Seattle @ Baltimore preview
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Last Meeting ( May 11, 2010 ) Seattle 5, Baltimore 1
The Baltimore Orioles don’t know which Brad Bergesen will show up to pitch today against the Seattle Mariners.
They hope it’s the Bergesen who has thrown much better in his last two starts, the one who shut down Minnesota and tossed 6 2/3 shutout innings in his most recent outing. They hope it’s not the Bergesen who was pounded for 20 runs in his first three starts and wound up going back to Triple-A Norfolk.
But the Orioles are optimistic that they’ll see the Bergesen who pitched so well last week. He got his sinker working, stuck with it and remained in command throughout.
The sinker is Bergesen’s out pitch and everything else works off it. Plus, he’s got to keep his confidence, something that the right-hander lost during his three-game skid.
Bergesen (2-2) was Baltimore’s biggest surprise last year. He came up early in the season and became the team’s most consistent starter, posting a 7-5 record before a leg injury forced him to miss the final two months of the season.
After that, Bergesen hurt his shoulder filming television commercial in the winter. This could explain the surprisingly slow start. But if he’s back now, the Orioles will be delighted to see him.
However, Seattle could give Bergesen a test.
The Mariners banged him around for seven runs on six hits in just 2 2/3 innings when the Orioles visited Seattle in April. That’s something Seattle hasn’t been able to do often this season.
The Mariners’ offense awakened in Tuesday’s 5-1 victory over the Orioles, finishing with 10 hits. They scored all five of their runs in a two-inning stretch to take command of that contest.
In addition, it was the bottom part of their lineup that came through in a big way. The last four hitters got six of the team’s 10 hits and had two RBIs.
Seattle’s offensive problems have been a mystery to everyone. But the Mariners have shown some punch at times. They’re hoping to have it together again today to support starter Ryan Rowland-Smith (0-2). The Australian left-hander hasn’t been able to get it together yet this season.
But pitchers can turn it around quickly sometimes. A quick trip to the minors seems to have helped get Bergesen back on track. The Mariners are hoping to see a similar turnaround with Rowland-Smith.