In the past two days, two young Orioles starters have defeated $240 million worth of pitcher contracts for the Yankees. This is not the last time we will be seeing those guys, and it's not the last time they will be seeing our guys. It is September; the Yankees have a slim division lead and they need every game in order to hold on to it. On top of the usual Yankee fan stench is now the smell of fear for next year, when their overpaid veterans will all be one year older, and our young guys will have one more year of seasoning under their belts.
Brad Bergesen takes the mound for the Orioles today as they seek their fifth consecutive victory in what looked to be a bleak section of the schedule to close out the season. That grim prophecy may yet come to pass, but for now we can all enjoy the ride. Bergy's ERA was 6.95 on July 26 and it is 5.47 now. Sure, there was a lot of room for improvement there, but he had a 2.72 ERA in 36.1 innings in his five August starts. He got shelled for 6 runs in 2.1 IP in a June 2 start in New York, but that was a different Bergy.
The Yankees counter with Ivan Nova. This is what you've got, Yankees? You're paying $213 million to players in 2010 and you've got some guy named Ivan Nova starting games for you in September when you're only 1.5 games up on the Rays? I'd like to ooze overconfidence out of every pore of this post, but let's be real for a second here: Nova, a rookie making his fourth big league start ever, fits the profile of "pitcher who inexplicably shuts the Orioles down." That's old Orioles thinking, though. This is the Buck era, where the O's have the best record in the AL East since August 3. Also, I heard Nova's mother is a hamster and his father smelt of elderberries.
This is Birdland, ladies and gentlemen, and for once the future's almost looking kinda bright. With a win today, the present would be looking kinda bright too. Go O's!