Second half begins with Gallardo on the mound

The second half is here and so are all of the same questions about the rotation and how the Orioles will address it.

The Orioles will continue to look in-house for rotation help while also checking the trade market. They'd love to add a left-hander, but they can't be too choosy.

Double-A Bowie southpaw Chris Lee remains on the disabled list with a strained lat. He hasn't pitched since May 23 and he still hasn't been cleared to throw.

Right-hander Yovani Gallardo is another wild card for the Orioles over the last 75 games. He was limited to nine starts before the break and is 3-1 with a 5.82 ERA and 1.685 WHIP over 43 1/3 innings.

Gallardo's ERA was 7.00 when he went on the disabled list with right shoulder tendinitis, so he's slowly letting out the air.

In five starts since being activated, Gallardo has worked five, 5 1/3, six, four and five innings. He's allowed 14 runs and 27 hits in 25 1/3 innings, with 16 walks and 21 strikeouts.

An effective Gallardo in the second half would provide a tremendous boost to a much-maligned rotation. He needs to provide more length.

Gallardo faced the Rays on June 24 and allowed three runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings in a 6-3 win. He's 2-1 with a 3.52 in four career starts against the Rays and 1-1 with a 2.19 ERA in two starts at Tropicana Field, allowing three earned runs and seven hits in 12 1/3 innings.

The current Rays are batting .203 (14-for-69) against Gallardo. Logan Morrison is 2-for-21 with six strikeouts and Evan Longoria is 2-for-12. Corey Dickerson is 4-for-6 with a double and home run.

Tampa Bay right-hander Chris Archer leads the majors with 12 losses in his 16 decisions. He's tied for the lead with 19 starts and ranks second in the American League with 130 strikeouts in 110 innings. Archer is averaging 3.9 walks and 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

Need more proof that a pitcher's record is largely meaningless? Archer is 1-6 with a 2.70 ERA and 1.182 WHIP in nine home starts this season and 3-6 with a 6.75 ERA and 1.706 WHIP in 10 road starts.

Archer has faced the Orioles twice this season and gotten opposite results. He allowed six runs and 10 hits in five innings on April 8 in Baltimore, and he tossed 6 2/3 scoreless innings with no walks and 10 strikeouts on April 25 in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Archer is 3-5 with a 4.48 ERA in 11 career games (10 starts) versus the Orioles. Manny Machado is 9-for-25 with a home run, Chris Davis is 5-for-17 with two doubles, two home runs, six walks and eight strikeouts, Matt Wieters is 7-for-21 with a double, J.J. Hardy is 5-for-17 with two doubles, and Jonathan Schoop is 4-for-9 with a double and home run.

Adam Jones is 3-for-25 with eight strikeouts.

The Orioles worked out yesterday at Tropicana Field and Hyun Soo Kim's hamstring strain hadn't healed to the degree they anticipated. They probably will wait through the weekend before deciding whether he needs to go on the disabled list.

Kim normally would be in the lineup tonight against a right-hander, but the hamstring may keep him on the bench. We'll see how he's feeling this afternoon.