Beantown Bummer

OK, getting no-hit sucks. Especially by a rookie. Especially in his second major league start. Especially when I was convinced he was overrated. And yet that wasn't what bothered me about this weekend (OK, it bothered me a little, but still…). No, it was Sunday's opportunity to still win the series despite Saturday's debacle and they blew it. Bases loaded, none out, and you don't score? RBI single and Millar gets cut down rounding second to end the inning (why do you need to be aggressive about going to third with two outs?). Markakis hits a lead-off double in the 8th and at 3rd with one out and they can't get him home. Ugh, how many chances to you have to waste? Daniel Cabrera was the veteran this weekend and, dare I say it, he kinda pitched like one. His curveball stunk, but he managed without it and had no issues with going out for the 6th inning, even with 100 pitches under his belt. For the first time in recent memory, the bullpen didn't allow a run. And credit the Red Sox for playing some amazing defense (all weekend, in fact). Thank goodness they didn't blow the lead Friday or I'd be in excruciating pain.

So, now the Orioles head back to Tampa Bay to face the hot Devil Rays. Yeah, I said hot. 5 of 6 on the road for the world's worst road team. They'll have to face Shields and Kazmir again. And it doesn't look like Bedard is coming back soon. With Trachsel on his way to Chicago, the Orioles rotation looks a little funny right now. Cabrera, three rookies, and a TBD. If Bedard doesn't come back, who do you give the start to? Hayden Penn? Brian Burres (probably not as he has been busy out of the pen)? In the short term, it's not a big deal because the O's had Thursday off and they can do the four-man rotation without issues. But a disastrous close to August could lead to an equally bad September if the Orioles can't count on any consistency from the starting rotation. Still, I've been a proponent of dealing Trachsel for quite some time and I think the O's got a good deal. A 2002 first-round pick in Scott Moore, who knows where he'll fit in, but he's young (23) and gives the Orioles some depth next year, even if he is at Norfolk. And at this point, with the way the pen was pitching, it was worth a shot on Rocky Cherry. And let's give him a couple of outings before we start comparing him to the unconfident version of "Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hoey".

Four weeks of baseball left and many unanswered questions for next season. September is never a perfect barometer, but let's see what Olson, Liz, Hoey, and the rest of these guys can do. The free agent market stinks, so let's hope to find some love from within.