By Pete Kerzel

Jeremy Guthrie (Mitch Stringer/PressBox)

Jeremy Guthrie finds himself in an odd position as the Orioles try to configure the pitching staff that will report to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla., in mid-February. The team’s Opening Day starter the past two seasons is a bit of an afterthought, a byproduct of the rapid ascension of young hurlers and a lingering memory of the miserable 2009 season Guthrie would like to forget.

“There’s much to be learned from this season,” said Guthrie, who was 10-17 with a 5.04 ERA, the highest in his three full seasons in the majors. “I think you become a better player and a better pitcher through adversity and learning from mistakes. So that will be something that I attempt to do, maximize what I can take from this season.”

Last year wasn’t without its positives for the right-hander, who was counted upon to be a staff ace and wound up making 33 starts and reaching 200 innings pitched for the first time in his career.

“I’m grateful for my health, that I’ve been able to make all the starts I have, that I’ve been here from start to finish -- which were three goals of mine,” he said. “I can’t work any harder than I have this year. Will I continue to work? Yeah. Hopefully by continuing to work, I’ll improve and become more consistent and pitch better and that’s a promise I’ll make to myself as well as to the organization and to the fans.”

Clearly, there’s room for improvement, even from a durable starting pitcher who sometimes took his lumps because the bullpen wasn’t capable of picking up the slack. Guthrie’s hits allowed (224) exceeded his previous major league high by 48, even though he only pitched in 9 1/3 more innings than in 2008. He gave up 120 runs, 38 more than the previous season, and his earned run total rose from 77 to 112.

Most troubling, however, was the 30-year-old’s propensity for allowing the home run. He surrendered 35 long balls in 2009, a dubious statistic that led the majors and reinforced Camden Yards as a hitter’s paradise. Dig a little deeper and you’ll discover 18 of the homers allowed came on the road. But Guthrie still worked to a 5-8 record, 4.73 ERA and allowed opponents to hit .344 against him at home.

“I think it shows the difficulty of the game, that no matter what you’ve done in the past, it can change in a heartbeat,” Guthrie said. “This is a very difficult game. I haven’t executed like I have the past two years.”

So exactly what went wrong?

Guthrie is a creature of habit, diligently focusing on his preparation routine before and between starts. That was interrupted in March when he accepted an invitation to join Team USA for the World Baseball Classic. Figuring he would be a starting pitcher, Guthrie assumed his WBC work would stand in for the time usually spent in spring training. Instead, he made only two appearances, including one start, and went 0-2 with an unsightly 14.73 ERA.

“I know he’ll say that his usual routine wasn’t disrupted, but it was,” pitching coach Rick Kranitz said. “When he got back to us, he was trying to make up for lost time.”

Added manager Dave Trembley: “[Guthrie] just never got untracked.”

Guthrie rejoined the Orioles late in spring training, hopping off a redeye flight from the West Coast for a trip across Alligator Alley to Fort Myers, where he pitched and then proclaimed himself ready to start on Opening Day. In reality, Trembley didn’t really have another option.

Guthrie won his first two decisions, and then suffered through five losing months. He grew increasingly tired of the attention his struggles garnered.

Luckily for him, some of the focus was moved to rookies Brad Bergesen, Brian Matusz and Chris Tillman -- the three youngsters who should form three-fifths of the Orioles’ 2010 starting rotation.

“I think that’s a fair observation,” Trembley said. “It’s OK to say that, but you don’t know what could happen, what Andy [MacPhail] is going to do as far as how he looks at the club and what he wants to do to strengthen it.”

MacPhail, the Orioles’ president of baseball operations, aded veteran starter Kevin Millwood, acquring him Dec. 9 from Texas for right-handed reliever Chris Ray and lefty Ben Snyder, chosen from the Giants in the Rule 5 draft. Millwood will eat innings, mentor the inexperienced pitchers and, perhaps just as importantly, not force Guthrie to be a de facto ace.

The Orioles lack a vocal veteran in the clubhouse, a role previously filled by departed players such as Kevin Millar and Aubrey Huff. Millwood may eventually fill that role for the pitching staff.

“I think finding that vocal leader sometimes can be a surprise. I don’t think it’s someone you necessarily always know what you’re going to get in that role,” Guthrie said. “But it takes some time to get used to here and the personalities, and maybe that brings out the best in somebody in a leadership role. I don’t know if that’s something that they’re going to look for. But it certainly can be helpful.”

Of his current teammates, Guthrie thinks second baseman Brian Roberts and right fielder Nick Markakis might fill that role. Guthrie might be able to be a leader of the pitching staff, he thinks, but acknowledges his focus should be on righting what went wrong in 2009.

“I think if everyone comes back and pitches well, learns off this year and improves, I think we can have a nice solid staff," Guthrie said. "But I think we need depth and we need some consistency in that department. That way, it helps the team start off on the right foot each night and we hopefully have a good, long season.”

Issue 144: December 2009