How do the O's push a starter with a 2.74 ERA over his last four starts out of the rotation?

[TradeAngelos]

Buck doesn't manage on a rolling total that ignores peripherals and everything that happened before three weeks ago. You're the one who assigns outsized importance to each and every start.

Hammel has been good for 4 months out of his entire career, last year.

Let's not assign outsized importance to that small stretch, ignoring the other 7 years of mediocre at best pitching.

Britton has a chance to improve and pitch just as well as Hammel right now, while getting better with as the season goes along. Hammel is what he is.

But I have no doubt that Hammel will be in there until he completely implodes, at least a few more starts...and probably losses. Probably not gonna make that much difference either way, but if Britton can keep throwing well it raises his trade value between now and the end of July. Possibly a lot.

[Redskins Rick]

Roch says:

"The rotation debate is bound to come up later today when Showalter meets with reporters in the visiting dugout at Yankee Stadium."

[eddie83]

Id rather not lose Britton OR Gausman to Norfolk right now. Simple question. What make T.J. Mcfarland so valuable? Youth? Rule 5 "use him or

lose him status"? Its certainly not like he's lights out. Gausman and Britton as either starters or long men or both are better than Mcfarland.

They wont move him, but the'll be wrong.

Why would Britton be more valuable than McFarland in a long man role? Why lose him for that. We aren't asking TJ to start and pitch over Britton in that capacity. McFarland gives us more depth for next year that we can use and he isn't pitching in big spots in his role. Britton would give us depth at AAA.

If Britton goes back down so be it. He has looked a lot better. He needs to go deeper more consistently. No question Hammel hasn't been as good this year. He has been up in the zone much more. I do think he has had stretch where he has been 1 or 2 pitches away from a much better night. I know you can say that about any pitcher but I don't see a guy that is constantly trying to get out of jams. I think he is throwing the ball as well as he has all year.

[DrungoHazewood]

Hammel has been good for 4 months out of his entire career, last year.

That's not true. He had two pretty good years in Colorado.

Right, once you adjust for context his years in Colorado were somewhere between average MLB starter, and pretty darned good starter. He was nearly a 4-fWAR starter in both '09 and '10.

[eddie83]

I think it will be interesting when they bring Chen back. Britton is due on Tuesday. They could go with a 6 man rotation through the break but then you would have a short bench or bullpen. If they pitch Britton on Tuesday then they can't send him down for Chen on Wednesday because they would have nobody to pitch next Sunday unless they went with Gausman or McFarland.

[El Gordo]

I would think the O's might be looking to move Hammel at the deadline. We certainly aren't extending him. So why not get something for him? So if that is the thought then it makes sense to send Britton down for 3 weeks and give Hammel a chance to improve his numbers.

[Ooooooohhhh!!!!]

The only sort of creative thing I would consider if I were the O's would be to DL a couple of guys around the All-Star break to give them a little bit of a longer layoff then the break allows

I understand what you're saying, but this can not and will not happen. Not only would the Player's Union block it there is no player who is going to voluntarily going to on the DL so he can get some rest. I saw this suggested a lot when Strop was stuggling and it's absolutely absurd. If a player is nicked up and struggling and isn't a very good player there is a small chance he goes on the DL. Players like Johnson and Wieters will never go on the DL to rest.

[eddie83]

I would think the O's might be looking to move Hammel at the deadline. We certainly aren't extending him. So why not get something for him? So if that is the thought then it makes sense to send Britton down for 3 weeks and give Hammel a chance to improve his numbers.

That would be risky. DD got Feldman because he thought we needed more and then 4 weeks later he moves some one else?

[Redskins Rick]

That would be risky. DD got Feldman because he thought we needed more and then 4 weeks later he moves some one else?

I listened to Buck the other night, before Feldman pitched, and he and Rick was very happy that DD got Scotty for his rotation. He sounded sincere and upbeat, he said Scotty has 4 big league pitches and has an ability to tinker during the game and find ways to keep the team in the game.

[El Gordo]

That would be risky. DD got Feldman because he thought we needed more and then 4 weeks later he moves some one else?

But you have the mighty Britton waiting in the wings in Norfolk. The guy everyone wants in the rotation with Hammel to the pen. Personally I'd be willing to go with Britton, Gausman, Wada, and Johnson, filling that spot, if we could get something we need for Hammel.

[Aristotelian]

That would be risky. DD got Feldman because he thought we needed more and then 4 weeks later he moves some one else?

Speaking of trades, another possibility is that DD is using Britton right now to audition him to maximize his trade value. My guess is Britton goes back to the minors now, but now Buck can say to other GM's that he has proven he can pitch at the MLB level. If Britton gets us back somebody like Gallardo, Norris, or Nolasco, then I could definitely see Hammel being pushed to the pen. Britton may have pitched well enough to get us in the conversation for those guys without costing Bundy or Gausman.

[eddie83]

But you have the mighty Britton waiting in the wings in Norfolk. The guy everyone wants in the rotation with Hammel to the pen. Personally I'd be willing to go with Britton, Gausman, Wada, and Johnson, filling that spot, if we could get something we need for Hammel.

I wouldn't take that risk while we are in a race. Do wet get compensation for Hammel if we offer him a qualifying offer and he signs elsewhere? Either way I don't trust the other guys you mentioned as much and if somebody gets hurt then what?

[TradeAngelos]

Speaking of trades, another possibility is that DD is using Britton right now to audition him to maximize his trade value. My guess is Britton goes back to the minors now, but now Buck can say to other GM's that he has proven he can pitch at the MLB level. If Britton gets us back somebody like Gallardo, Norris, or Nolasco, then I could definitely see Hammel being pushed to the pen. Britton may have pitched well enough to get us in the conversation for those guys without costing Bundy or Gausman.

4 starts isn't giving us the leverage to demand much of anything for Britton right now. 9-10 might be a different story. But we will never know.

[Bradysburns]

I'm a big Britton guy, so I would love to see him stick in the rotation. But I definitely wouldn't push Feldman out of the rotation to make room. Feldman's a proven MLB starter. He reminds me of a right-handed Joe Saunders. A salty, wily veteran who can eat innings. We'll need him.

To me, all of these guys are so close that you gotta go with a strict meritocracy now. Hammel's talent isn't that much different compared to Feldman's, Gonzo's, etc. And it's not like Hammel has a really long history of dominating at the MLB level.

So whoever Buck thinks gives us the best chance, I hope he goes with that person versus worrying about Hammel's feelings, or whatever. It's well beyond that now. They have a real shot at making the playoffs and it's a very tight race.

If I had to select a 5-man rotation from our starters right now, I'd probably go with: Tillman, Feldman, Chen, Gonzo, Britton. Hammel to the 'pen for awhile.

[El Gordo]

I wouldn't take that risk while we are in a race. Do wet get compensation for Hammel if we offer him a qualifying offer and he signs elsewhere? Either way I don't trust the other guys you mentioned as much and if somebody gets hurt then what?

We wouldn't make Hammel a 14M offer. He's take it. And I am fine with Gausman, Britton, Wada, and Johnson combining for something under 5 ERA, unlike Hammel. Fast forward to next year, our rotation looks to be Chen, Tillman, Gonzalez, Gausman, Britton.