Connolly's Tap Room

Tap-In Question: Are you still majorly concerned about the Orioles’ starting rotation?

By Dan Connolly

Posted on September 12, 2016

Was a little crazy at Connolly’s on Sunday night after the Orioles captured the series in Detroit and the Ravens won their opener of the NFL season.

We’re a baseball Tap Room, but I understand our patrons have varied interests: Baseball AND football.

Ultimately, though, this joint is about the white ball with stitches – and the Orioles.

And this joint is also about getting your opinion on “the old, local nine.” And I have a good one for you today.

I want to know if you are still desperately worried about the Orioles’ starting pitching.

I mean, Chris Tillman is back. At least he looked like he was Sunday in the Orioles’ 3-1 victory at Detroit, allowing four hits and one run in six innings during his first start since Aug 20.

Tillman now has 16 wins and, if he can further avoid shoulder injury and gets a little lucky, he still has an outside shot to become the first Oriole pitcher with 20 wins since Mike Boddicker in 1984.

Ubaldo Jimenez is back. Or at least he is Good Ubaldo again – four straight quality starts against some pretty stiff competition. If nothing else, he seems to have regained some confidence, and is repeating his delivery consistently.

Kevin Gausman is taking the next step, looking more and more like the rising star the club drafted as the fourth pick overall in 2012.

Dylan Bundy is remaining on the mound, an important development. The club’s top pitching prospect heading into this year has been great at times, and he’s learning to pitch deep into a big league season for the first time.

Yovani Gallardo is basically a five-to-six-inning pitcher, but he usually minimizes the damage and keeps his team in the game most nights.

Lefty Wade Miley has been a disappointment since being acquired in July, but he also has a reputation of pitching effectively enough to keep games close.

That’s six guys. A mix of veterans and youngsters. There’s talent there – and in the second half there’s been better results. The starters’ ERA went from 5.56 in June to 5.18 in July to 4.68 in August and, so far in September, has been 3.21.

It’s a small sample size, but progress is progress.

So here’s what I want to know: Are you buying it?

Are you OK with the Orioles’ rotation now that Tillman is back, Ubaldo isn’t a disaster and Gausman and Bundy are getting a chance to pitch every fifth day or so?

Or do you think this group is still inferior compared to other contenders and you’re waiting for the other cleat to drop?

Tap-In-Question: Are you still majorly concerned about the Orioles’ rotation?