Rob Long: Orioles' Starting Rotation Arms Race
I've been thinking about this for a while but after hosting the Mid-Atlantic Sports Report Wednesday and listening to the Norris and Davis Show Thursday made me really consider it again. The Baltimore Orioles have a pitching situation that seems to be pretty good.
Here's what I see from where I stand. They have a front of the rotation pitcher in Chris Tillman. While some do not consider Tillman to be a prototypical front of the rotation guy, he's been a 200 inning pitcher each of the past two seasons. He's also been the guy who will grind out five or six innings, even when he doesn't have his best stuff. As former Oriole Dave Johnson put it on MASN, Tillman has the ability to get people out with 88-92 mile per hour stuff. He doesn't have to blow you away to get people out.
Miguel Gonzalez and Wei-Yin Chen have been solid for the Birds. Chen gave Buck Showalter's team over 185 innings in 31 starts last year with a 3.54 ERA all while posting a 16-6 record. Gonzalez pitched 159 innings while yielding fewer hits than innings pitched for the third consecutive season. His 3.23 ERA was a career best and he enjoyed his first career complete game shutout.
Bud Norris has not had a very good spring but after achieving career bests in wins (15), ERA (3.65) and allowing fewer hits than innings pitched for the first time since 2012, he's earned a spot in the O's rotation.
The back of the rotation will feature Ubaldo Jimenez who's enjoyed a successful spring in Sarasota. Jimemez has been working on his release and will be the fifth starter for the Orioles. The team won't technically need a fifth starter the first time through the rotation but as Steve Davis put it Thursday morning, I don't know if I won't to skip a start for a man who's seemingly found his "groove". I know it will push everyone back one day, but what's worse?
Kevin Gausman, once again, seems to be the odd man out. The young right-hander has done nothing but prove he's ready but due to numbers, can't seem to get a shot. This resembles Old School Baltimore Orioles baseball when a young Mike Boddicker had to wait his turn because of a crowded rotation. That's a good problem for the team and its fans but not so much for Gausman.
If this staff is as good on the field as it appears to be, the 2015 season should be successful. However, we know that it never turns out that way. They'll be injuries and other issues. If there are, it seems that the Birds will have the help they need to win.
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