The debate is obvious, but not the decision. Do the Orioles send down Chris Tillman or keep running him out there every five days and hope that the education proves beneficial? Do they allow him to work out his issues in a less-pressurized environment and protect his ego, or figure he has nothing else to prove at Triple-A? The guess here is Tillman will land in Norfolk's rotation after he fell to 0-3 with an 8.40 ERA. He lasted only two innings last night, allowing six runs and six hits, and interim manager Juan Samuel removed him after only 44 pitches.

Samuel said nothing about a possible injury during his post-game interview on MASN. Tillman's velocity was down and his fastball was so straight, you could place your finest crystal on it. I endorsed the idea of keeping the young starters up here and letting them build up major league innings in a season where there's nothing else to gain beyond developing the prospects and acquiring the first pick in next year's draft. However, Tillman has nothing to gain by having his brains beat in each time he takes the mound. You don't want his confidence shattering like that crystal. The Orioles have three more off-days this month, so they can live without a fifth starter here and there. It might be time for Tillman to take another step backward and regroup. It's great to have the cavalry gallop into town, but Tillman has been thrown off his horse. Upon further review, the wise choice might be to replace him with a multi-inning reliever and hope that he figures things out at Norfolk. Obvious debate, tough decision.