The Baltimore Orioles lost last night 6-5 in Detroit. After scoring 5 runs in the top of the 1st, the O’s were held scoreless for the remainder of the game.
Watching the game slip away, and the Orioles lose was not enjoyable; but watching their youth was.
There was Chris Tillman making his 2nd Major League start, and 1st on the road.
You got a further clue on how Tillman deals with pressure, as he was being hit around in the 1st, but was able to work out of the jam.
He did not have great control last-night, pitching only 59 strikes in his 103 pitches, which led to 3 walks. However, he did feature his curve which he had trouble with in his 1st start.
The curve had hitters off balance, and allowed Tillman to rack up 5 k’s in his 6 innings of work.
I am not going to tell you that 5er in 6 innings, is an oustanding effort – but it means a lot for the O’s.
Tillman is 21 years-old, with not even a full season of AAA under his belt. He is not anywhere near the finished product he will one day be, and he is already a vast improvement over some of the place-holders who have held spots in the O’s 2009 rotation. (Hendrickson, Eaton, Berken, Hill).
I expect a lot of similar outings from Tillman to close 2009, which will be fine. As the 2010 season progresses, he will continue to become further refined and he will emerge from the back of the rotation, towards the front.
It was fun to look at the starting lineup last night, and see Wieters, Reimold, Jones, and Markakis all together with Tillman. It will be fun to see those guys again tonight, with Brian Matusz, in Matusz’s Major League debut.
The ledger of wins and losses might not be where you want them to be, but the core is there, and that will make the remainder of this 2009 season enjoyable to watch.
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.