A 20-year-old right-hander who came to the Orioles from Seattle in the Erik Bedard deal, Chris Tillman is dominating Eastern League hitters. A second-round pick in the 2006 draft, the 6’ 5” Tillman is 3-0, 2.87 in 7 starts for the Double-A Bowie Baysox, holding opposing hitters to a .173 average. Tillman talked about his game after an impressive outing against the Portland Sea Dogs on Friday night.
David Laurila: Can you give a quick snapshot of you as a pitcher?
Chris Tillman: I’d say that I’m a fastball-type of pitcher. I pitch off of my fastball and I have a 12-to-6 curveball. I’m working on my changeup, which is coming along pretty well. I try to work fastball/changeup, because my curve is my out pitch. I use it when I have to and try not to throw it too much early on.
DL: Do you change speeds on your curveball?
CT: It depends on the hitter and the situation, and early in the count I might, but normally not. I usually throw it between 76 and 79 — right in there.
DL: Last night you threw six scoreless innings, allowing only one hit. What did you have working for you?
CT: Everything was working last night. I found the zone and just kept attacking hitters. They were pretty much getting themselves out. I kept getting ahead of guys, which helps out a lot.
DL: Is your approach to pitch to contact, or do you try to miss bats?
CT: It depends. Early in the game, early in counts, you want to attack hitters, but if there are runners in scoring position – maybe on second and third – you want to pitch to miss bats.
DL: When you’re not pitching well, what is typically going wrong?
CT: Normally it’s a mechanical issue. My top side tries to do too much, so my arm falls behind. I end up falling behind in the count and the hitters get an advantage. I noticed last year that I was kind of swinging up top, and whenever I’d find myself missing the zone, that’s what it came down to. I’d have to make an adjustment from there.
DL: Mike Griffin is your pitching coach here in Bowie. What have you learned from him?
CT: Oh, man. Well, I haven’t been with him too long, but I get a lot from the guy. He’s been around the game a long time, and I think he helps more with the mental part of the game. He gets you dialed in and focused, and he gets you reading swings. That’s the key to pitching — watching their swings and going from there.
DL: Do you like to utilize video or charts?
CT: I do look at video. Charts don’t really do too much for me. Especially with teams I’ve faced four or five times, because I already know the hitters when I go into a game.
DL: How likely are you to call off a catcher on a given day?
CT: It depends on the catcher and what kind of mood he’s in that day. If he’s a little scared or nervous about the hitters he’ll probably call more off-speed stuff. I’m a fastball guy, so I’ll shake off and challenge guys.
DL: Are catchers moody?
CT: They can be. Most of them are pretty good, and we talk before the game. But I haven’t had any bad catchers yet. All of my catchers have done real well this year.
DL: Are pitchers moody?
CT: It depends. If you’re facing a team that you played earlier in the year, and they beat you pretty well, then you can go out there and be nervous.
DL: Who is Chris Tillman off the field?
CT: I’m a laid back guy. I’m probably one of the most laid back people you’ll ever meet. I like outdoorsy kind of stuff like fishing and hunting. I grew up in the Huntington Beach area, so I like being on the water all the time. I just love being outdoors.
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