Chris Tillman was a rotation anchor for the Baltimore Orioles during their run from 2012-16 that saw them reach the playoffs three times and average 89 wins after 15 years of free Octobers. Now, both Tillman and the Orioles may have hit rock bottom.
Chris Tillman is off to an amazingly terrible start to 2018
Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
Tillman allowed six runs (five earned) on four hits and three walks while recording just four outs in a home start against the Kansas City Royals on Thursday night at Camden Yards, his second consecutive start he has failed to complete two innings.
Tillman’s ERA after Thursday’s debacle is a robust 10.46 through seven starts, having allowed 32 runs in 26⅔ innings. It’s the highest ERA in baseball among pitchers with at least 15 innings pitched. Tillman’s poor start has some notable highlights (lowlights?):
- He has more walks (17) than strikeouts (13)
- With 42 hits allowed to go with those walks, Tillman’s WHIP is over two! (2.213)
- Cleanup hitter Salvador Perez hit a grand slam to give the Royals a 4-0 lead before an out was recorded, pushing Tillman’s first-inning ERA to a depressing 19.29
- Thursday marked the fourth time in seven starts in which Tillman didn’t strike out a batter
- I’m not sure what’s more remarkable: that Tillman has a 10.46 ERA in seven starts, or that he has a 10.46 ERA and one of his starts was one of seven scoreless innings.
The Orioles began Thursday at 9-27 (.250), the worst record in baseball.
This season continues a trend for Tillman, who missed time with a shoulder injury in 2017 and when on the mound posted a 7.84 ERA in 93 innings. This was a far cry from that 2012-16 run for Tillman, who posted a 3.81 ERA (an above-average 108 ERA+) in 143 starts during those seasons, even winning 16 games twice.
Since the start of 2017, Tillman has an 8.42 ERA in 119⅔ innings.
Now his rotation spot is in jeopardy. After his last start, another disaster in which he allowed seven runs and recorded three outs, Tillman tried to move past his poor showing so far this season.
“I’ve got to move forward and try to get better. If you start thinking about that kind of stuff, you will not get very far,” he said, per Eduardo Encina in the Baltimore Sun. “So move on and get better for the next one and come out and win a ballgame.”
How many next ones Tillman gets with Baltimore remains to be seen.
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