Wasn’t it great to be able to watch baseball on TV on Thursday afternoon? Even though Garrett Atkins dropped a routine pop up at first, the Orioles defeated the Yankees 8-0, Brad Bergesen pitched outstanding and Brian Roberts sees action on Friday night against the Minnesota Twins.

I really started to feel that Spring time glimmer when I watched one of my favorite young starters, Brad Bergesen, dominate the Bronx Bombers. I’ve been outspoken about my excitement for Brian Matusz and been a little questionable about my opinion of Bergesen in 2010. Sure, he had a successful rookie season with the Orioles, but his velocity isn’t great and he’s had two injuries in less than a year.

Steve Melewski wrote a great piece about Bergesen’s critics and his quest to overcome those criticisms. Yesterday, Bergy delivered a shutout in 5 2/3, with two walks and two strikeouts. He’s now 3-0 with a 3.77 ERA in four starts this Spring. Looks like his shoulder is back to 100% and I’m hoping to see him continue his growth from last season.

The other good news from the O’s camp yesterday was the progression of Brian Roberts. Dave Trembley told the media that Roberts will see some game action on Friday against the Twins. Initially, I was a little worried about bringing Roberts back too fast, you don’t want him to re-injure his back. The question you have to ask yourself is whether a 60-70% Brian Roberts is better on the field than a 100% Ty Wiggington. My answer, a resounding yes.

There was a lot of discomfort around the Orioles early on in Spring Training, nothing seemed to be going right for Baltimore and it was increasingly alarming when you look at their schedule in April. Expatriate’s article made me a feel a little more comfortable, but Thursday really sealed the deal.

Bring on baseball. Go O’s!