Can Arrieta get it turned around tonight for the starting pitchers?

By Steve Melewski

Orioles

July 15, 2011, 9:18am

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Jake Arrieta is the next Orioles starter to try and give his team a quality start. He takes the mound tonight at Camden Yards against Cleveland. The Orioles have had just two of them, one by Jeremy Guthrie and one by Mitch Atkins, in the last 17 games. At one time, it seemed Arrieta was cranking out quality starts. Over his first nine starts, he went 5-1 with a 4.03 ERA and seven quality starts. But over his past nine outings, he is 4-5 with a 5.87 ERA and four quality starts. His ERA is 7.54 over his past three starts. Arrieta has the stuff to win and one stat that helps prove that to me is his .242 batting average against. Of the 20 pitchers who have taken the mound for the Orioles this year, that is third best on the club. Only Troy Patton at .222 (in 2 1/3 innings) and Koji Uehara at .157 are better. Arrieta looks like he has lost a bit of confidence over some recent starts. Perhaps nothing that another quality outing could not change. He has the material and the bulldog mentality. Now he needs to just get it done for a staff that has seen just one pitcher go seven innings or more over the last 28 games.