Baltimore @ Cleveland preview
Progressive Field
Last Meeting ( Aug 10, 2010 ) Baltimore 14, Cleveland 8
Prior to Tuesday’s game at Cleveland, Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter insisted pitching was the key to carrying over the recent hot play from Camden Yards to the road.
Four homers and a season-high 14 runs later, now might be a good time to rethink that.
The Orioles are 7-1 since Showalter took over last week and aren’t showing many signs of slowing down. Felix Pie, Corey Patterson, Matt Wieters and Luke Scott blasted homers to set the Orioles up for just their second road series win this season.
Baltimore needs only win either Wednesday or Thursday for its first – and only – series win away from home since sweeping four games from Texas on July 8-11.
Given Brad Bergesen’s recent struggles, the Orioles might need another big night out of their offense. Bergesen drags a 6.26 ERA into tonight’s start and hasn’t won since May 12. After a disastrous six-start stretch in which he went 0-5 with a 7.68 ERA, Bergesen has delivered consecutive strong outings without a win to show for them.
He has allowed three earned runs in his last 14 innings against Kansas City and the Chicago White Sox). With Bergesen’s rotation spot on the line, he is beginning to deliver. He still hasn’t recaptured his form from last season, though, when he went 7-5 in 19 starts with a 3.43 ERA.
Bergesen, 24, has never been as highly thought of as some of the Orioles’ other young arms, like Brian Matusz, Jake Arrieta and Chris Tillman, but last year he succeeded at simply recording outs and avoiding big innings.
The same has been true of Indians rookie Josh Tomlin, who will make his fourth start tonight. The 25-year-old Tomlin has never been a highly regarded prospect, but he has pitched relatively well through his first three major league starts. His only mistake thus far was a grand slam allowed to Boston’s Adrian Beltre in his last outing after walking a pair to load the bases.
Tomlin is part of a young rotation that the Indians will spend the final two months of this season trying to protect. If Mitch Talbot and Justin Masterson - Tuesday’s starter - reach 180 innings by the end of August, manager Manny Acta may add a sixth starter to the mix to limit their innings during September.
Both Talbot and Masterson are in their first year as full-time starters in the majors. Masterson, with 11 losses, may ultimately wind up a reliever again, but for now the Indians will continue to see what he can do as a starter.
Should they need another arm, the “swing” man would simply fill in for either Talbot or Masterson, who would then be shut down for that entire week.