:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60498275/GYI0061272292.0.0.jpg)
The Buck Showalter miracle manager act hits the road tonight for the start of a six-game trek that will take the Orioles to Cleveland and Tampa Bay. In tonight's opening game, we get to see a couple of promising young pitchers who don't particularly have any results to show for it this year. Jake Arrieta takes the mound for the O's against the Indians' Justin Masterson, the second-round pick for Boston in 2006 who came over in the Victor Martinez trade last year.
So maybe another one of those games where the over looks pretty tempting. What is Masterson's problem? In a nutshell, his problem is his split against righties and lefties. Lefties have a .310/.392/.462 slash line and have hit 9 of the 12 home runs he's surrendered this season. So that basically means lefties generally are Joe Mauer off Masterson. Not so good.
As you can see by their record, Cleveland is also not very good this year but we can't just waltz in expecting to beat them. After all, fans of the Angels and White Sox surely imagined that they would stride into Baltimore and reverse their fortunes against us. The Indians are without their star prospect Carlos Santana after a home-plate collision in Boston where the Red Sox's version of the Windmill sent a guy who was going to be out by about 42 miles. ESPN.com's Boston homer emeritus, Bill Simmons, observed that destroying Santana's knee pulls the 3B coach into "a dead heat for Worst Sox 3B Coach ever" honors. Ouch.
If Jake Arrieta can make the string of consecutive quality starts by Orioles pitchers continue, then the O's should have a pretty good chance in this or any game. Of course, there's only one way to know what will happen. Here's hoping. Go O's!