Tillman ready for promotion; but has to wait

[wildcard]

Chris Tillman has now pitched three good or better outings in a row at AAA. He looks ready to join the O's rotation. But over the next 4 days other starter candidates will show if they are ready to take over one of the two troubling spots in the rotation.

Tomorrow Hunter will try to match the quality start that he has already pitched at Norfolk with another one. Arrieta, Eveland and Gonzalez will all probably pitch on Friday or Saturday for the O's either as a starter or possibly in long relief. By Sunday Buck will have the latest information of who is pitching the best. By the time Hammel takes the mound on Sunday and the next round of the rotation begins Buck should know who stays and who goes.

Monday's off day plus the presence of Chen and Matusz means that the 4 and 5 starters will not be needed in the next turn of the rotation until Thursday and Friday next week. This gives Buck time to make a decison but also enables him to adjust the rotation to give Chen more rest if he desires.

It will be an interesting few days. Enjoy the ride.

[The Rick]

I'm pleased that Tillman has put together a few good starts. He's teased us like this before. So I'm not sure if he's really back or not, but it's good to see him putting up some good #'s down there. Nice k's lately, and low walk totals too. So hopefully Peterson's plan is gaining traction. We'll see. Either way, again, i'm very pleased.

[Ven6]

I wouldn't assume that Saturday's starter will come from the pen. Buck was asked at point blank range and said it could be, or it could be someone they call up.

[OFFNY]

I wouldn't assume that Saturday's starter will come from the pen. Buck was asked at point blank range and said it could be, or it could be someone they call up.

That could be, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be Tillman. He just threw 107 pitches tonight, and he would only be on 2-days' rest if he were to start on Saturday. Who knows, though ??? Maybe they'll call Berken up just for one start. He hasn't pitched since June 1st.

[The Rick]

My guess is Eveland, followed by Gonzalez, and then BP by committee.

[Il BuonO]

I think we could see Tillman next week for the Pirates. It would be the perfect team to start him against and he'll have plenty of rest.

[GoldGlove21]

I would rather see Tillman put one to two additional quality starts in the minors and see if other teams would be interested in him as a player in a deal to address an upgrade at 3B.

[blid]

I don't consider Tillman "ready to join the rotation" in the slightest.

He's had three good MiLB starts in a row. That is far from a prolonged stretch of dominance. Moreover, he's failed to convert his MiLB success to the majors before. In fact, he has 36 starts in the majors and a 5.58 ERA there, so three good starts down on the farm does not suddenly make him ready to join the rotation in my opinion. I'm not saying it's impossible he's turned a corner, but I'd want to see him put up good overall numbers over a period of 10 or even 15 starts before I'd be willing to declare him ready.

[OFFNY]

I don't consider Tillman "ready to join the rotation" in the slightest.

He's had three good MiLB starts in a row. That is far from a prolonged stretch of dominance. Moreover, he's failed to convert his MiLB success to the majors before. In fact, he has 36 starts in the majors and a 5.58 ERA there, so three good starts down on the farm does not suddenly make him ready to join the rotation in my opinion. I'm not saying it's impossible he's turned a corner, but I'd want to see him put up good overall numbers over a period of 10 or even 15 starts before I'd be willing to declare him ready.

If we had a dominant rotation, or at least 4 or 5 starters that were solid through and through, I would agree. But the thing is we need Tillman now, with Hunter having been sent down, and Jake struggling as badly as he is. It's not so much a choice as it is a necessity.

Now ........ if Zach comes back and pitches well, and someone besides Tillman comes in and pitches well (or at least pretty good) for the 5th spot in the rotation later this month, I would have no problem with Tillman going back down to AAA, or at least being sent to the bullpen. But we need an arm now, and currently, he (and perhaps Steve Johnson) is/are the best candidates to fill the hole.

[The Rick]

If we had a dominant rotation, or at least 4 or 5 starters that were solid through and through, I would agree. But the thing is we need Tillman now, with Hunter having been sent down, and Jake struggling as badly as he is. It's not so much a choice as it is a necessity.

Now ........ if Zach comes back and pitches well, and someone besides Tillman comes in and pitches well (or at least pretty good) for the 5th spot in the rotation later this month, I would have no problem with Tillman going back down to AAA, or at least being sent to the bullpen. But we need an arm now, and currently, he (and perhaps Steve Johnson) is/are the best candidates to fill the hole.

We need the Tillman of the last 3 starts; but what exactly guarantees that we'll get the Tillman of the last 3 MiLB starts in Norfolk in Baltimore against Major League hitting? SSS. Let's see Tillman keep it up, and let's hear some reports about a consistent delivery, consistent ground balls, velocity, strikeouts, etc. Three good starts for Norfolk does not a quality MLB pitcher make.

[OFFNY]

We need the Tillman of the last 3 starts; but what exactly guarantees that we'll get the Tillman of the last 3 MiLB starts in Norfolk in Baltimore against Major League hitting? SSS. Let's see Tillman keep it up, and let's hear some reports about a consistent delivery, consistent ground balls, velocity, strikeouts, etc. Three good starts for Norfolk does not a quality MLB pitcher make.

Nothing is going to guarantee that Rick, but at the moment, what is the alternative ??? We're already winging Saturday's game by going with relievers.

[The Rick]

Nothing is going to guarantee that Rick, but at the moment, what is the alternative ??? We're already winging Saturday's game by going with relievers.

I hear ya. I mean, I wouldn't be opposed to Tillman getting the call - I would just hope that people would pump the brakes a bit with their expectations (not saying that you're the one who needs to pump said brakes.)

[glenn__davis]

Like others, I need to see at least 3-4 more good starts before pronouncing him "ready for a promotion". Kid's been yo-yoed enough, let's see if he can have a nice run of success. In the meantime I'd give some spot starts to guys like Eveland or Steve Johnson as needed.

Nice to see him starting to put himself back in the conversation again though.

[Il BuonO]

Expectations are meaningless. Eventually he's going to have to produce. Next year he's out of options so they might as well figure out what they have while we have an opening.

At the start of the season my expectation of Jake was that he would be pitching much better than he is right now. He's not and if Hunter can be sent down so can he.

Eveland or Gonzalez are not long term solutions. Tillman may not be either, but let's find out.

[24fps]

No reason whatsoever to not give Tillman a couple of starts in the very near future.

Jake? That sound you hear is your alarm clock going off. Time to wake up.