The Orioles starting rotation, which has been cringe-worthy at times this season, has been looking good recently….just in time for them to have three days off. Never has the saying “timing is everything” stressed me out more. Add it to the fact that I already have issues with the All-Star Game and the “batting practice derby” (which has the makings of another blog entry entirely).
Despite the great offensive seasons that Chris Davis and Manny Machado are having, this Orioles team will win games with pitching and defense. And as much as we have leaned on our bullpen this season – because, let’s face it, they carried our pitching staff last season all the way to the second round of the playoffs – we’re going to go as far as our starters will take us. Not that the bullpen can’t handle it, but the kind of workload that the bullpen has had over the past one and a half season is enough to make any group of pitchers falter.
So, let’s look at what we have so far this season….
Chris Tillman – Team leader in wins (10) and strikeouts (84). Most would say the “ace” of our staff this season. I try and stay away from that term. The way I see it, this team doesn’t have an “Ace”. In my opinion that term should be saved for the best pitchers in the game, the Verlanders and the King Felixes. Tillman has always had great stuff; the thing that has impressed me this season is how he has consistently battled to get outs and stay in games.
Wei-Yin Chen- Thank goodness he’s back!! Never has a pitcher been missed as much as Chen has this season. If you want to assign an “Ace” to this team, Wei-Yin Chen may be your guy. He’s had nine starts this season, and only has a 4-3 record, but a 2.82 ERA and only 33 hits in 40 innings. It becomes a lot easier to win games when you keep your opponent off of the bases, and Chen has done that since he’s been an Oriole. He is, easily, the most consistent starter that we have.
Miguel Gonzalez- Easily my favorite pitcher to watch. You are not supposed to be able to blow a 91 mile per hour fastball past a Major League hitter, but Gonzalez does it game after game. Last night’s win was his seventh straight quality start, which translates to saving our bullpen.
Jason Hammel– Having an up and down season this year. He has a winning record (7-5), but is giving up more than one hit per inning pitched. Going forward, Hammel may be closer to this pitcher than the guy we saw last season.
Scott Feldman– Too early to tell.
So, would it be fair to say that our starting rotation is a team strength? With 3/5 of the rotation having good seasons I would say so. Does that preclude us from being buyers as the trade deadlines approach? Is starting pitching still the O’s biggest need, over say, the bullpen or the DH spot? I wish I had all these answers, but I guess I’ll have to be with the rest of you….waiting to see what the second half brings.
