CHICAGO — Chris Tillman was only talking about himself when he characterized his start Saturday as good "for the most part," but since the All-Star break, the same can be said for an Orioles rotation that entered the second half of the season under fire.
Even in a loss, Tillman yielded just three runs in six innings and took only his fourth loss of the season because of a contentious replay ruling. In the first half of the year, Tillman taking a loss felt extra painful because of the uncertainty as to what the Orioles rotation around him would do.
That doesn't seem to be the case anymore. In 22 games since the All-Star break, the Orioles rotation boasts a 4.01 ERA, down from 5.15 in the first half of the season. That's not going to win any gold stars, but it appears to be a legitimate improvement. That has helped an overall staff reduction from 4.35 in the first half to 3.66 in the second half.
Manager Buck Showalter seems encouraged, if a little reserved, by what he has seen and what could be in store.
"We've managed the innings and managed some workload to try to get to this point where we have as fresh of horses as we can have," Showalter said. "We feel like we have some guys — you never want to jinx yourself, but we're in position to go forward and hopefully it's a strength for us. We're going to need it."
Tillman, who is 2-2 with a 3.82 ERA in the second half, remains the most reliable part of the rotation. He got an extra day of rest between his past two starts and Showalter said he felt Tillman benefited from that. Tillman was largely happy with his performance, though he said there was too much hard contact for his liking.
He'll be followed Sunday by the biggest difference-maker in the rotation since the All-Star break — right-hander Dylan Bundy.
Bundy has allowed seven runs — all on home runs — in 21 innings over four starts, most recently throwing seven innings of one-hit scoreless ball against the Texas Rangers.
Showalter said Saturday that Bundy had gotten to a good place through the team's usage of him in the bullpen in the first half of the season, a necessity because of Bundy's roster status that showed both he and the team he could pitch in the majors. Bundy was limited to 63 1/3 innings over the three previous seasons because of elbow and shoulder injuries.
"What he's got going for him is he's throwing well and he's giving us a chance to win on the day he pitches," Showalter said. "I think what's kind of happened through it is he's not thinking about it anymore. It's been a long process for him to get back going. …
"Dylan, I think he's really developed a real mental toughness through all of it. He already had it a little bit, but something you've done your whole life that's all of a sudden taken away from you, you kind of wonder if you're going to be able to do it again. I think it makes you really savor and enjoy the good things that come your way. I think it's actually made him a better pitcher. He's more of a pitcher, developed some secondary pitches where he can go out some nights and not carry a big fastball and be able to survive."
The White Sox will be Bundy's biggest road test after making his debut as a starter against the Tampa Bay Rays on the road on July 17. But all signs point to him being a major part of the rotation as the Orioles head down the stretch.
The rest of the rotation going forward — Yovani Gallardo, Kevin Gausman and Wade Miley — all present some challenges, but are capable of keeping up the improvement the Orioles need sustained. Gallardo had just his third quality start of the season Friday, lowering his ERA to 5.47 overall and 4.97 since the All-Star break.
Gausman is coming off seven innings of two-run ball against the Rangers, and has a 3.80 ERA since the break despite taking a whooping in Toronto at the hands of the Blue Jays last weekend. He's growing more comfortable with his breaking ball in key spots, and is holding his velocity deep into games. In his next start, he'll likely pass his major league-high of innings pitched, and there's no sign the Orioles will back off him anytime soon.
The only relative unknown is Miley, who lamented his fastball command after allowing four runs in five innings Thursday in his Orioles debut. He has a 5.08 ERA on the season, and having inconsistent fastball command is something that has plagued him in his career.
But if he can essentially replicate what's being asked of Gallardo — get into the sixth inning and leave at the first sign of danger with the team still competitive in that contest, he'll be filling his role well.