BALTIMORE — Orioles starter Mike Wright had few answers after his latest outing went horribly wrong in a 13-3 loss to Toronto on Friday night.
After allowing a career-high eight earned runs in just 3 2/3 innings, Wright saw his season ERA climb to an unseemly 6.12. To little surprise, the 26-year-old was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk after the game, signaling Baltimore’s second rotation change this week with disappointing veteran Ubaldo Jimenez already being sent to the bullpen.
In his last two starts covering 8 2/3 innings — both against the Blue Jays — Wright allowed 12 earned runs.
“I threw some good pitches, I threw some bad pitches. They hit them both,” said Wright shortly before his demotion was announced. “I’m working harder than ever. When you’re working harder than ever and you get those results, it’s tough.”
Despite being optioned to Norfolk following his June 1 start against Boston that lasted only 2 2/3 innings, Wright was recalled on June 3 when reliever Darren O’Day was placed on the 15-day disabled list. The young pitcher initially took advantage of the “do-over” by tossing seven strong innings against a depleted Kansas City lineup, but his last two starts only reaffirmed the struggles with his command and with the quality of his secondary pitches.
On Saturday, the Orioles will activate veteran starter Yovani Gallardo from the DL, a move they hope will serve as a shot in the arm for a starting rotation sporting a 4.93 ERA through the first 67 games of the 2016 season. However, Gallardo is only taking Jimenez’s spot in the rotation, making it unclear who will replace Wright when his turn next comes around on Wednesday.
