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I just got off the phone with Brad Bergesen, who had boarded the team bus after Triple-A Norfolk's game in Charlotte.
Bergesen is hopeful that yesterday's start will be his last with the Tides. Nothing against the club, of course, but he'd like another turn in the Orioles' rotation.
It would be a major surprise if the Orioles bypassed Bergesen on Saturday. He did enough yesterday to leave team officials encouraged, allowing only two runs over seven innings, walking none and getting 14 ground ball outs.
Bergesen said he's mostly worked on the mental part of his game with Norfolk pitching coach Mike Griffin.
"I've worked a lot with Mike Griffin down here, who I feel really comfortable with and who helped me a lot in 2008, and he came up with a plan for me," Bergesen said. "He shared some insight with me on what he went through in his career and how to get out of it. Yesterday, there were times when I did feel like my old 2009 self, and also times when I knew there were still some of my pitches that weren't where they needed to be. But it was much, much better than my first three starts with the Orioles.
"One of the biggest adjustments for me is more the mental side of it. Talking with Mike, he told me he went through the same things that I'm going through right now, and he told me, 'You're not going to get over anything mechanically, physically or mentally until you learn to relax,' so I really tried to do that.
"I made a couple small, minor adjustments in my mechanics, but nothing major. Right now it's just more the mental side of it."
Bergesen hasn't been notified that the Orioles are recalling him this weekend, but that's the assumption. They don't have to make a roster move until later in the week. Jake Arrieta can continue to build on his early success and crack the rotation later.
A reader asked about the differences in the major league and minor league baseballs. The weight's the same, but the seams on the major league ball are thinner and slicker.
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Roch,
Respect your opinion of course but I don't think that sends a good message. Bergesen was rocked in three straight starts, Arrieta has been dominant. To me, Arrieta deserves the opportunity. If Arrieta struggles in the bigs they can flip flop but I think his success thus far has bot be rewarded.
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On the other hand, it doesn't send a good message to give up on Bergesen after only three starts following a promising rookie season. Guess you can look at it both ways. - Roch
If his mechanical issues are worked out, he should be brought back up. You don't demote your previous year's best pitcher after 3 bad starts.
I hope Rich Dauer is there to greet Bergy when he gets back to OPCY. It would be great if he could move into Lugo's locker.
I still feel the bigger strike zone (the rule book strike zone) is one of the major reasons for his control problems. He hits the corners or at the knees and they are called balls so the hitters tee off on him when he needs a strike. Joe West wants to speed up the game, call the rule book strike zone.
Brummie,
Your last post that Guthrie and Millwood are bad because of record is just you working the stats with smoke and mirrors. If they had some offense and no blown saves they would have wins, but your too stupid to see that. You have no baseball knowledge what so ever. What you do have is the ability to rile up everyone here. Wish Roch would pull that leash. You and your alter egos are taking over the blog again with the same ole BS.
Bergy sounds ready to come back....I would not let him....I would make him go one more start to prove himself...and let Berken make a start..or bullpen committee....or another minor leaguer..but if no one is able then I guess he will have to come back and go for it...if he does come back I hope he does well.
Yikes, I'm on the fence about this one. I know its a small sample size, but I have a hard time thinking you can tell Arrieta that he isn't ready just yet when the guy has posted a 0.36 and is pitching with a very hot hand.
Tough situation for the O's. I just hope whoever they decide comes up and gets a few W's.
I looked at B Robs video blog, Looks as though Bergesens locker was never cleaned out. I am sure he will go right back into his allready stocked with O's gear locker. I think still that Tillman will be first up since he is on 40 man roster before Arrieta when somene gets hurt or they move Hernandez to his anticipated bullpen role. Look for Arrietta when Millwod is moved to a contender setting up next years rotation of Matusz, Guthrie, Bergesen, Tilman and Arrietta. Next years bullpen will feature Berken and Hernandez. I think with Lugo you have to let it play out til Roberts comes back and then possibly make that move and hopefully Lugo puts up something to show for so we can get a ptbnl for him or cash considerations. I als think it would be wise to put Roberts on the 60 day DL retroactive when they add Simon back to the 40 man, that stops us frm being forced to try to slip someone through waivers at this time. Roberts has allready missed 15 days or so and I bet he is not ready for close to that 60.
I agree,Bergy shoudldn't lose his spot just because he got off to a late start in spring training and is still working through some cobwebs.
