Baltimore Orioles: Analyzing the Maze That Is the Starting Rotation

Recently, the Baltimore Orioles rotation has been pathetic. Brad Bergesen has been consistent, and David Hernandez has stepped up big time in Koji Uehara's absence. However, Jeremy Guthrie, Rich Hill, and Jason Berken continue to struggle.   The Bad and Ugly In a 7-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox on July 24, Guthrie allowed five runs in approximately seven innings, walking three, striking out two, and allowing a home run. On the year, Guthrie is 7-9 with a 5.21 ERA, has allowed 23 homers in 20 starts, and while he has pitched an occasional gem, he has rarely (if that) pitched good games with consistency. It's an incredibly disappointing performance from Guthrie, a guy who was the ace of the staff last year, and went into the 2009 season as the Opening Day starter, and has looked like a 4/5 so far this year, at best. Hill reminds some of Daniel Cabrera. When he's on with his location, there's not much that can stand in his way. For example, in a June 1 start against...