Keith Allison- Flickr
Despite the Baltimore Orioles missing the playoffs with a 85-77 record, their “Ace” pitcher, Chris Tillman played amazing. The then 26-year-old righty, finished 2013 with a 16-7 record and a 3.71 ERA; he became the team’s fifth pitcher to reach 200 innings since 2001.
Now the Orioles are wondering what has gone wrong with their prominent star. Through 11 games this season, Tillman has posted a 4.69 ERA. Even while managing to have a winning record at 4-2, there has to be some concern on behalf of the Orioles concerning Tillman’s consistency.
The young California native started off the season excelling, going 26 1/3 innings while posting a stellar 1.71 ERA. Since April 23rd, Tillman has been back and forth between quality starts and dreadful early exits. His ERA has dropped to a despicable 7.30 since that date, going 37 innings and giving up 30 runs in 7 starts. That is an average start of just over 5 innings. Obviously not the stats the Ace of a pitching should have. In fact, of those starts, he has only made it to 6 innings twice.
Pitching in general has not been a strong point for the Orioles this season, as their 4.16 ERA ranks 23rd in the majors. Additionally, as the Orioles starting pitcher, Tillman does not even carry the team in terms of ERA. Actually, the team’s 5th starter, Bud Norris, leads the team with a 3.83 ERA. The bottom of the list is filled by the team’s top starters; Tillman and newly acquired Ubaldo Jimenez.
One thing is for sure, the Orioles need their Ace to start playing the part or have someone take over until he gets back into his groove. The groin issue that has been bothering him as of late could be a reason for his poor appearances, but he has said that it is not an issue.
Whatever the reason, the Orioles will need to keep an eye on Tillman. Hopefully his play will pick up and he’ll be able to return to his original form. If not, this could spell trouble for the Baltimore Orioles’ playoff hopes.
A.J. Risser is a Writer for CouchRiderReport.net. Follow him on Facebook.