It’s seemed obvious from the time the Orioles rolled out their original starting rotation – the one with near-the-end Chris Bassitt and Zach Eflin in it – that they would have to go to a six-man mix in the second half of the season.It’s something a smarter and more forward-thinking front office would have built into the process (as we pointed out long ago) to keep pitchers with perilous innings situations fresh throughout rather than wait until things got potentially desperate in September. So of course we know what baseball failure Mike Elias opted for. And even now, with it seeming obvious what they need to do, the Orioles refuse to fully recognize it.But let’s give them yet another reality check.Cade Povich got the start Monday, because they didn’t want to see Kyle Bradish pitch on regular rest (we’ll explain further in a moment), because he failed to throw 40 innings or more in 2024 or 2025 due to eventual Tommy John surgery. And while Brandon Young bounced back last time out, he’s been struggling to finish five innings lately (he's surpassed any innings marks). And even opening day starter Trevor Rogers is doing something he’s never done before – trying to pitch an entire season in MLB without needing a rehab stint.Of course, these pitchers were imperiled in this regard before the season began, and manager Craig Albernaz has adopted some weird machismo approach to this all season, trying to pretend that innings limits aren’t commonplace. He did waver just a bit in that regard prior to the start of Monday’s series in Colorado. “A six-man rotation is on the table,” Albernaz said. “Going down the stretch, we love our starters, and they’ve been throwing the ball extremely well. We want them to (pitch) as many games as we can, but also being mindful of where they’re at physically.”That last part of that statement best carry the most weight.All are showing signs of distress that go beyond whatever nominal upside this team has; Elias doesn’t think it has much at all or he would have handled the trade deadline differently. Is It Already Happening?Bradish was pushed back for this start, going to Tuesday, and it’s likely to happen again whether they fully commit to it or not. Bradish has failed to complete five innings in three of his last six starts; he’s allowed 41 hits in 29 2/3 innings in that span, striking out just 23 with a 6.07 ERA. He’s allowed four homers and has been clearly laboring to put batters away. And with a $100M contract extension and a history of multi-year elbow problems we’ll see if the manager who left him out to dry last start treats him with appropriate care from here on out.Young wasn’t supposed to be in this rotation that Elias crowed would be so deep, but the former undrafted player has been a salvation, honestly. In his last six starts he’s allowed eight homers and struck out just 23 batters in 32 2/3 innings with 36 hits allowed and a FIP of 6.05. He’s thrown 130 innings and never pitched more than 111 in the minors (far less rigorous). Again, cause from concern.The Struggle Is Getting Real Rogers has already thrown more innings in a season in MLB than ever before at 137 2/3, this is the first time he’s been in MLB the entire season this late. He gave up two homers in a 10 game stretch but has now given one up in five straight starts. He's given up 35 hits and six homers in his last six starts (34 IP) with an ERA of 5.03 (I'll always contend they should have sold him at the deadline given the other moves they made).Noticing a trend here?Bassitt, again, is 36 and spent a good bit of the season on the Injured List.Shane Baz is the most sturdy of the bunch and he hasn’t hit a career mark in MLB innings yet, but he has been let down by lack of run support and poor fielding – he has a 3.03 FIP in his last six starts (4.11 ERA). But of course the Orioles never win when he pitches; he leads the league with 14 losses and Baltimore has lost 20 times in games he started.It’s pretty clear that a rotation that has exceeded all reasonable expectations and carried this team and kept it falling horribly off the final Wild Card pace was a clear candidate for serious regression. And that’s happening. And backing off some of them and adding starting arms to the mix is in order.Subscribe To "The Daily Flock" On YouTube For The Most Urgent Orioles Coverage:Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow