Why is Chris Tillman Struggling in 2015?

The Orioles so called “ace” has not lived up to his billing in 2015. Chris Tillman is pitching to a 5.58 ERA and FIP of 4.79. He also has the highest BB/9 ratio in the majors of 4.56.

He is leaving a lot of pitches up, either missing high for a ball or getting crushed by the batter. This could be the result of a few issues. Two of those being a back injury, or a change in his mechanics to fix one issue, creating another. A back injury would limit Tillman’s ability to bend in his finish, which when healthy and right, keeps the ball down. But, to me, it seems there is a slight difference in Tillman’s mechanics.

Here is Tillman’s windup from previous years. His windup is quick and everything…