The last time Jimmy Yacabonis came to Baltimore to pitch with the Orioles, he didn't seem — or feel — much like a starting pitcher.
He was on an in-between pitch count build to him up from the reliever workload that was all he'd known as a pro. He'd just made his second relief appearance in the majors and was sent down with manager Buck Showalter’s derisive directive to "work on his command and backing up third base" after a mental lapse that day.
But in the interim back at Triple-A Norfolk, Yacabonis has been a legitimate starter, from his pitch limits and his handling to his mindset about the whole plan.