Zach Wilt: O's need pitching, but not at cost of losing top assets

It took 14 innings, but yesterday the Orioles turned what could have been called "a bad road trip" into "let's just ignore what happened for those four games in Seattle." Jonathan Schoop's heroics in the 14th secured a series win for the Birds in Los Angeles and a 4-5 record out west against the Padres, Mariners and Dodgers. I'm sure it made the long flight back to Charm City a little more pleasant. Though it's not the 5-1/2-game lead they had when they won their seventh straight game and went 17 games over .500, the O's return to Baltimore still in first place and look to pad the best home record in baseball (31-13).

Last week, I highlighted the Orioles' successes in June, a month in which they won 19 games. The offense not only broke the record for most homers in that particular month, but also led all 30 teams in on-base percentage (.357). When you're hitting bombs at a record pace and doing it with ducks on the pond, that's the recipe for some serious runs. That's exactly how the O's scored 185 of them in June, 27 more than the next closest team.

Unfortunately, while that was happening, their starters were pitching to a 5.56 ERA, the fifth worst total that month. Because the wins were stacking up and the offense was getting so much positive attention, which it completely deserved, we sort of all collectively looked past the continued struggles of the rotation. After all, does it matter if one aspect of the team is struggling when you've got a .679 winning percentage in that month?

After beating the Padres 12-6 on June 29, the Orioles' playoff odds on FanGraphs.com finally peaked above those of the Red Sox for the first time in 2016. The Birds had a 71 percent probability of a postseason berth, compared to Boston's 61 percent. Then the five-game losing streak happened, and the O's odds dipped to below 50 percent. Less than the flip of a coin.

During those struggles, we didn't talk about the success of the bats, instead all of our focus was shifted to the starters, who aside from Chris Tillman and Kevin Gausman, have ERAs of 5.67 or higher. There's been a lot of discussion about how the O's can improve the rotation, whether it be through a player already on the roster, like say Dylan Bundy, or an acquisition at the deadline. Throughout the season, some folks have even suggested parting with a player like Schoop or Mark Trumbo to improve the starting staff.

I would be very hesitant to do so. While I agree, in order to win the division, make the postseason and hopefully have a long run in October, the Orioles need to fix their problems in the rotation, it's important to remember that they are in first place despite this problem. Moving a valuable offensive piece off a first place team to improve the rotation could end up having more of a negative affect than a positive one. The O's aren't defined by that five-game losing streak any more than they are by their three seven-game winning streaks. They're defined by their 47-30 record.

On June 15, 2015, the Kansas City Royals saw their playoff odds dip below 50 percent as they narrowly led the American League Central by a game and a half. The Twins and Tigers were on their heels and their starting rotation was one of the worst in baseball. Even after acquiring Johnny Cueto at the trade deadline, KC's rotation finished the season ranked 22nd in ERA (4.34). The Royals hoped that Cueto would solidify their staff and be the ace they needed for an October run. He wasn't. Over 13 starts, Cueto posted a 4.76 ERA and allowed opponents to hit .305 against him. It didn't matter though. The Royals won their first World Series championship in 30 years anyway.

How did they do it? With one of the best bullpens in baseball (2.72 ERA, second in MLB) and an offense that made solid contact and got on base. Sound familiar?

The 2016 Orioles and 2015 Royals are by no means the same teams and it's unfair to compare a championship club the these Birds, but it's important to remember that the Orioles are where they are in the standings with the current construction of their roster. A solid starter would go a long way for them, but only if they can acquire him and still keep the offense and bullpen intact.

Zach Wilt blogs about the Orioles at Baltimore Sports Report. Follow him on Twitter: @zach_wilt. His views appear here as part of MASNsports.com's season-long initiative of welcoming guest bloggers to our pages. 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.