Chris Tillman got his Friday night win, but he learned the hard way that nothing comes easy in the MLB. He once again showed that he’s learned to pitch when he doesn’t have his best stuff, or his best control, as his two extra days of rest didn’t seem to do him any favors.
Here’s a full recap of Tilly’s performance including proof that Buck Showalter is the kindest manager in the MLB.
FIRST INNING – 20 pitches
Sizemore grounds out
Nava strikes out
Pedroia walks
Napoli strikes out
The offense gave Tillman an early lead with Nick Markakis hitting a leadoff opposite-field double followed by an Adam Jones infield single. Tillman had a strong inning despite a walk to Dustin Pedroia. He notched two early strikeouts on a fastball that ranged from 87-90. His up-and-away heater at 92 MPH to Napoli capped off an inning that looked like a sign of good things to come. However, just like on Opening Day, the Boston Red Sox were forcing him to run his pitch count up early, despite not being able to do any damage on the scoreboard.
SECOND INNING – 21 pitches
Carp singles
Bogaerts walks
Pierzynski flies out
Bradley Jr. singles
Holt strikes out
Sizemore flies out
The second inning continued Tillman’s high pitch-count night as he had to fight to work out of the inning. He had trouble getting his curveball over this inning, leading to two hard singles by Carp and Bradley Jr. on fastballs that caught too much of the plate. His fastball was hovering around the 89-91 range, but he topped out at 92 on the strikeout to Holt. In that at-bat, he threw a nasty curve in the dirt followed by a heater on the inside corner. Tillman was ultimately able to work out of the jam, but not before reaching the top of the Boston lineup before inning’s end.
THIRD INNING – 17 pitches
Nava pops out
Pedroia lines out
Napoli pops out
Tillman was able to work his only one-two-three inning here, but he couldn’t make it an efficient one. Both Nava and Napoli took a big chunk of pitches out of his arm and forced him to probably start thinking about his pitch count way too early. Luckily for Tillman, the offense tacked on a few runs before this inning as Nick Markakis, who loves shooting balls into the corner apparently, drove in Jonathan Schoop for an RBI double.
FOURTH INNING – 33 pitches
Carp doubles
Bogaerts pops out
Pierzynski pops out
Bradley Jr. walks
Holt singles
Sizemore strikes out
This inning started the downfall, as Mike Carp not only led off the inning with a 3-2 count, but he doubled to put himself into scoring position. Tillman couldn’t capitalize off of back-to-back pop-outs as Bradley Jr. and Holt not only got on base, but worked deep into both of their counts (Holt in particular saw 10 pitches). Tillman was able to strike out Sizemore, but not before surrendering a run and getting his pitch-count high into the 80’s.
FIFTH INNING – 31 pitches
Nava doubles
Pedroia singles
Napoli flies out
Carp pops out
Bogaerts walks
Pierzynski singles
Bradley Jr. strikes out
This inning spoke for itself, as by the end of it, Tillman was at 122 pitches (71 strikes). Buck Showalter ultimately cost the team a few runs here, keeping his starter in just a bit too long. Tillman worked way too hard, missing the strike zone and running out of gas during crunch time. Understandably, Showalter wanted him to be in line for the win, but if it weren’t for Tilly pumping a fastball by Bradley Jr. to end the inning, Buck would’ve been under fire.
Ultimately, it was a rollercoaster of an outing for the Orioles ace. He got the win and more importantly, the team got the win against Boston in a huge series-opener.
NOTEWORTHY TIDBITS:
- Tillman’s curveball was off yet again. He struggled to find it early in the cold and it’s proving to be a pitch that still needs fine-tuning. When it’s on, it’s one of the best I’ve ever seen.
- Delmon Young HAS to stop chasing balls low and away. Early on Friday night, he was swinging like he was getting paid to make John Lackey look good.
- The Orioles offense exploded, but John Lackey wasn’t even close to sharp. I wouldn’t be surprised if the cold affected his outing as well.
- How about Jonathan Schoop? His four-hit night turned heads, probably Ryan Flaherty’s the most.
Quick shout-out to @SUPER_BOWLing (Sean) on Twitter. I threw a “Guess the Chris Tillman Line” out there on Twitter before the game and he cashed in:
Tillman’s Line: 5 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 5 K
Sean’s Projected Line: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 5 K
Here’s hoping The Birds can fly into the day-game today and at least guarantee a series split with Boston with two games to play!
