Pitching Wins Championships

As Opening Day for the Nat's is bearing down on us, I can't help but feel excited.  As an Orioles fan I haven't gone into a MLB season with this much optimism in a long while.  Largely to blame for that has been the Oriole's starting pitching, or lack there of.  Continuing with my theme of showing why the Nat's are clearly a better choice to follow lets take a look at the projected opening day rotations. 

Here is what the Orioles are calling their starting rotation this season (stats from 2011):

Jake Arrieta: 10-8, 5.05 ERA
Wei-Yin Chen: Never pitched in MLB
Jason Hammel: 7-13, 4.76 ERA
Tommy Hunter: 4-4, 4.68 ERA
Brain Matusz: 1-9, 10.69 ERA
Tsuyoshi Wada: Never pitched in MLB


Here is how the Nat's starting rotation is looking (stats from 2011):

Stephen Strasburg: 1-1, 1.50 ERA
Gio Gonzalez: 16-12, 3.12 ERA
Jordan Zimmermann: 8-11, 3.18 ERA
Edwin Jackson: 12-9, 3.79 ERA
John Lannan: 10-13, 3.70 ERA
Chien-Ming Wang: 4-3, 4.04 ERA


Notice how the Nat's only have one player who was above a 4 ERA last season in comparison to the Orioles who don't even have one starter who was below 4.5 ERA.

Notice how the biggest question mark in the National's rotation is Wang, the 6th starter, where as the Orioles have two pitchers who haven't thrown in MLB and a pitcher over 10 ERA.

Finally, compare the two "Aces":  Strasburg (coming off an injury) versus Arrieta (coming off yet another disappointing season).  I don't know about you, but I know who I would take.


It looks like it will be another long year of baseball at Camden Yards, but I am legitimately excited about the string of great pitching this National's rotation is capable of putting together.  Can it be Opening Day already?