Baltimore Orioles: 5 Targets to Shore Up the Starting Rotation

The Orioles started 2011 the same way that they finished 2010, with really good starting pitching. Jeremy Guthrie and Zach Britton were early ERA leaders and Chris Tillman, Brad Bergesen and Jake Arrieta looked like they were progressing very nicely in their development into quality major league pitchers.

The staff started to fall back to earth, but was still alright until Mark Connor suddenly resigned. I'm not going to point my finger at Rick Adair for the subsequent collapse, but it seems like forever since an Oriole starter has gone more than five innings and the rotation is filling with nobodies.

Brian Matusz returned from injury without velocity and was hammered in six starts to a 1-4 record with an 8.77 ERA. Zach Britton allowed seven earned runs in just two thirds of an inning in his last start and was subsequently sent all the way down to Double A Bowie until the end of the month.

Jake Arrieta has started to crumble and despite leading the team with nine wins, he has a 4.90 ERA and has had trouble with an elbow issue that dates back to last year and could require surgery. Chris Jakubauskas and Mitch Atkins are currently starting, but both have ERAs above six.

With no end in sight to the failures of the starting pitching, the Orioles are preparing to look outside the organization to keep their bullpen from dying from being overworked.

Here are five pitchers that the Orioles could look at to help out.

Scott Feldman, Texas Rangers

The Orioles just had a chance to get Scott Feldman off of waivers, but his large contract scared them away. Feldman cleared waivers, rejected being outrighted to the minors and is now preparing to join the Rangers.

The Rangers are going to try to stash him in the bullpen for now, but may decide it's not worth it and release him. They are because Feldman rejected the minors, they are forced to release him if they can't put him on the active roster.

Feldman has been okay in his rehab in Triple A Round Rock. He has a 4.43 ERA in eight starts, which isn't great, but he is in a very hitter-friendly league, so he may do better in the majors. He has had success in the majors in the past, winning 17 games for the Rangers in 2009.

If Feldman is released, the Orioles would be smart to grab him for a cheap price. He likely wouldn't ask for much because the Rangers would be on the hook for about $15 million over the next two years.

Jeff Suppan, Kansas City Royals

Jeff Suppan is fighting hard at Triple A Omaha to earn his spot in the majors again. He had some success with the St. Louis Cardinals at the end of 2010, likely due to his pitching coach Dave Duncan, who is famous for getting good results out of struggling veterans.

Suppan deserves a callup soon to the majors. He has a 1.74 ERA in his last five starts and has gone at least seven innings in four of them, including a complete game shutout.

The Royals control Suppan for now, but the Orioles could try to trade for him. It could probably get done as just a cash deal if the Royals were willing to give him up.

Carlos Silva, Free Agent

It pains me to include Carlos Silva, but this shows just how desperate I think the Orioles are for starters.

Silva has had character issues in the past and was notoriously bad with Seattle, but he may be just right for the Orioles.

The Yankees just released the 32-year-old after he went 2-1 with a 3.52 ERA in four starts for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. He was having shoulder trouble when the Yankees released him, so the Orioles would have to look at the timetable for a return, but if he is healthy, the Orioles should grab him.

Kevin Millwood, Boston Red Sox

It's pretty clear that the Red Sox don't really have a use for Kevin Millwood. They had the opportunity to promote Millwood just before the break to face the Orioles, but opted to go with Kyle Weiland instead because Millwood would have required a 40 man move.

Millwood is 4-0 with a 4.50 ERA in eight starts for Triple-A Pawtucket and would be a perfect fit for the Orioles. The O's know Millwood well, as he last pitched in the majors as a member of the Orioles and the Orioles looked at him this offseason.

If the Orioles could get Millwood away from the Red Sox, a reunion may do wonders for the beleaguered rotation.

Scott Kazmir, Free Agent

Kazmir was demolished in his five rehab starts for the Salt Lake Bees. He had one good start where he went six innings and allowed just two runs, but was terrible otherwise.

That last paragraph doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement, but I think he would be worth taking a chance on. Kazmir is just 27 years old and has shown that he has the talent to be an ace at the major league level.

If I were the Orioles, I would take a chance on Kazmir just based on what they faced for years while he was a young ace in Tampa. If he doesn't work out, they can get rid of him. If he does work out, make sure he stays because he was one of the best left handed pitchers in the AL a few years ago.