With starting Orioles pitchers John Means and Tyler Wells both out for the season, left-hander Cade Povich recently made his major league debut in Toronto.
Povich struggled some, allowing five hits and six earned runs in 5.1 innings. He also walked four batters and struck out two. However, the 6-foot-3, 185-pound lefty still flashed the ability to compete at the highest level. He began his debut with a strikeout of Davis Schneider and retired seven of the Blue Jays’ first eight batters.
Povich is the Orioles’ No. 9-ranked prospect, according to the MLB Pipeline, and dominated in Triple-A this season. Across 11 starts and 56.2 innings, Povich recorded a 3.18 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP, 75 strikeouts and 21 walks.
“It’s hard to give a huge judgment after one start, but I saw a lot of good things from that start,” former Orioles reliever Brad Brach said on Glenn Clark Radio June 10 after calling the Blue Jays series for MASN. “I think the biggest takeaway from it all is that he’s going to be a capable major league pitcher. He might have had too many walks, and I think that’s what led to his stats not being the best in that game, but I feel like that’s a pretty easy fix. You’ve just got to throw the ball over the plate.”
While Povich certainly has a bright future, he may not be ready for a consistent role in the rotation this year, especially given the Orioles’ World Series aspirations. That leaves many to question whether the Orioles should make a move before the trade deadline.
“It’s just with the way pitching is done these days, I think you need to have more than five, six, seven guys that can go out there and throw five innings,” Brach said. “… I think if the Orioles can get that one guy that kind of puts you over the top, I feel like this is the time to go do it.”
Connor Norby also made his major league debut in Toronto but was optioned on June 11 to make room for Jorge Mateo. Norby tallied three hits, two RBIs and a home run during his short stint in the majors.
The No. 6-ranked prospect in Baltimore’s farm system, Norby hit .286/.374/.510 with nine home runs through 206 at-bats at Triple-A Norfolk this year. The question now is when Norby will get an extended chance to make an impact at the major league level.
“Young guys, they deserve a chance. These guys have all proven themselves at the Triple-A level,” Brach said. “There’s nothing else to prove there. It’s kind of a question for this year and a question moving forward.”
Additionally, discourse always follows Craig Kimbrel and whether he can be a reliable closer in the playoffs, though he has not allowed an earned run in his last 11 appearances. And while Brach, Kimbrel’s former teammate, still believes in the 36-year-old, he recognizes the benefit of adding another arm.
“You have him, Craig Kimbrel, being one of the best closers of all time that I still think can get it done for a team going to the World Series,” Brach said, “but it’d also be nice to have somebody else you can rely on also and not just have it all be on his plate. At this stage of his career, maybe he isn’t a guy that can do it every single night in the playoffs, because that’s a lot for anybody.”
After being swept in the ALDS last year, the Orioles may have a different perspective approaching the trade deadline, now knowing from first-hand experience that every inning matters. If Kimbrel enters the playoffs on a cold spell, the Orioles need to have a backup plan.
“If you have a guy who’s struggling right as the season ends, do you pitch him in the ninth inning when it’s a one-run game because you’re a closer all year?” Brach said. “I think that kind of changed a few years ago.”
For more from Brach, listen to the full interview here: