Chris Tillman's performance at Yankee Stadium during the Orioles' 4-1 victory July 21 was what a team looks for in an ace. There's no question his performance lifted up his beaten and wobbly teammates and ended a bizarre four-game losing streak.
However, the Orioles come home June 22-24 to face one of the hottest teams in baseball right now, the Cleveland Indians, and the Orioles will send a wing and a prayer to the mound in right-handers Dylan Bundy, Kevin Gausman and Vance Worley.
With a 14-2 record and a 3.18 ERA, Tillman is on the verge of becoming the Orioles' first 20-game winner since 1984. More importantly, he has racked up a .875 winning percentage and has 14 of the Orioles' 54 victories, or 38 percent.
Tillman's last few outings have shown he's evolved into the big-game pitcher the franchise has needed since Mike Mussina walked out the door after the 2000 season. But it also shows how hard it is for a team to develop an ace, and how imperative it is that an organization boldly seizes the moment to lock up an important asset well before the player can maximize their earning potential -- especially when that team is without unlimited resources, like the Orioles.
