Daniel "Nuke" Cabrera, RH James "Bad Goatee" Shields, RH (7-11, 5.08) (8-6, 4.47)
In the words of the old 7-11 commercial, "Ohhhhhhh thaaaaaaaaank heeeeaveeeeennnnnnn....." for the Devil Rays. You look up, and your Orioles are seven games under .500. But hey, at least they're not 25 games under .500 like the AAAA D-Rays. A sweep this weekend would be lovely, and would get us within four games of .500! But if we think that way, we'll get ahead of ourselves.
So let's focus on tonight. Daniel Cabrera has had loads of success against the Devil Rays, posting a 5-0 record with a 3.11 ERA and a .206 opponents' batting average in nine career starts against the hapless team. And the Orioles as a team have shown them no mercy this year, having beaten them 8 out of 9 this season, including the last seven straight.
Who is this James Shields guy? He's pitched well against us, posting a 3.95 ERA, but has yet to register a decision.
As you contemplate this game, please tell me why Burres is scheduled to start tomorrow night against Kazmir instead of Bedard? Isn't the whole point of a day off that you don't have to use the fifth man in the rotation?
Let's go O's!