Once again, Spenser Watkins was the main storyline of an Orioles victory. The 28-year-old rookie starting pitcher has been a pleasant surprise in his brief major league exposure, succeeding despite a lack of overpowering stuff. And with the Orioles starving for decent starting pitching, Watkins is filling an enormous need. He’s also shown the ability to build incrementally on his success.
Consider Watkins’ walk-to-strikeout ratio in the first two starts of his career. On July 6, his BB/SO was 3:2 over five innings, and on July 11 it was 3:4 over 4.1 innings. He took a step forward in that department tonight, tallying two walks versus seven strikeouts.