Today's Indians starter, Justin Masterson, has been with Cleveland since 31 July, traded from the Red Sox as part of the Victor Martinez deal. Masterson holds a special place in Orioles history, as he gave up 5 of the 10 runs the Orioles scored on Birdland Day to comeback and beat the Red Sox 11-10. Masterson has been in the Indians rotation since 8 August and has been uneven. He pitched very well against the Angels but put up sub-par performances against the Royals and the Twins.
Speaking of uneven, Brian Matusz pitches today. John Sickels stated on Minor League Ball that he believes Brian Matusz was rushed, and going by results it's easy to see why he thinks so. His minor league dominance has yet to translate to the big leagues. He hasn't pitched 6 innings in a game and his ERA is an ugly 6.46. He shows real talent in his starts but hasn't been able to make that translate to results.
A win today will give the O's a split in this series. It'd be nice to get one before the Yankees and Rangers come to town. As has been stated time and again, the Orioles have the toughest schedule to end the season of any other team. That happens when you're the worst team in the best division. Starting tomorrow the Orioles play 18 games against four teams that are a combined 82 games over .500 (Yankees, Rangers, Red Sox, Rays) before facing another team below .500 (The Blue Jays). Draft pick watchers might be happy but it's going to be brutal for the rest of us.
Let's Go O's!