Orioles' Zach Eflin exits start vs. Rays with injury after bad first inning

Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun on Jun 28, 2025

Published in Baseball

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BALTIMORE — An ineffective June for Zach Eflin ended Saturday with another injury.

The Orioles starting pitcher exited his start against the Tampa Bay Rays with lower back discomfort, the team announced. Eflin allowed four runs in the first inning as his recent struggles continued, and he did not return for the second. Long reliever Scott Blewett replaced Eflin on the mound.

Baltimore (35-46) has dealt with more injuries than any team in MLB not named the Los Angeles Dodgers. Eflin, 31, already missed time earlier this season with a lat muscle strain. It’s unclear if the veteran right-hander will have to go back on the injured list.

Facing his former team, Eflin allowed back-to-back hits to open the game, the latter an RBI double from former Terps standout Brandon Lowe. Jonathan Aranda then clobbered a 467-foot home run onto Eutaw Street, and the Rays tacked on another run on an RBI groundout by Chandler Simpson.

Over his past three starts, Eflin has given up 27 hits and 17 runs in only nine innings, raising his ERA to 5.95. Since he returned from the IL in May, Eflin has surrendered 14 home runs in 44 innings.