It’s hard not to smile tonight if you’re an Orioles fan.
Matt Wieters made his major league debut, Brad Bergesen pitched a gem, and Luke Scott said, “What’chu talkin‘ ‘bout, Willis?” twice tonight, as the Orioles won their fifth game in a row by defeating the Detroit Tigers, 7-2.
The big story of the night was obviously the debut of the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball, and he delivered—just not with the bat. The young catcher called a great game to help Bergesen pitch one of the best games of any Orioles pitcher all season long.
Bergesen pitched 8+ innings, scattering seven hits while striking out three and walking none. After several promising starts that fizzled with struggles in the fifth or sixth inning, it was encouraging to see him work so deeply into the game.
Scott continues to annihilate Tigers pitching, hitting a grand slam in the third inning and a solo shot in the fifth, both off Tigers starter Dontrelle Willis. Four home runs in two games against Detroit. When the streaky Scott is locked in, his power is as good as anyone else in baseball.
It was great to see 42,000 people give a rousing ovation to Wieters every time he came to the plate. Just imagine what it will be like when he starts hitting!
The refreshing part about tonight’s game was the fact that the Orioles lineup now includes four impact hitters 25 or younger (Wieters, Nolan Reimold, Adam Jones, and Nick Markakis), and the starting pitcher was 23 years old.
Now, that’s a youth movement!
While Scott and Bergesen were the stars of the evening, the night belonged to Wieters, as he begins his major league career after a mountain of praise and expectations. If he goes on to be a 12-time All-Star, no one will remember he went 0-for-4 tonight.
But they will remember a huge step—perhaps the biggest—being taken to reverse the fortunes of the Baltimore Orioles.