Simon coming up and taking Micilio's spot is good news.Need another power arm in the back end of the billpen or make him the middle guy and move Berken to the back end.
I agree with Bret.....One game is not the cure all....A few more qualty starts at Norfolk would do the trick.
too soon to be back..... I havent given up on him or Tillman, but time will tell when they are ready to come back to the O's....Meanwhile back at the ranch, I heard that Simon is on his way and Kam or Albers maybe going down... Jake is a few starts away from being ready to come up just l9ike Brian and Chris were last year.....Patience is a virgue and we'll have no wine before it time as the slogan goes...
Lets not be to eager to endorse or reject the extra games at Norfolk for Brad.... We all knowm he can pitch better then the 3 starts this yr.....Good luck Brad and Chris.
Stormy in South Point
I am totally torn on this one. Bergesen was a pleasant surprise last year, but he should have been sent right to Norfolk to start the year after an injury and a shaky spring training anyway. Arieta has the further upside and is scorching right now in Norfolk so i say go with the hot hand. And you can also look at thta both ways, yeah we cant judge him on 3 bad starts, but we also cant judge him on one good one in AAA either. I would keep him down for at LEAST 2 more starts to make sure he is right then send him back up. If the plan all along was to send Bergy back up then let Berken get a spot start or 2 until Bergy is ready and keep Arietta in AAA. Tough decisions there, i dont think its that cut and dry...
Hmm, this doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement for Kranitz. Lot's of questions pop up in this one simply sentence. No?
"I've worked a lot with Mike Griffin down here, who I feel really comfortable with and who helped me a lot in 2008.
I really feel that Arrieta will be up at some point. I really cant imagine Matt Albers lasting much longer with this team. You have to have another arm ready because you know Koji will last a week and than be shut down for the rest of the year, so you cant hang your hat on that. Garrett Atkins and Julio Lugo offer this team nothing, and yeah the Os would be eating some money just by releasing them BUT they did that with Jay Gibbons and took the worse part of the deal for Ramon Hernandez just to get rid of those contracts.
As long as Bergesen is truley cured (physcologically) because thats where the problem is, this to me is a no brainer. Bring Bergy back up with Arrieta waiting in the wings. The Os have some options and with Ryhne Hughes smacking the ball around the Os might tap into them sooner IMO,
Roch thank you for this blog, I hope your daughter is feeling better. I hope Bergy can come up Saturday and pitch I am rooting for these young kids and hope they will help bring the O's future sucess. Us fans are hungry for some sucess. I also like the Ravens draft they had needs for TE, and the defense guys can learn from Rlewis, and T Pryce. I don't know what to think of DT's situation, I don't blame him for the record he cannot hit, I wish the o's would of gotten Holiday instead of Atkins, and I think it is good Hughes is hitting for him since he struck out twice with bases loaded in Fridays game.
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Thanks John. She's much better today. - Roch
I think Bergy would benefit from making a few more starts in AAA. Do you think the O's would give the May 1 start to Berken and a bullpen committee rather than bringing Bergy back so quickly? With Arrietta not on the 40 man roster, it seems pretty unlikely that he would be brought up now. I do like the idea of bringing up Simon to replace Mickolio now and then Koji to replace Albers when Koji is ready. We need to shake up the bullpen a bit.
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Berken's staying in the bullpen. - Roch
Hey Roch, been reading regularly but have been at a loss for words. I havent been neglecting you, promise.
I have never understood why they would use a different baseball in the minors vs. the majors. Seems like they may wanna change that.
Roch, you're right that a guy who was our best pitcher last year shouldn't lose his spot in the rotation because he had three bad starts. As much as I would like to see Arrietta, it's not the right move to bring him up over Bergey. That said, it would be nice to get him one more start at Norfolk to build confidence. On the other hand, it's kind of like being on the driving range right before your tee time. You hit a great drive; do you stop there and walk to the first tee or do you hit another to see if you can replicate that good result. I always do the former. I guess we'll see if Bergey duffs his tee shot Saturday. Unfortunately no Mulligans.
More from ESPN/Baseball America insider (from last week):
Living Up To Expectations
Matt Hobgood, RHP, Baltimore Orioles (Low-A Delmarva)
Monday's stats: 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K
Hobgood was seen as an overdraft by many when the Orioles took him with the fifth overall pick in the 2009 draft, but what he lacked in ceiling, he countered with as much certainty as a high school arm can provide. At 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds, he has a frame built to eat innings, and he has well above-average command and control of slightly above-average stuff. On Monday night, he sat at 88-92 mph with his fastball, showcased a true plus curveball, and even broke out a solid changeup that projects as big league average. He could move quickly.
