Orioles trying to find some relief

Whether the Orioles make a roster move this morning seems less compelling than exactly how many.

Is one reliever sufficient after yesterday's 12-9 loss?

Manager Brandon Hyde hinted at the possibility of multiple pitchers joining the team in D.C. today, though as I wrote Friday night, there are 40-man roster complications.

Another starter didn't get deep into yesterday's game, with rookie Bruce Zimmermann lasting only three innings and the Orioles surrendering leads of 5-0 and 6-1.

Hyde used Adam Plutko for two innings and the right-hander allowed four runs in the fourth and took the loss. He threw 43 pitches, his ERA rose to 4.74 and he's down for at least a few days.

Plutko chose to focus on the fifth inning, when he retired the side in order with two strikeouts and said he made Trea Turner look "pretty foolish" with a cutter on the outside corner that resulted in a fly ball.

"You can dwell on negatives all day long, but in baseball, this game is hard enough, so let's look for positives and really focus in on those," he said.

"Obviously, I know what my line was and I know what my first inning was, but what is the point of beating up myself on that? That seems pretty pointless and what's the point of dwelling on a lot of us maybe struggling for a hot minute or being in a quick slump? Let's build on some positives."

Tanner Scott threw 33 pitches in the sixth while allowing two earned runs and three total. Cole Sulser and Shawn Armstrong each tossed a scoreless inning and each threw 18 pitches.

Armstrong has been used in back-to-back games and isn't available today or probably Monday.

Reminder here that Plutko and Armstrong are out of minor league options.

Thomas Eshelman relieved Josh Rogers last night at Triple-A Norfolk, so I guess that rules out the Orioles selecting his contract today.

Isaac Mattson is on the 40-man roster and worked one-third of an inning on Thursday, so he's available to pitch.

The Orioles have lost five in a row and 12 of 14. They've surrendered 48 runs in the last five games. In their last win, over the Yankees, they prevailed despite allowing six runs. So, yes, the pitching needs to be fixed, but there isn't a simple procedure.

There are, however, plenty of growing pains to go around. And this was expected. Why are some fans stunned by the struggles, as if the rebuild was supposed to last two years?

Didn't executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias explain at his introductory press conference how a rebuild works? How ugly it can be and why no one ever wants to go through it again?

One fan commented that Elias isn't doing his job because the team isn't also winning while it rebuilds. Is that even a thing?

(Spoiler alert: It is not.)

Anyone demanding proof of progress needs to check out the farm system - nice timing with yesterday's announcement that pitching prospect Kyle Bradish is moving up to Double- A Bowie - and the analytical and international scouting departments.

Yes, the Orioles want to be more competitive and won't accept sloppy play and mental breakdowns as a byproduct of rebuilding. Hyde admitted that he's worried how this terrible stretch will affect his players.

Bad beatings tend to leave marks.

"You want your guys to feel good and I do worry about that," he said. "It's been a couple of tough years and we're not winning these games here these last couple weeks and that's tough. It's tough to lose in the big leagues and you want guys to feel success."

The floor is opening underneath them, threatening to swallow an entire team. Hyde is working to pull them back.

He can only wish that it were as simple as tweaking the bullpen, but the job is much bigger.

The bullpen would be a good start, though.