I was just over at Baseball Reference and noticed a new statistic in their standings called SRS, or simple rating system. SRS takes a team's run differential and the strength of the schedule they've played so far to determine the number of runs per game they are better or worse than the average team. The Orioles score a -0.8. That's the same rating as the Mariners and Cubs, and 6 teams rank worse than that: KCR (-1.2), LAA (-1.0), PIT (-3.3), ARI (-1.2), HOU (-1.5), and the team the Orioles are playing this weekend, the Cleveland Indians (-1.1). I don't know how much that really matters, but it makes me feel a little bit better.
Jeremy Guthrie pitched pretty well against the Twins in his last game, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits in 6.2 innings to earn his first win of the year. Guthrie didn't face the Indians last year and has made only one career start against them. On August 13th, 2008, he pitched 7 innings, allowing 1 run on 4 hits. Of the Indians who batted against Guthrie that day, Grady Sizemore, Jhonny Peralta, Shin-Soo Choo, and Asdrubal Cabrera are the ones left on the team in 2010.
Tonights lineups are as follows:
Orioles: (S)corey LF, AJ CF, Nicky RF, Miggi 3B, Luke DH, Wiggy 3B, Wieters C, Rhyno 1B, Izzy SS
Indians: Asdrubal Cabrera SS, Grady Sizemore CF, Shin-Soo Coo RF, Travis Hafner DH, Jhonny Peralta 3B, Russell Branyan 1B, Matt LaPorta LF, Luis Valbuena 2B, Lou Marson C