O’s facing uncertainty, still have ways to improve

It’s understandable that the Orioles front office is in no hurry to run up a white flag on the 2017 season, but it’s probably a good idea to start exploring ways to make the most of what has turned into a bad situation.

Let’s stipulate that — as discouraging as the past few weeks have been — a midseason turnaround isn’t entirely out of the question, and the Orioles are not so far out of playoff contention that they can’t get back in the thick of it with a couple of weeks of solid baseball.

Still, there are some things they can do now to change the subject and some other things they can lay groundwork for if what you’re seeing right now is what you’ll still be seeing in late July. So, here are a couple of things to do and a few others to think about: Stop imagining the return of 2013 Ubaldo: The Orioles signed Ubaldo Jiménez to a rich four-year contract based on his terrific performance during the second half of the 2013 season with the Cleveland Indians. That guy is not coming back. Friday night’s nine-run meltdown needs to be the last time Jimenez ever starts a game for the Orioles. If Buck Showalter and Dan Duquette feel they