Two young Orioles starting pitchers posted improved numbers this week despite the Orioles losing 4 of their last 5 games. Cade Povich (1-2, 5.04 ERA) earned his first win of the season against the Washington Nationals, pitching 6.2 innings and allowing only 1 run while fanning 5. Brandon Young also improved from his first major league start despite earning a loss.
Povich, the 25 year old third round draft pick from 2021, has had an up and down start to the season. He only lasted 3.1 innings in his last start against Cincinnati on April 18 when he gave up 7 runs and walked 5. He gave up only 4 hits and 1 walk against the Nationals on Thursday.
Brandon Young (0-1, 6.23 ERA) improved slightly against the Detroit Tigers on Saturday, pitching 4.2 innings while giving up 3 runs. He also doubled his previous strikeout number of 3 against Detroit. Manager Brandon Hyde pulled Young in the 5th inning for Brian Baker who inherited Young’s runner on 2nd base. Baker allowed a single from Detroit’s Jace Jung that scored Zach McKinstry from 2nd to complete Young’s line.
These improvements serve as encouraging news for a beleaguered Orioles rotation, but the Orioles have failed to give their pitchers adequate run support. The Orioles scored only 2 runs for Povich and 1 while Young was pitching. While the 2 runs were enough for Povich to earn a win, Young still awaits his first major league victory. He was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk for relief pitcher Grant Wolfram immediately following the loss Saturday night.
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