V332 Series Wrap-Up - The Ace Has It

The Orioles' series loss to the Tigers started with continued frustration, but ended on a high note. The first two games of the series completed the first circuit through the rotation and it went like the first hole of a bachelor party round of golf: the two most experienced players, Tillman and Jimenez, laid up rather than go for the green; the rest followed with three spectacular mulligans.

In their first starts, Miguel Gonzalez and Bud Norris were not up to the task of stopping the hot-hitting Tigers. Meanwhile, the slow-starting offense continued to sputter in those games, offering no more than early-inning hope and ninth inning too-little-too-late rallies. Winning a slug-fest has been out of the question thus far. 

Today, Chris Tillman showed up and did what aces do. He dominated when the team needed him to dominate. 8.1 innings of ENOUGH! The offense still isn't performing the way it will, but 3 runs will stand up with pitching like this. The rumors of Baltimore lacking a "true ace" may be exaggerated. There's not a pitcher in the league the Orioles would rather have had today than Tillman, including his counterpart, Justin Verlander. With any luck, this start will spark confidence through the rest of the rotation.

What I liked this series: Tillman's start (and how Wieters called the game); defense throughout the series; Hunter's save. 

What concerns me: Still nothing. Only three homers so far and none from Davis or Jones are big surprises. Still, this team has plenty of power. Davis and Jones remain solid bets to hit no less than 30 and 25, respectively. Now those dingers will be compressed into 6 fewer games. So be it.