Voth looking at progress, not numbers, in chase for rotation spot

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- The Orioles have a tough decision ahead of them: Who will be the No. 5 starter in their rotation?

Austin Voth is trying to make that decision tougher.

The right-hander admittedly didn’t have his best stuff during Saturday’s 8-6 loss to the Blue Jays, and he was let down by his defense at times. But the outing, at the very least, represented progress.

“I thought Austin threw the ball extremely well,” O’s manager Brandon Hyde said. "I think he battled a little bit, but I thought his command improved over last time.”

The last time Voth was on the mound, he served up three homers over three innings versus the Phillies on March 6. His final line against Toronto doesn’t look impressive -- two runs on three hits and three walks over 2 2/3 frames -- but Voth deserved a better fate.

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A dropped popup by third baseman Gunnar Henderson forced Voth to throw 10 more pitches to complete the first inning. The second opened with a fly ball that, although it was scored a double, clanked off the glove of left fielder Ryan O'Hearn and gave the Blue Jays their first run.

But amid some bad luck, Voth did create a good amount of soft contact, thanks in part to a sweeper that he is continuing to hone this spring after using it very sparingly last season. Eight of his 55 pitches on Saturday were sweepers; two of them led to soft flyouts, while one to Matt Chapman directly preceded Henderson’s error.

According to Voth, his sweeper is just a curveball with a modified grip and more velocity.

“I want to incorporate that a little bit more, because I know that’s going to be a big pitch for me down the road,” Voth said. “ … Just another pitch that a hitter has to think about in the back of their mind.”

Voth knows in the back of his mind that, come Opening Day, he still has a chance to be in Baltimore’s rotation, like he was during the second half of 2022. Picked up off of waivers from the Nationals in June, Voth made 17 starts for the Orioles and turned in a 3.07 ERA over 76 1/3 innings.

“What he did for us last year was incredible,” Hyde said.

However, Voth is also an experienced reliever who spent the bulk of his time with Washington during the 2021 and ‘22 seasons coming out of the bullpen. He said he prefers having “the freedom of a routine” that comes with being a starter. But it’s not necessarily his choice to make.

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“We’ll continue to stretch him out,” Hyde said. “Whether it’s going to be a long-relief role, a starter role, we’re keeping our options open because he’s so valuable.”

No matter his role, there is plenty to keep Voth’s mind occupied for the rest of Spring Training. He will continue to master that sweeper and he wants to make sure his command is better than it was Saturday. Properly locating his cutter was something he worked on versus the Blue Jays, as well. At some point, Voth will find out where he fits on this roster. Until then, he will focus on making himself the best pitcher he can be.

“I know it’s going to be a tough decision for [Hyde] and the Orioles,” Voth said. “But I’m happy with my results so far. Just trying to keep on progressing.”