Bergesen earns win in MLB debut...

The Orioles desperately needed Brad Bergesen to step up in his MLB debut, throw strikes and keep the team in the game.

Thankfully, he did that and more.

Bergesen almost single-handedly erased the stale taste of a 4-game sweep at the hands of the Red Sox by pitching a very solid 5.2 innings last night in a huge 10-3 win over the Chicago White Sox.

He scattered 4 hits, gave up 1 ER, struck out 4 and walked 2. He worked fast and kept the ball down in the zone. And during a night with rain delays, Bergesen was a ray of sunshine.

For once, an O’s prospect came to the show and used what got him there. Garret Olson and Radhames Liz, both former O’s prospects, were strike throwers in the minors, yet when they came to the majors they looked completely lost on the mound. (Olson was traded during the last offseason and Liz was optioned back to Norfolk with very little promise left.)

Not Bergesen. He was always in command. With men on, he pitched smoothly from the stretch and even after Ty Wigginton made an error to keep an inning going with runners on, Bergesen buckled down and got the next batter to end the threat.

Bergesen proved that drafting pitchers, not throwers, pays off more times than not. And Bergesen seems to have a stone-cold mentality. Chicago’s stacked middle of the order didn’t seem to phase him.

Bergesen may not be a phenom, but he can be a very solid backend starter for the O’s, now and for the future.

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After scoring only 2 runs in the last 24 innings, the O’s bats returned to form yesterday, collecting 12 hits and scoring 10 runs... Aubrey Huff had a monster game with 2 HR and 4 RBI. His first home run came within a few feet of hitting the warehouse... Nick Markakis continued his tear to start the season with 4 hits and 2 RBI bring his total to a major leage leading 18... Luis Montanez, called up from Norfolk to replace Ryan Freel who was placed on the DL, got into the action with an RBI double... Ty Wigginton had a bad night, committing an error at 3B and going 0-5. He has yet to collect an extra base hit... Felix Pie went 0-3 with a BB and is currently batting .135... The Orioles' bullpen allowed only 2 bare runners in 3.1 IP... James Johnson struck out the side in the 8th inning... Brian Bass pitched a scoreless 9th and hasn't allowed a run in his last 3 IP after allowing 12 ER in his last 7.1 IP.