BALTIMORE -- The Orioles finally got the lefty starter they wanted.
Baltimore struck a deal to help aid a struggling rotation, adding left-hander Wade Miley from the Mariners in exchange for pitching prospect Aríel Miranda on Sunday night. The move, which comes on the heels of the club dropping two of three games in Toronto, should help the O's improve their starting pitching.
The Orioles -- up just a half-game in the American League East -- entered Sunday with a 5.02 starter ERA, the third-worst staff ERA in the Majors. They've also struggled to get long starts out of the rotation. Entering Sunday, the O's staff had combined for 559 innings, the third fewest among all 30 teams. The trio of Ubaldo Jiménez, Tyler Wilson and Yovani Gallardo have combined for a 5.94 ERA this season, leaving both Kevin Gausman and Chris Tillman to shoulder most of the weight.
Miley struggled in his first season in Seattle -- his 4.98 ERA this year is the highest of his career -- but he pitched better in July. Despite going 1-4 in the month, he had a 3.45 ERA and posted four quality starts in his five outings. Overall, Miley is 7-8 with a 4.98 ERA in 19 starts this season for the Mariners.
Miley will be the only lefty in the O's rotation, who lost Wei-Yin Chen to free agency this offseason.
Key for the O's in dealing away prospects was having a guy who wasn't just a rental. And Miley is under team control for the next few years. He is earning $6 million this season, and he's under contract for $8.9 million in 2017, plus he has a club option for $12 million in 2018 or a $500,000 buyout.
Miley has AL East experience, when he spent last season with the Red Sox. In 32 starts with Boston, he went 11-11 with a 4.46 ERA. He has thrown at least 193 innings in each of his first four full seasons in the Majors.
An All-Star in 2012, when he went 16-11 with a 3.33 ERA for Arizona, Miley is 56-54 with a 4.07 ERA over his six-year career.
Miranda has made one Major League appearance for the Orioles, giving up three runs on four hits over two innings on July 3 in Seattle. Baltimore signed the left-hander out of Cuba in 2015. In 19 starts at Triple-A Norfolk this season, he is 4-7 with a 3.93 ERA.