Tillman's troubles

By Roch Kubatko

Orioles

September 19, 2010, 11:01am

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When we spoke to Jake Arrieta yesterday, he talked about the importance of refining his mechanics if he wants to become an established major league pitcher. I later suggested in this blog that he also needed to throw more strikes and improve his tempo. Here's my unsolicited advice for Chris Tillman: Throw more strikes. You don't need an extensive background in pitching to figure out that one. Tillman has been removed from today's game after 3 2/3 innings. He walked six batters, matching the total in his last start, threw a wild pitch and and trails, 3-1. Tillman threw 84 pitches, 43 for strikes. The last one put Brett Gardner on first base and forced in a run. Manager Buck Showalter stepped out of the dugout and signaled to the bullpen before Gardner could drop his bat. Tillman has walked 28 batters and struck out 21 in nine starts covering 40 1/3 innings. He only allowed three hits today, but why would the Yankees bother swinging? Could Tillman be the next young starter to slip into shutdown mode?