According to Drew Forrester at WNST, Chris Tillman is likely to make his Orioles debut next week during the Kansas City Royals series.
From Forrester's blog:
My little bird-in-a-tree, yes, the same one who told me earlier this year about Reimold’s call-up (the day before it happened) and Sarfate’s injury, has indicated that the plan is to have Chris Tillman make his major league debut sometime in next week’s series vs. Kansas City at Camden Yards.
When? The "bird" didn’t know. But Monday makes sense to me. Jason Berken is pitching Wednesday afternoon in the Bronx. He’s likely to get lit up. Five days later, the O’s host the Royals. That would be Berken’s turn to throw. What better way - lowest of low risks - to bring a kid into the majors than to give Tillman the ball that night — against one of the Hapless Brothers…the Royals?
He’d then face Boston over the weekend at home. Two starts, two home games.
Makes sense to me.
Then again, I’m only reporting what I’ve been told up in the tree.
Of course, Rich Hill and Berken could both dazzle us over the next 28 hours or so and we’d have to re-think all of this, right?
I know, pigs will fly.
So let’s see how it plays out. Does Tillman come up next week against KC? Monday makes sense.
Frankly, I'm ready to see Chris Tillman. Jason Berken and Rich Hill are killing my soul. Tillman currently has 93 innings pitched in AAA this year so it'd be nice to see him come up here and make 10 or more starts for the second half. I'm guessing it would give the team a jumpstart as well. I already have plans to go to Wednesday's O's-KC game but you can be sure that I'll be there at Tillman's debut if it's on Monday. I'm almost as excited for his debut as I was Matt Wieters.
Still, this is just a rumor. But he has to get here eventually, right?