Rich Hill May Be Done

Today's start from Rich Hill was representative of what we have seen from him all season. Going up against the Royals, a team with less wins than the Orioles, Hill allowed three runs in 2.1 innings with four hits and three walks. To the Royals. While he did not earn the loss, his ERA in 14 appearances, 13 of them starts, is now 7.80. With Chris Tillman coming up on Wednesday, this is the end for Hill, or at least it should be.

Hill was traded to the O's from the Cubs, and in his first start looked solid, throwing 5.2 innings with just two runs in a win against the Royals. Even through his first four starts he was 2-1 with a 4.15 ERA. But with a mid-80s fastball and offspeed pitches that are not breaking well, Hill has constantly gotten shelled by opposing teams. He was a good idea to bring in, but the experiment has not ended well, period. He is constantly going less than five innings and is tiring the bullpen even worse than the rest of the rotation.

I also don't feel the bullpen will be helpful to him. To work on pitches he'll need to be in the minors, not pitching out in the pen. A mid-80s fastball and under average breaking balls need to be worked on in Norfolk.

Unless Jason Berken does just awful on Tuesday, Hill should be designated for assignment. Chances are he'll accept going to the minors to try to rebound, and I hope that happens. He is a former 4th round pick that has talent, but he may need more seasoning to get to form. If he gets taken by another team, so be it. But for the Orioles, Hill will be next to go, or at least should be. I hope him the best, but for now, he needs to be off the roster.

(Photo credit: Baltimore Sun)