Chris Tillman on the importance of a bounceback season

Spring training must be getting close. The Orioles crossed off two more items from their to-do list this week by announcing their non-roster invitees and sending out season ticket invoices. What's left besides finding another starter, a left-handed bat for the outfield and maybe another reliever?

The Orioles may want to check whether they can trademark the phrase "bounceback season," because I feel as though I owe them money each time I use it.

There are starters in the rotation who need bounceback seasons. Shortstop J.J. Hardy could use one. I'm still trying to bounce back from 1998, but I digress ...

"I hear it from teammates and from people around," Chris Tillman said during last week's "Hot Stove Show" on 105.7 The Fan. "It's hard to walk around without getting the question about what are we going to do. I'm happy with the way we are right now with that. If we add people, then we add people. I'm not a guy that looks to a huge solution that's out there, because everyone has their struggles, has their ups, has their downs.

"I think with what we've got right now, we'd be competitive. If they add something else, then I feel like we can be competitive with whoever they add. It's just a team chemistry deal and I think that's a big part of it."

I asked Tillman how much he needs to "bounce back" after going 11-11 with a 4.99 ERA and 1.387 WHIP in 31 starts over 173 innings.

"A lot," he replied without hesitation.

"Last year was a down year and we need a big bounceback from all the starters. I'm going to speak for myself here. It wasn't good, it wasn't fun, and I want to get better for my teammates. That's the most frustrating part. You see what other guys are putting in and you see what you're putting in, and to not get results is frustrating and disappointing at the same time. But you go into the offseason, you forget about it and you move on.

"I don't think it's been a thought in the back of my head since we ended the season. I've moved on and I'm looking forward to next year."

Tillman had what could best be described as an uneven season. Not that a pitcher should be judged on his won-loss record, but Tillman went 2-7, 7-0, 0-4 and 2-0. He was a model of consistency in the same way that Sidney Ponson is a model of underwear.

"It happens to everyone," Tillman said. "Everyone has their ups and has their downs. Everyone knows what baseball does. You can make a great pitch and get a bad result, and I think that's a big part of this game. I'm not making any excuses for myself or my teammates, but it's unfortunate that this stuff happens when you do things right. And a lot of times you do things wrong and you get the right outcome.

"Stats are only a certain part of the player. I know it's an important deal for a lot of people, but I've got to get better as a pitcher and be more consistent like I have been in the past. This last year was unacceptable."

The majority of Tillman's six starts versus the Blue Jays fit the description, as he'd be the first to admit, but he held them to two runs over 7 1/3 innings on Sept. 28. It eased some of the frustration over his 11.72 ERA and 2.013 WHIP against them.

"All I remember is my last start, to tell you the truth. I think my last start against them went pretty well," he said.

"I've had success against them before and I've gotten beat up against them before and it comes down to they made an adjustment on me last year and now it's our turn. I'm not saying it's all going to be pretty, but as a pitcher you have the advantage because if you're making your pitches and doing what you need to do, you're going to come out on top most of the time."

Asked about the adjustment, Tillman replied, "They figured me out a little bit last year and I think the more I worked at trying to get around that, the worse I got.

"It's something that was a little new for me because I kind of figured myself out and I was able to be consistent in my delivery. When the league starts to figure you out, you try to change and do all this new stuff to get around it, and that's not the way it works. You've got to stay consistent with what you are and maybe mix up your pitches differently or give them a different look. You can't try to change everything at once."

Tillman registered a 3.31 ERA and 1.224 WHIP in five starts against the Blue Jays in 2013. Regaining that level of success against them will go a long way toward giving Tillman the bounceback season that's expected of him.

That's so badly needed from him.