One day after the O's were shut-out by Rays starter Jeremy Hellickson, Brad Bergesen returned the favor, holding Tampa Bay scoreless in a complete-game 6-0 victory on Saturday.
There were a lot of firsts for Bergesen (1-4) on Saturday afternoon...Bergesen had never beaten the Rays (he came into the game with an 0-5 record against Tampa) and had never lasted more than six innings against the divisional foes. It was Bergy's first win of the season and first complete-game shutout of his young career.
Bergesen allowed just four hits (two singles, two doubles) and a walk while striking out five in his best performance of the year. With Brian Matusz on track to return to the club in about two weeks, Bergesen and Chris Tillman are considered to be battling for the fifth starting role...Tillman turned in a great performance against Seattle last week, and Bergesen stated his case on Saturday afternoon.
The bats came to life after a dismal showing on Friday, and the Birds gave Bergesen an early 1-0 lead in the very first inning...with two out, Derrek Lee drew a walk and Vladimir Guerrero drove him home with a double to give Bergesen a small cushion to work with.
Mark Reynolds slapped a solo homer in the fifth, and Jake Fox followed with a two-run blast in the sixth to give the Birds a 4-0 lead. The O's tacked on another run in both the seventh and eighth innings to provide the final margin...
Jake Arrieta takes the mound on Sunday afternoon, and the Orioles have a chance to take the series against the first-place Rays before heading to Boston for a two-game set.
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