Looking at some possible in-house options for the rotation

As the Orioles look to upgrade their starting rotation during the second half, will they look first at internal options?

There are just not many pitchers on the farm right now pitching to a level that is forcing their way onto the roster in Baltimore. But there may be some pitchers worth at least looking at.

Odrisamer Despaigne is currently on the Orioles roster and has been pitching out of the bullpen. When he was starting at Triple-A, he was 1-6 with a 3.59 ERA over 12 starts. He pitched to an ERA of 1.63 his last five starts with Norfolk, but he has not made a start since June 8.

Ariel Miranda has gone 3-7 with an ERA of 3.95 for Norfolk and he was just on the O's roster for one day. Over his past four starts there - one since he returned to the Tides, three before his call-up - he allowed just two runs over 25 2/3 innings.

Right-hander Joe Gunkel is 5-7 with a 4.15 ERA over 14 Norfolk starts. Over 80 1/3 innings, he has walked just 13 with 50 strikeouts. While he has allowed two runs or less in six of his past 10 starts, his ERA is 5.87 his past four starts.

Left-hander Jayson Aquino and right-hander Jason Garcia both recently were with the Orioles to provide a fresh bullpen arm, and one or both could get another look. Aquino is 4-8 with an ERA of 3.48 for Double-A Bowie. Garcia recently pitched three scoreless outings over a four-start stretch for the Baysox.

Right-hander Brandon Barker has pitched well since he was one of two pitchers the Orioles acquired May 23 from Atlanta for pitcher Brian Matusz. Barker has gone 4-3 with a 3.20 ERA for Bowie. Over his past three starts, his ERA is 2.21 and he has allowed two or fewer runs in five of his past six starts.

This is just a partial list of possible options already in the organization. Of course, Tyler Wilson and Mike Wright could return to the roster also. Parker Bridwell just recently returned from the disabled list and Chris Lee remains out.

Should the Orioles look at one or more of these internal options in the weeks ahead rather than make a trade for a pitcher that might not prove to be an upgrade? Everyone wants that top-of-the-rotation starter, but there may be few (or none) traded. Will the O's have enough to trade to get such a pitcher? As they look to make improvements - even small ones that could help in their rotation - perhaps looking internally will prove to be the best move by the club.

More notes on the Orioles:

* The Orioles won the last two games of their series with the Angels scoring seven runs total. They allowed just four runs in those games and only three earned runs.

* The Orioles hit just .120 (3-for-25) when batting with runners in scoring position in the series with the Angels. Over their past five games, they are 6-for-48 (.125) with RISP.

* The Orioles have hit 137 home runs and lead the majors. Mark Trumbo leads the major leagues with 28. Chris Davis is tied for ninth in the majors and tied for sixth in the AL with 22 home runs. Manny Machado is tied for 10th in the AL with 19. The 137 home runs before the All-Star break are the most in Orioles history, passing the 134 hit by the 1996 Orioles.

* At 33-14 (.702), the Orioles also own the best record and have the most wins at home in the majors. The club finished the month of June with a 14-3 record at home. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the 14 home wins mark the most in one month by the Orioles since they went 15-3 at Memorial Stadium in June 1979.

The Orioles at the All-Star break in recent years:
2012: 45-40 (.529) in second place, 7 games out
2013: 53-43 (.552) in third place, 4 1/2 games out
2014: 52-42 (.553) in first place, 4 games ahead
2015: 44-44 (.500) in third place, 4 games out
2016: 51-36 (.586) in first place, 2 games ahead