an inconsistent starting rotation, they know that they have to retool and improve that part of the roster in order to compete this season. Gausman may be a small but vital part of it. Yes, the Orioles won two in a row against the rival Yankees and the starting pitching was much improved, but Duquette and manager Buck Showalter know their organization. They know that the big league team needs help in the starting rotation and also perhaps a game-changer. It is too soon for Gausman? Who knows? At this point, the team needs a lift - and don't forget they took a chance on Manny Machado last summer to fill a void at third base. We all know how that has turned out so far for the Orioles. Gausman - a Louisiana State University product and the fourth overall pick in the lsat year's draft - showed a lot of promise before his promotion. He is a 22-year-old right-handed hurler who has been in professional baseball less than a year, but from the moment he signed with the organization, most predicted a fast track to the majors. Despite his 2-4 record and 3.11 ERA in 64 1/3 innings with Double-A Bowie, FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal says, "the Orioles are comfortable with the move because of Gausman's ability to throw three pitches for strikes as evidenced by his otherworldly ratio of 49 strikeouts to five walks." I'm sure that Duquette, Showalter and the front office will watch Gausman closely. I would not worry about him being overworked and not ready for the challenge. But there is always a chance of injury. Alas, it is the nature of the business. The Orioles are in it to win now. There is no time like the present to promote talent that could help them to achieve that goal. Hopefully, Gausman is ready for the next level. It is quite a jump from Double-A Bowie to the majors. Anthony Amobi blogs about the Orioles at Oriole Post. His observations about the O's appear as part of MASNsports.com's season-long initiative of welcoming guest bloggers to our site. 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.