And they started so strong! They were flying so high, these birds were. I know I was not the only one feeling the magic in the air as the wins added up through April and May. Then slowly, and painfully, the Baltimore Orioles got grounded --by injuries and by poor pitching. Oh yeah, and by the Boston Red Sox. And now they find themselves limping their way to the All-Star break, last night's ignominious 9 - 3 defeat at the hands of the surging Indians a fitting cap to their first losing month of the season. As the half-way mark approaches, big questions still surround this team's immediate future as they search for ways to take to the air once again. About two weeks ago, in my first column for this website, I addressed the Orioles current roster issues -- specifically, the increasingly popular opinion that the ballclub needs to acquire a big name starting pitcher and possibly an outfielder or first baseman. I backed up manager Lee Mazzilli, who openly said his team would be just fine without having to make any big moves. He regarded the return of all his injured players as trades where he did not have to give anyone away. I still believe that part to be true: the returns of catcher Javy Lopez, starting pitcher Erik Bedard, and now the invaluable Melvin Mora and B.J. Surhoff should be considered as nothing less than huge additions to this squad. And they will not cost the team a player or a penny. I said the next twenty games leading to the All-Star game would be a test for the rotation as they go up against the Braves, Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Indians. Well, of the ten games already played since then, Baltimore has scraped out just two victories. One against Toronto, and one which required late-inning heroics against a Yankee team that has been handing out victories to the lowest bidder. The starting pitching has been performing worse, not better, than before. The offense is continually faced with having to erase one deficit after another, often as early as the first and second innings, and it looks as if Erik Bedard may never return from the disabled list. All of this is a roundabout way of my saying that, yes, I was wrong. Unmistakably. Unequivocally. It's time for this team to do some serious shopping. Right now. Of course, I still feel I was right to scoff at the notion this team is in need of more offense; the line-up is doing a fine job. Rafael Palmeiro, after the coldest spring at the plate, is absolutely unstoppable right now. There is plenty of depth in the outfield , at least enough to step in for those not living up to expectations (ahem...Sammy Sosa, anyone?). But the starting pitching simply is not giving these guys a chance to stay competitive. One can just feel the frustration of the hitters, the coaches, and the fans at the ballpark as one starter after another scuffles on the mound, yielding great, big innings against their opponents, some that even officially put the game out of reach. There should be no blame placed on the shoulders of youngster Hayden Penn, who has had two consecutive poor outings. That he is learning the big leagues "trial by fire", as commentator Jeff Brantley called it last night, should not be held against him. Neither should we discredit Daniel Cabrera for the sometimes wild, sometimes excellent pitcher that he is. He is young, and is acting accordingly. But the Orioles are not the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, but rather are still a winning team tied with the Minnesota Twins for the wild-card spot. So we should only afford these rookies a certain shelf-life to learn --and struggle-- in the glare of the Major League spotlight, with wins meaning so much more to the team than they have in a long time. That being said, I have read many an article detailing who is available, how much they would cost, and whether or not they are worth the gamble. It looks like the pickings are slim, with a plenitude of teams looking to buy. Here's what I got out of it: Barry Zito: highly unlikely, considering the price tag Athletics GM Bill Beane has attached to the 27 year-old lefty. That's a no-go, unless the Orioles can throw in part of the Baltimore harbor, and Boog's Barbeque Jason Schmidt: This is a tough one to call. He has pitched well below his supremely high standard, and has spent much time on the disabled list this year. But many in the know consider him a grade-A starter no matter what his ERA is, and a premium acquisition as well. The Giants might be wise to move him, considering his salary, and their dreadful record, but for how much? May not be worth it for the O's. Jason Jennings: Apparently this guy is trade material, but I am a little baffled that anyone is taking him seriously as an acquisition. He may be 3 - 1, with a low ERA, over his last five starts, but his numbers for the year ( 4 - 8, 5.75 ERA, 14 starts) cannot be blamed on the Brewers weak offense. Maybe someone can explain this one to me. A.J. Burnett: Here's the one name out there that would be worth getting, though apparently the Marlins are still up in the air about moving him or not. He is a free agent at the end of the year and the fish, though definitely in the hunt in the logjammed NL East, are looking at salary cap issues soon, and would love to get their hands on some bats to plug into their slumping offensive line-up. Well, that's about all there is out there in the flimsy market. No huge names, very little potential for blockbuster trades. But the Mralins' Burnett seems like the only catch, so to speak, and so far he has many suitors. The Orioles and Marlins have spoken, but Baltimore GM Jim Beattie has been very silent to this point about trade talk particulars. Obviously the team would have to part with valuable players, on the squad and/or in the farm system --nothing comes for free. But if the price is right, the benefit could be huge for this ballclub. Many columnists have referred to the late-surge playoff teams of recent years: last year's Braves and Astros, before that the Marlins, Angels and Diamondbacks. All teams mired in mediocrity for as long as half a season before breaking out with a bang. Yes, the Orioles could do that. But let's not depend on it. There are two certainties: the White Sox (baseball's best), and the "Angels of Multiple Origins in Southern California", I feel, have their divisions locked up already. And I guess we could include the Red Sox out of (ugh!) respect, you know, after they won the World Series last year and all. The wild-card race is still a mixed bag of potential playoff teams and also-rans. Who they are noone knows for sure. Baltimore, the Yankees, Cleveland, Texas, Minnesota, Toronto --even the Oakland A's -- all have an unknown future ahead of them this year. This is not a team of quitters, and neither should its management quit on them. So why not tip the scales a little bit by shoring up on pitching? Otherwise this young and faltering pitching staff's season of learning may just be a season of losing. One we all may wish we had back. And yes, I am a flip-flopper. But I'm not running for office, thank God. And when you're a backseat driver, you're allowed to change directions... once in a while.