The state of the Orioles' pitching staff ahead of Tuesday's game against the Brewers

It's been a downright brutal season for the Baltimore Orioles thus far. After winning 192 games across their last two seasons and qualifying for the playoffs in each, the Orioles are off to a terrible 15-31 start in 2025, and much of it can be blamed on the pitching staff. As they continue to search for answers in their starting rotation, the Orioles will turn to rookie Chayce McDermott in game two of their series against the Milwaukee Brewers, with left-handed reliever Keegan Akin expected to serve as an opener.

After the Orioles made the decision to fire Brandon Hyde, their manager since 2018, on Saturday, they handed the reins to third base coach Tony Mansolino, whose father was a coach for the Brewers from 1998-99. In taking over the managerial role, Mansolino inherited one of the worst pitching staffs in all of baseball. Both their team ERA (5.55) and their starting pitching ERA (6.03) rank dead last in the American League, while their bullpen ERA (4.90) is third-worst in the AL.

To make matters worse, the Orioles designated veteran starter Kyle Gibson for assignment on Sunday morning. Gibson was carrying a 16.78 ERA through four starts, but the decision remains a disheartening one as Gibson, who signed a 1-year, $5.25 million deal with Baltimore in March, reminds the Oriole faithful how unsuccessful their offseason was. With Gibson no longer in the picture, the Orioles are currently down a man in their rotation, as only Cade Povich, Dean Kramer, Zach Eflin, and Tomoyuki Sugano remain. The team does still roster veteran starter Charlie Morton, but his sluggish start to the season has led to him splitting time between the bullpen and the rotation.

With seemingly no other options, Mansolino and the Orioles turn to an opener and a rookie for Tuesday night's matchup with the Brewers. Here's what Brewers fans should expect from Baltimore's pitching staff tonight.

Baltimore to throw rookie Chayce McDermott for the bulk of Tuesday night's game against the Brewers

Akin is slated to start for the Orioles in tonight's game. Though he did start 17 games for the Orioles in 2021, he struggled to a 6.63 ERA that season and has since found more success after being converted into a reliever. He made 66 appearances out of the Orioles' bullpen a season ago and posted a 3.32 ERA. Akin is a strange choice for an opener as he has reverse splits, meaning he's been more effective against righties than lefties in 2025. Openers, especially left-handed ones, are generally used to neutralize left-handed batters at the top of the lineup, but despite Akin's strong fastball-slider combo, lefties have posted an OPS of .847 against him this year.

After Akin, Baltimore will turn to McDermott, who the Orioles re-called from Triple-A earlier this afternoon, as reported by MLB.com Orioles' insider Jake Rill on X. McDermott, who is the Orioles No. 4 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, made one start for Baltimore a season ago and made his second MLB start last week against the Minnesota Twins. He allowed four earned runs to the Twins in just three innings, but has been effective when pitching in the minor leagues this season.

McDermott's main Achilles heel is his lack of command. He's struck out a ton of batters in the minor leagues (more than 30% in each of his full minor league seasons), but a high walk rate has continuously plagued him throughout his professional career. With a mid-to-upper 90s fastball and a wipeout slider, McDermott has the stuff to be a really good big league pitcher. However, if the Brewers can show patience at the plate, draw their walks, and wreak havoc on the basepaths, they should be able to scratch a few runs across with McDermott on the mound.

Following McDermott, it's fair to assume that Yennier Cano is unavailable for tonight's game after throwing 25 pitches last night and 13 on Saturday. Additionally, Seranthony Domínguez has thrown 51 pitches in the last five days, so it's likely he is unavailable tonight as well.

That leaves some combination of Bryan Baker, Cionel Pérez, and Gregory Soto available for the late innings of relief, with closer Félix Bautista likely only pitching if it's a close game in the late innings. Baker has been the best arm out of the Orioles' bullpen this year, with a 2.27 ERA to prove it. Soto hasn't been bad; he holds a pedestrian 4.02 ERA, but has yet to allow a home run this year. Pérez, on the other hand, has had a rough go of it. Though he has pitched better as of late, the left-hander still holds a 6.64 ERA on the season.

Whether it's Akin, McDermott, or a combination of bullpen arms, the Orioles' options do not inspire a lot of confidence. Therefore, tonight's game should serve as an excellent opportunity for the Brewers to build off of their last two wins, and gain some momentum as Memorial Day nears.