Bergesen sent to Triple-A

Roch, after receiving a text from Bergesen, has said that he's been sent down to Triple-A.

No word on who takes 3E's place in the rotation, but I'm hoping they sent Arrieta up for his first taste and keep Jason Berken in long relief, where he's thriving.

EDIT BY DUCK: No dice, it's Alberto Castillo. More from Dr Orpheus after the jump.

It was clear that Bergesen had lost his feeling for his sinker and needed to right himself somehow.  It was going to be either the disabled list or a trip to the farm until he can figure out his arm angle (that's what he's said is the problem).  And with options available, heck, why not?  The strange thing has been that the rotation has been solid even with Bergesen as the exception.  Kevin Millwood, Jeremy Guthrie, and Brian Matusz have pitched extremely well and Hernandez has done well enough to stay in the 5 spot, but it makes me wonder if this Orioles team has somehow stepped into a Twilight Zone scenario.

Consider if you will that during Spring Training many of us were wondering if Millwood could pitch anywhere near as well as he did last season, whether Guthrie would be traded by June or sooner, and why Bergesen wasn't put at the top of the rotation as the most consistent pitcher last season.  Turns out, we were all wrong (most of us).  And if only it stopped there.

Adam Jones looked great in Florida this spring.  He seemed to be healthy and hitting the ball well, but now, 11 games in, and he can't hit the ball with the same authority we all expected.  This is the same with Matt Wieters, Nolan Reimold, Luke Scott, and Miguel Tejada; Nick Markakis being the only guy who seems to be doing much and that's come in the form of walks.  Heck, even Garrett Atkins, a guy most of us still bemoan, has been collecting the extra base hits (yeah, no homers yet).

And then there's Ty Wigginton.  How wrong we all were in thinking he was expendable with Tejada and Atkins coming in.  He's been the most consistent hitter so far, driving in runs and hitting the ball into the stands more than anyone else.

Maybe I'm just rambling here, maybe it's the injuries, or maybe we all need to stop worrying about a team that isn't expected to "compete" until next season, but that doesn't stop the frustration welling up by the fifth inning and Orioles hitters making #3 or 4 starters look like aces.

Here's hoping they step through to the other side of the Twilight Zone and Bergesen comes back soon with his sinker working, Gonzalez's shoulder and velocity return, and Roberts and Pie return to the line-up and act as the catalysts this team desperately needs.  Because we're apparently hanging our hats on two guys.