I’ve considered Duchscherer a rotation lock as long as he was healthy enough. Obviously his health will be an issue until he proves otherwise. I was very interested to see how he felt after going today. ESPN’s Jayson Stark quotes Duchscherer as stating,”My only goal was to come off the mound and feel like my hip wasn’t hurting, and that was accomplished.”

That is good to see, we will see if there are any further updates tomorrow and how he looks the next time-out.

Last week I wrote that if Duchscherer could not go, the O’s needed to give the ball to Tillman, saying:

“Prior to Justin Duchscherer being signed, I wanted the Baltimore Orioles to give Chris Tillman every opportunity to come North as the 5th starter.

When Duchscherer signed, I came around to the idea that having the depth of both Tillman and Britton waiting in the wings at AAA was a good thing. I figured that injuries or non-performance would occur and that Tillman would again his earn his opportunity at some point during this 2011 season. With Duchscherer having pitched just 28 innings these past two-years, it has always been hard envisioning him getting through this 2011 season unscathed. That said, it is disappointing for all involved that this early into camp Duchscherer is already dealing with soreness in his surgically repaired hip.

If Duchscherer can not start for the O’s (and he has made clear he thinks pitching in relief would be difficult physically) than the O’s should give the ball to Tillman.

The Orioles may consider Britton, but I believe he is unlikely to start the year in Baltimore. Ideally the Birds will look to hold Britton back until June or so to avoid starting his service time. Some will suggest the O’s go back after Millwood, but that would not be my preference.

Over the past two years, Tillman has put up the following numbers:
AAA ’09-’10 combined: 19-13, 3.07 era, 217 ip, 205 hits, 74 er, 15 hr, 56 bb’s, 193 k’s
MLB ’09-’10 combined: 4-10, 5.63 era, 118 ip, 128 hits, 74 er, 24 hr, 55 bb’s, 70 k’s

Last 5 AAA starts 2010: 3-0, 2.17 era, 29 innings, 29 hits, 7 er, 1 hr, 6 walks, with 25 k’s.
Last 5 MLB starts (Sept/Oct) 2010: 1-1, 4.15 era, 28.2 innings, 17 hits, 13 er, 6 hr, 18 walks, 19 k’s.

No matter where Tillman is pitching, he is going to have to continue to work on his cutter and 2 seam fastball. If he is at the AAA level, he figures to overwhelm the competition. His walk-rate at AAA looks good, presumably because he is able to get hitters to expand their zone easier than he is at the bigs. I think he needs extended innings and experience in the Majors. In 2011, I’d love his chances to be a league average 5th starter and give the Orioles 170-185 innings at a 4.75 era. He certainly would have the chance to exceed that.

However, if that is ‘all he is’ right now; there is plenty of value in that. Especially when you account for his age (turns 23 April 15th) and his minimal salary.”

Despite listening to the O’s state several times that Britton would have a chance to make the rotation this Spring, I have been discounting those comments. I’ve figured the O’s would prefer not to start his arbitration clock.

After yesterday, I was reconsidering that evaluation. The O’s had two games on the docket yesterday with both Tillman and Britton scheduled. They sent the ‘B’ squad to face Boston, with Tillman on the mound, and had the everyday lineup with Britton vs. NY. Combine that with the full-stadium, and the MASN cameras being on-hand, and it felt like an audition for Britton. Then during the game, you have MacPhail again state that Britton is competing for a spot in the rotation? Seems odd to again make that statement, if it is not a realistic possibility.

That all said, it was pointed out to me earlier today that Showalter commented on this in The Sun today saying Tillman was in Fort Myers to face Boston’s starting lineup, while Showalter was not interested in seeing Britton going against those RedSox bats.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/o…,2696120.story

With 3 weeks left in Spring Training, it will be interesting to see how things break.
How do you see things playing out?

By the way, one final thought on Tillman, it was good to see him finish strong yesterday. He has now pitched 5 ip, and allowed 4 er, 7 hits, 1 bb, 4 k’s in his 2 starts.

Chris Stoner
Chris Stoner

Owner

Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.

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