Orioles rotation starts to turn it around

With Koji pitching into the seventh inning last night and not giving up vary many runs he has continued a streak of the Oriole starters in which they have started to begin to turn the season around. It all started with Brad Bergesons major league debut in which he only gave up one run and had a 1.59 ERA. That was followed by Jeremy Guthries start which was not very good but he has already proven himself and we should expect him to start to return to his previous form. Adam Eaton who struggle to make it out of the fourth inning in his first two starts even had a stellar start against the White Sox which is one of the better hitting teams. Koji uehara pitched a similar game against probably the best hitting team the Texas Rangers in which he pitched 6 and 2/3rds innings and only gave up 2 runs to lower his ERA to 4.59. These type of starts need to continue in order for the Orioles to have a chance at lowering their team ERA below 5 and contending this year even if it is just fighting to be .500 on the year.

Hendrickson Sharp In O's Debut

Mark Hendrickson came into today's game against the division foe Tampa Bay Rays with very low expectation on him. He greatly surpassed the wildest expectations he had and pitched five and a 1/3rd innings just allowing one run on six hits for a 1.69 ERA.

The Orioles desperately need him to repeat this performance in order for them to have a winning season and potentially compete for the AL East title. According to fan favorite Rick Dempsey if he and the other back of the rotations starters( the 3,4, and 5 starters) can each make 25 starts this season the Orioles will be in contention for the pennant.

Hendrickson has pitched surprisingly well at Camden Yard during his career with a 2.70 ERA at coming into tonight at Oriole Park. And he had a 5.07 ERA away from Baltimore in his career. In his start tonight he gave up just one walk over his five and a third innings which is something that the O's are looking for to reverse the current trend of the past couple years where the finished last in the league both times in walks

Orioles win opening series vs Yankees

Even though the Orioles dropped the final game of the three game set the still managed to take two out of three from the hated Yankees. Brian Roberts, Adam Jones, and Nick Markakis all combined to give the Orioles a great 1-2-3 punch at the top of the order along with some unexpected contributions coming from Greg Zaun, Cesar Izturis, and the bottom of the batting order. The bullpen so far has been the weak link of the team and it is a trend that I would not count on continuing.The rotation has not been alright with Jeremy Guthrie and Koji Uehara combining for a 3.27 ERA and Alfredo Simon proving he can pitch and throw strikes in his first outing where he gave up 4 runs in 5 innings.

Orioles 2009 Starting Rotation

The Orioles rotation for this season is very different than many people expected it to be just a few short weeks earlier. The official rotation looks like:

1. Jeremy Guthrie-will be the Orioles opening day starter, which is not a surprise at all

2. Koji Uehara- Is the de facto number two and the Orioles need him to be at least an average pitcher this season if not above average

3.Alfredo Simon- After being one of the only pitchers that had a superb spring training and was not sent down to the minors(ex. most of our pitching prospects) he earned himself a spot in the rotation. He will be a rookie this season at age 28 but still can throw in the mid to low 90's

4. Mark Hendrickson- Originally was supposed to be the long man in the bullpen but less than stellar performance from the rest of the competitors for the rotation ended up giving him this spot.

5. Adam Eaton- He was released by the Phillies and was picked up by the Orioles and was apparently good enough to earn the 5 spot in the Orioles rotation which is more of an insult than it is a complement considering who is in front of him.

Haydenn Penn who was out of options was traded on Wednesday to the Marlins for another out of options 24 year old named Robert Andino, who is a utility player. This move caused the Orioles to release Chris Gomez and demote Jolbert Cabrera to the minor leagues.

Rich Hill who would of been the Orioles 3rd starter will start the season on the disabled list and it could be a few weeks till he pitches for the Orioles.