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The Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox start a four-game series tonight, and it is the last series this season that the Orioles play against anyone outside the A.L. East. I suppose that's why people say that the Orioles have a lot of control over what happens to them. Pardon me if I don't buy that. Not the way this team has been playing. Don't get me wrong, I don't think this is a bad team. I just think they really, really need better pitching if they want any hope of contending. And right now they do not have that, despite trading for two starting pitchers at the deadline.
Jose Quintana pitches tonight for the White Sox and he's in the midst of his second straight good season. He dominated the Orioles when he faced them earlier in the season, pitching seven shutout innings with just two hits and one walk allowed. Oh, and he struck out eleven. Did I mention he's left handed?
Miguel Gonzalez was pushed back one day for an extra day of rest, which is why we had to watch the Zach Britton Show in Cleveland yesterday. The normally reliable MiGo has looked kind of crappy of late, so hopefully the rest did him good.
Nick Markakis is not in the lineup today. Per Buck Showalter, he's taking a mental break. Will that help him? I feel it's safe to say that, at the very least, it won't hurt him. Michael Morse takes his place in right field tonight. I've never really watched Morse play defense on account of he used to be in the National League and then he went to the west coast, and I rarely pay attention to teams in either of those, but word out there is that he's not great shakes. Whatever, it's worth it to not have to see Nick pop up to third base four times a game.
As you all know, tonight is the first game of the NFL season with the Ravens facing off against the Denver Broncos. Feel free to chat about that game in here as well. If you're not a Ravens fan and you object to that, I apologize, but this is after all a Baltimore blog. Starting Sunday we'll have our usual NFL open thread.