Yard Work podcast: Episode 6

Hey, O's fans. Welcome to this week's episode of Yard Work.

The Orioles returned from a seven-game road trip against the two teams on their heels in the American League East. And after dropping three of four against the Blue Jays and winning two of three against the Red Sox, the Orioles remained atop the division heading into the weekend, though both Boston and Toronto are still close behind. Steve Melewski and I recap the road trip and talk about what the Orioles need to do to stay in postseason contention as we pass the halfway point in June.

Meanwhile, it seems like the same old story each week with the Birds. The team's offense continues its torrid pace, but inconsistency from the starting rotation has created several problems. Ubaldo Jimenez was pulled from the rotation Tuesday and relegated to the bullpen. It was a move that had to be made, given Jimenez's struggles this season, but what does the future hold for the right-hander?

We've seen Tyler Wilson, Mike Wright and Kevin Gausman all show they can compete at the major league level with impressive starts in the month of June, but each of those has been surrounded by lackluster performances. Will the young arms be able to find some consistency on the mound?

The rotation will certainly see a change on today as Yovani Gallardo returns after spending nearly two months on the disabled list. Fans will be anxious for Gallardo to come out firing and challenge Chris Tillman to be the ace of the staff, but Melewski and I will talk about our expectations for the right-hander and also update the rehab statuses of J.J. Hardy, Caleb Joseph and Darren O'Day.

And though the starting pitching woes seem to be grabbing a lot of headlines these days, take notice of centerfielder Adam Jones. Jones has hits in 14 of 17 games in June and his eight home runs in the month are nearly twice as many as he hit in April and May combined.

All in all, it's been another busy week for the Orioles. We break it all down in the latest episode of Yard Work. Enjoy!