Craig Albernaz Reveals Reason Behind Questionable Baltimore Orioles Decision

The Baltimore Orioles are free-falling in the American League East standings, and after dropping Monday's game against the Seattle Mariners they are now five games under .500.

Monday's game was close before slipping away in the middle innings. Baltimore entered the top of the fifth inning holding a 1-0 lead. When the inning came to a close, they were down four runs.

Orioles starter Trey Gibson, called up hours before game time to fill in for the injured Chris Bassitt, was on cruise control through four innings before it all unraveled in the fifth.

Gibson allowed three hits and one run in the inning, but he was one out away from escaping with the game tied at 1-1 despite the Mariners threatening with runners on the corners.

Instead, manager Craig Albernaz turned to the bullpen and brought in Anthony Nunez. Nunez walked the first batter, Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez, who had gone 0-for-2 against Gibson, and then allowed a grand slam to Josh Naylor, giving Seattle a 5-1 lead.

The Mariners did not look back, winning 6-3. It is fair to wonder what would have happened had Gibson stayed in to face Rodriguez himself. After the game, Albernaz explained his decision to pull Gibson at 68 pitches.

"With the pitching on their side, we knew runs were going to be at a premium. Gibson was falling behind guys, the inning before he fell behind every single hitter he faced. He was giving up some loud contact as well," he said (h/t Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun).

"We just had to make a decision there to try to stop the game and to give ourselves a chance, because we know that runs are going to be at a premium with [the Mariners] bullpen, and that was the decision we made."

The real question now is if Gibson has done enough to remain the replacement for Bassitt in the rotation. The Orioles pitching staff has been decimated by injuries, so options are limited, and Gibson remains one of the organization's top prospects.

In four appearances, including three starts, the 24-year-old has posted a 4.24 ERA. However, he has collected just five strikeouts in 17 innings of work, which is uncharacteristic for him. In the minors, Gibson has been a big strikeout arm, piling up 324 in 252 1/3 innings pitched. It is unclear when Gibson will potentially make his next start at the big-league level.