Orioles starters' numbers bad sign for postseason

Orioles starters' numbers bad sign for postseason
September 27, 2012, 8:08 pm
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The Orioles look as if theyre going to make the postseason, and it seems clear that the starting pitchers manager Buck Showalter would use are Wei-Yin Chen, Joe Saunders, Miguel Gonzalez and Chris Tillman.If Jason Hammels right knee allows him, he would be a starter, too, perhaps in lieu of Saunders.The Orioles face long odds to advance once theyre in the postseason because their starters arent terribly accomplished. Only Chen, who hasnt won since Aug. 19, has 10 or more wins. He has 12.Hammel, Gonzalez and Tillman each have eight.How does that stack up against recent World Series winners. Last years champs, the St. Louis Cardinals, had five pitchers with 10 or more wins. World Series winners from 2006-10 had either three or four pitchers with at least 10 wins.Chen may find a second wind in the postseason while Tillman and Gonzalez, whove been starters in the second half, have done very well.If Hammel hadnt been injured in July, he could have perhaps 15 wins.The Orioles bullpen has been dynamic, but without stronger starting pitching in the postseason, their October stay may be a very short one.