Rotation Speculation
After watching their starting pitchers struggle for weeks, the Orioles are now taking steps to improve the rotation. With Radhames Liz headed back to Triple-A, that opens one rotation spot. It also appears that Brian Burres will not make his next start, scheduled for this Wednesday in New York.
So that's a possibility of two new rotation starters.
My hunch is that one comes from the O's bullpen and the other from among its top pitching prospects in the Bowie rotation.
I'm guessing Dennis Sarfate gets the start Wednesday at Yankee Stadium. Sarfate is coming off a 3 1/3 inning, 44-pitch outing Friday vs. the Angels. He could possibly give the O's 70 pitches or so Wednesday and stretch out a little more each time from there. If not Sarfate, Lance Cormier would be a candidate to make that start.
Sunday I interviewed O's president Andy MacPhail on the Orioles Insider Roundtable radio show on WHFS and asked him if he would consider a callup from the Bowie rotation.
"I'd hate to bring a guy up too early," MacPhail said. "But we may have no choice."
If the O's turn to Bowie, it's doubtful they'd call on 20-year-old Chris Tillman, but rather someone who has to be protected on the 40-man roster this winter anyway, like David Hernandez or Brad Bergesen.
Bergesen, 22, is 12-3, 2.91 in 16 starts at Bowie. Hernandez, 23, is 5-4, 2.63 in 21 Double-A starts this year, with 129 strikeouts in 109 innings. Hernandez has pitched to an ERA of 2.03 in five July starts.
Because he is more of a power pitcher and is on a roll right now, my guess is Hernandez would be the guy if the O's tap into the Baysox rotation.
Whatever they do, the O's needed to make some moves and they are doing so. It will be interesting to see the new look the O's rotation will take over the next week or so.
What about Hayden Penn?