Brad Bergesen made his major league debut last night against the Chicago White Sox after waiting nearly two hours for the rain to stop in Baltimore.
Bergesen isn’t a guy who will throw the heat by you, he won’t impress you with his fast ball. But he will locate some nasty pitches and keep a pace faster than most major league pitchers today.
The rookie retired his first nine straight batters and that’s no picnic against this lineup. Some of Bergesen’s highlights included striking out Carlos Quentin to end the first inning after five straight foul balls, getting Paul Konerko to ground into a 5-4-3 double play in the second inning, and striking out Jim Thome looking.
After getting two quick outs in the six inning on balls hit by Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye, Dave Trembley pulled Bergesen with a 4-3 lead. He could either win or get a no decision and his confidence must have been soaring after his 5 2/3 innings work and the bullpen pulled through to finish it off for a 10-3 Orioles’ victory.
Pulling out Bergesen during the sixth was an outstanding move by Trembley. Don’t think it wasn’t strategically planned either. The skipper got the rookie out of there in the best way possible and if will certainly play a role in his next start.
