The only thing worse than having just one good starting pitcher is having zero good starting pitchers. That’s the territory the Orioles reached officially on Friday afternoon when they placed John Means on the injured list with what’s being termed a left elbow strain.
It is a regrettable state of affairs. The Orioles had no solution for how to pitch well when Means was on the shelf last year. It doesn’t seem like they’re going to have any better of an idea at this early juncture of the season either. The only question is how severe this injury ends up being and whether it goes into the worst case of Tommy John surgery that would wipe Means out for at least a full year from now.