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Baltimore Orioles: Room to Improve in AL East Starting Pitching Rankings

ByNate Wardle|
Oct 4, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Chris Tillman (30) pitches during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League wild card playoff baseball game at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 4, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Chris Tillman (30) pitches during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League wild card playoff baseball game at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
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Jake Odorizzi
Sep 25, 2016; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi (23) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Griffith-USA TODAY Sports

3. Tampa Bay Rays – Chris Archer, Jake Odorizzi, Drew Smyly, Matt Moore, Matt Andriese, Blake Snell

Preseason prediction – 1st, Archer, Odorizzi, Smyly, Moore, Erasmo Ramirez, Andriese, Snell, Alex Cobb

The win-loss record is never pretty for the pitchers on the Rays, and that was the case in 2016. Never more so than forChris Archer, who finished with a 4.02 ERA in 201.1 innings with a 9-19 record on the season.

The staff ace did struggle mightily early, but even when he turned it around, the offense couldn’t score for him.Jake Odorizziwas the only starter with a winning record and continues to show why he is a highly regarded as well.

Blake Snellmade his major league debut and went 6-8 with a 3.54 ERA in 89 innings and 19 starts.Drew Smylyalso struggled, as didAlex Cobbin the few games he pitched coming back from injury.Matt Moorepitched to a 4.08 ERA before being traded to the San Francisco Giants.

Overall, the Rays allowed 4.40 runs per game, also better than the league average of 4.47. The record was 48-61 in game decisions for the starting pitching, with Archer’s record an undeniable influence on that. The Rays’ pitchers turned out quality starts in 46 percent of their games, just off the league average of 47 percent. The Rays were right at 5.7, the league average for innings pitched per game by a starter. All said, it was an average year for a pitching staff that is usually better, and with their offense, average pitching won’t cut it.

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