Bad blood still boils between the Orioles and the Red Sox after the injustice perpetrated by the disciplinary actions of Major League Baseball. David Ortiz and Kevin Gregg will both be suspended for the balance of the series, and while these were the two who threw punches, the clubhouses have not forgotten. Will fireworks go off in this series? There is no doubt that the O's and O's fans feel like they are behind in the exchange. A matchup between Tim Wakefield and Brad Bergesen doesn't exactly scream flamethrowing, though.
It's not a great sign for the Orioles that Bergesen is back to starting for this game. Any time you have someone with a 5.65 ERA in July and they're in the rotation for any length of time, that's no good. This is the latest offering on a pu pu platter of failure, where the only pitcher who's pitched a good game in the last two weeks is currently on the restricted list due to legal issues we don't fully comprehend. Bergesen against the juiced-up (preceding phrase not intended as a factual statement) Boston lineup is not a good matchup on a hot summer day.
Of course, Wakefield against anyone isn't the best of matchups either, as he gives up home runs at a greater rate than any other Boston starter - over one per nine innings. Although his 4.74 ERA is better than all but four pitchers currently on the O's major league roster, which is pretty bad.
We have Nolan Reimold back as the designated hitter tonight, with Felix Pie in left. Derrek Lee is still batting ahead of Reimold and Mark Reynolds. Why? No one even knows why. Or at least not anyone on here.
After the nine-game losing streak, the O's could really stand to build up a little bit of a winning streak. A win tonight would be the third in a row. I'm not holding my breath, though.
| Red Sox (T. Wakefield - R) @ Orioles (B. Bergesen - R) | |||