Baltimore Orioles Hellickson in a car accident & Tillman pitching update

BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 24: Starting pitcher Chris Tillman
BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 24: Starting pitcher Chris Tillman

The Baltimore Orioles new pitcher Jeremy Hellickson was reportedly in a minor car accident today.

The Baltimore Orioles were expecting to see him in Arlington, Texas. Now, the team will have to wait to meet him until they return home on Monday.

The accident happened as Hellickson was driving to the airport with his girlfriend when his car was rear ended. He was on his way to catch a plane to Texas to join the Orioles.

According to the reports from Steve Melewski with MASN News, Hellickson’s girlfriend was injured and had to be taken to an emergency room in Philadelphia.

No start date set

After the completion of the series with the Texas Rangers, the Orioles return home to face the Kansas City Royals. Probable pitchers are only set through Monday. Wade Miley will pitch against Martin Perez in Arlington on Sunday. Ubaldo Jimenez is scheduled to face Danny Duffy in the first game of the Royals series on Monday.

According to the report from Melewski, Showalter has not yet set a start for Hellickson. But, he did have a bullpen scheduled in Arlington, Texas. Due to the car accident, Showalter said that the bullpen session would be arranged in Baltimore with a catcher ready to meet him in on Sunday.

Could Tillman head to the DL?

Showalter also mentioned that Chris Tillman was experiencing cramps in his last start which is why he only pitched in 4.1 innings. In the MASN article, Showalter said about Tillman:

“He went through periods where he was OK, but I think it bothered him most of his outing. Probably had something to do with the command of his pitches.”

Tillman is no stranger to physical issues. He started the 2017 season on the DL with shoulder issues. After two positive starts with only three runs allowed total, in his start against the Rangers on Friday he allowed eight runs to score. While this isn’t his season high (he gave up nine runs against the New York Yankees on June 10), a physical issue could explain the poor start.

If Tillman is out for an extended period of time, Hellickson will see a start sooner rather than later. If the rotation continues on its path, Tillman should be scheduled to start on Wednesday, August 2 in the final game in the series with against the Royals.

More from Orioles News

Will the O’s have a six-man rotation?

Showalter was also asked about whether he plans to run a six-man rotation now that Hellickson is on the roster. His response was classic Showalter:

“I can’t speculate about something I don’t know about until the smoke clears tomorrow, actually Monday. I’ll have a better idea, especially when we know where Jeremy is from the car accident today.”

Next: Baltimore Orioles: Who is Jeremy Hellickson?

Showalter also mentioned not making any decision until the trade deadline is over, which happens to be Monday. Could his comments be subtly hinting that more trades are in the works? Could other pitchers be on their way out or in?