Baltimore Orioles Need Strong Second Half From Chris Tillman To Contend In AL East

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Chris Tillman
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The month of July hasn’t been kind to the Baltimore Orioles, who had lost eight out of 10 games heading into tonight’s contest with the Washington Nationals. But with one crack of the bat, Jonathan Schoop sent the team’s recent struggles into the seats for a walk-off home run, giving the O’s a 3-2 victory. It was exactly the type of win to energize the team and build momentum heading into the second half of the season. In order for Baltimore to make a run at the AL East title in the second half, the Orioles will need a stronger performance from tonight’s starting pitcher, Chris Tillman.

Tillman has been a disappointment so far this season, with a 6-7 record and a 5.40 ERA for the Orioles. But he was solid tonight against the Nationals, allowing only two runs on eight hits in six innings of work. He registered six strikeouts and only allowed one walk, which has been his biggest issue this season. Tillman’s command has been shaky this season — especially with his fastball — which has led to an average of four walks per nine innings. His ability to locate the fastball sets up his off-speed pitches and increases his overall effectiveness on the mound.

There are reasons to be optimistic about Tillman’s opportunity to improve in the second half of the season. In 2014, he finished the first half with a 7-5 record and a 4.11 ERA through his first 20 starts. He turned it up in the second half and emerged as the Orioles’ best pitcher, going 6-1 with a 2.33 ERA in his final 14 starts as Baltimore won the AL East for the first time since 1997. He was especially good in August when he went 4-0 with a 1.33 ERA in six starts for the Orioles.

The AL East will likely be a tight race all the way until the end, and the Orioles are expected to be in the mix. Baltimore is currently 44-42 and three games behind the New York Yankees for the division lead heading toward the All-Star break. If Chris Tillman can duplicate his second-half surge of a season ago, the Orioles will have a chance to repeat as AL East champions.

Ben Linton is an MLB writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @Ben_Linton91, or add him to your network on Google.

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