Last night Brad Bergesen struggled – again. Pitching three terrible innings, giving up six runs and effectively putting the Orioles out of it before they even had a chance to be in it. The Orioles bullpen did not help either. All in all it was just another all-too-familiar sight for Orioles fans.
This weekend, the Orioles will play four games in three days against the New York Yankees in The Bronx. Young Orioles starters Chris Tillman and Zach Britton have been recalled to start the day-night affair. It will be a big start for both of them because the entire future of the Orioles franchise rests on their shoulders. Well, not just their shoulders but theirs, as well as Brian Matusz and Jake Arrieta’s, because, Orioles fans, if those four players do not live up to their potential then the team is better off blowing the entire thing up and starting over from scratch.
That may sound drastic, but let’s face it. The Yankees and Red Sox are not going to get worse anytime soon. There is no window for them. The resources that both teams have afford them an almost immortal status when it comes to competitive baseball. But, James (you herculean exemplar), what about the Rays? Well, let’s face it, the Rays had a couple of very magical years, but it appears as if their window is beginning to close right now. They are having a good year but now sit 11 1/2 games out of first, are hovering right around .500 and appear to be sellers. And, yes, they will make moves and trades, but does anyone really think that a proposed 2012 Rays or Jays team has the guns to go up against the Red Sox next year?
Make no mistake, the Red Sox are the class of the American League East right now. They started the year 2-11; since then, they have played at a .674 clip. Put another way, if the Red Sox would have played like that from the start, they would be on a 110-win pace. And that is a team that has had problems in their rotation and Carl Crawford not really being Carl Crawford all year. That team is coming back pretty much intact next year, and they are likely to be better. Now, eventually, you top out as no team can win every game, but if the AL East was a tall mountain to climb in 2012, it looks to be Olympus Mons…
Read more at MASNsports.com
