Fresh off having one of the more disappointing starting rotations in baseball last year, the Baltimore Orioles didn’t do much to change this group in 2017.

Instead, they were hoping their young hurlers would take another step forward to lead the unit as a whole. That included Kevin Gausman, who parlayed a strong second half and impressive performance during Spring Training into an Opening Day start against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The thing is, his strong showing after the 2016 All-Star break hasn’t exactly carried over into this year.

Through 24 innings of work (five starts), the right-hander has posted a 1-2 record with an unsightly 7.50 ERA and 2.04 WHIP. Those looking for some solace in his peripheral numbers won’t find it, with a FIP (5.65), xFIP (5.51) and SIERA (5.39) all north of 5.00.

The Orioles need him to pitch like an ace this year, but he’s done the complete opposite. What’s going on?

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