This team has officially gone from, "Well this is a fun run of games" to "What on earth is going on?" Tonight the Orioles won their eighth game in nine tries since August 3rd behind a brilliant pitching performance from Brad Bergesen. Tonight they secured their eighth win in August, matching their total for the entire month of July.
Brad Bergesen continued his string of effective starts, but he took it to a new level tonight as he pitched his second career complete game, allowing just 1 run and 2 hits. He pitched the entire game on just 102 pitches, inducing twelve ground ball outs and striking out four. I don't think that it's out of line to say that Bergesen is effing Birdland.
It's a good thing Bergy was so great because the offense wasted their scoring opportunities. Like last night they had thirteen total hits, but unlike last night they couldn't get the runners in, going 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and leaving nine on base. They scored their first run in the first on a Luke Scott ground out with runners on second and third with just one out. In the fourth, Indians pitcher Josh Tomlin retired Scott and Adam Jones to start the inning when the O's tried to rally. Felix Pie singled and Matt Wieters walked to put Pie in scoring position. He came home on an Izturis single for the second run. The third and final run came on a lead off fifth inning home run by Brian Roberts. Roberts had three hits on the night and is really starting to look in the groove.
He wasn't involved in any scoring, but it's worth pointing out that Josh Bell had three hits on the day and had a nice day in the field.
The Orioles are on fire and will go for the sweep tomorrow. The Mentor will try not to suck for a second consecutive game as he opposed rookie Jeanmar Gomez, who at first glance appears to have been great so far this season, but I was obviously wrong because his xFIP is 4.62.