Finally!

After scoring 3 runs in 33 innings, the Orioles finally came through in the clutch and won a pitching duel for once, beating the Royals 2-1 in 10 innings.

If there's anything to get encouraged about the Orioles for, it's their pitching, which has only suffered 2 or 3 bad games out of 10. The starting pitching has been solid all the way around, with Steve Trachsel being the biggest surprise. Having come off a year in which he pitched to a 4.97 ERA for the Mets, Trachsel has had 2 quality starts in a row (2.63 ERA), and carried a no-hitter well into the game last night. Much can also be said about the bullpen, which has shaken off the loss in New York and come back to shut down opposing teams late in close games.

But the thing to be worried about, and greately, is the offense. The O's actually had 12 hits last night, but they also grounded into 3 double plays and left 8 men on base. Collectively, the team is hitting .226 and has an ominous OPS of .666, which is fitting, because it feels you're trapped in hell watching this team hit.

There have been rumors that the O's will call up a player from Norfolk after this Sunday's game, but why wait? The team clearly needs offensive help now and bringing up John Knott would help a lot. Knott bats right-handed for one, and would bring some balance to a line-up that had 6 of it's 9 hitters batting from the left side of the plate last night. As it currently exists, the bench offers no help in this department, with Gomez being the only decent RH bat.

There is always worry that Perlozzo will fumble the ball again, and call up a speedy utility player like Brandon Fahey, Ruddy Yan or Terry Tiffee, but I think the verdict is in. We need more offense and John Knott is the no-brainer right now.

Plus, it's unclear when Hernandez and Payton will come back from the DL, but the word is "soon" for both. Hernandez may be back for the Tampa Bay series, but we all know how players who appear ready to come off the DL mysteriously end up back on it again.

So if I sound redundant, it's for good reason. This team is in desperate need of some offense and a RH bat and John Knott will help in both areas. It's time to see what he can do. And it's time to stop wasting good pitching performances by scoring some much needed runs.