I think there was/is something wrong with Bergessen and there is no reason to bring him back up after one good start. What would we do if he came back up and got tagged again? Arrieta has earned the call up at this point and should be given the shot while he is pitching so well. If Bergessen is still pitching strong after 4-5 starts then he can replace Hernandez who can go to the pen. A week ago I would of agreed with bringing Bergessen back up but when they both makes starts separated by two days against the same team and one guy totally dominates while the other guy is just pretty good, you should go with the guy that dominates.
I hear what you are say about the message sent to Bergessen if you bring up Arrieta but the same can be said if they bring up Bergessen over Arrieta. They have both had 4 starts this year and Arrieta has had better stats in all 4 of them. IMO, Bergessen needs a couple of good outings to build up his confidence again. I've never seen a pitcher look so uncomfortable on the mound as he did in Seattle.
Let's assume, just for the heck of it, that Bergeson comes back up and starts throwing like he did last year. Not unreasonable. Then, let's assume the rest of the starters continue to pitch pretty well, which they have certainly done up to now. But then, what if the relief pitchers keep screwing up. At what point do you, if ever, bring up an Arrieta, a Patton, etc, to give them a crack at the major league level but in a relief role. Isn't that the way they used to do it in the old days, like when Palmer first came up? If guys like Albers, Mickolio, etc, can't get the job done, and you've got some other pitchers that might well get the job done, why not give them a chance?
What does Arrietta have to do to get a chance? Everyone seems to be placed ahead of him and yet he is obviously the best pitcher at Norfolk. I am confused.
Fire Trembley.....please.
They should bring up Arrieta, Bergesen should be given another start down there before bringing him up. In Brad's BP outings up with the O's this year they were knocking the feces out of him...don't you think?
I don't completely disagree, Craig, but if you want to see one more start from BB, that means you have to call up Arrieta for Saturday. If Bergy does well, then do you automatically demote Arrieta? Seems more fair to both of them to give Bergy the ML start and go from there.
If anyone knows pitching struggles it has to be Griffin.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/griffmi02.shtml
john g, fire Trembley? Yeah that guy can't hit or pitch at all. And please tell me who would make things better. Please.
Whoa, i don't know if anyone else is watching the Scott Garceau show but Jeremy's git-up...wow...
This is a predictable mistake the O's will make. He needs 3-4 more quality starts in AAA before we consider bringing him back up.
I dont like the idea of bringing up Arrieta this early either. I would go with one of the vets or Berken.
I seriously do not see the benefit of sending Brad Bergesen back to AAA for one lousy start. I adore Brad, and I want him to succeed, but one start? Come on!
This seems awfully similar to the time Daniel Cabrera was being sent to AAA to work on his stuff and was pulled up after three good outings. I don't want Bergy back on this team until he has NO doubt in his mind. I don't want to see him get shelled by Boston's hitters, and wind up back at square one again, because we have poor follow-through in this organization.
As if dealing with ex-Oriole-turned-Red Sox slugger Darnell McDonald wasn't tough enough, get a load of this transaction Monday from the great Oriole who never was:
American Association
GRAND PRAIRIE AIRHOGS_Signed RHP Wade Townsend and RHP Mike Bille.
Of course Roch and many of us remember how Townsend snubbed King Peter's meager first-round riches coming out of Rice back in 2004. If we just had landed him, all would have been different. Serioulsy, at least, we followed Townsend up with plausible or excellent first-rounders Snyder, Rowell, Wieters, Matusz and Hopgood.
Though the big-league record remains gloomier than the weather, there is progress elsewhere.
Why do people on here still respond to Brummie and the other Yankee/Red Sox fans? They sure have a lot of power over you obviously.
Good for Bergy. Hope he has it figured out. Go O's!
How odd, especially coming from someone who criticized the Kevin Millwood signing and said Matt Hobgood was a bust.
Roch,
Is it possible that McPhail has already made the decision to fire Trembley, but is waiting until after this Yankees/RedSox stretch? Giving a new manager the keys and asking him to face the Yankees and Red Sox for ten straight games would be a lot to ask.
I'm certainly pulling for Bergy to work his way through this. He's a talented pitcher and a good guy.
Interesting comments from Bergy and it seems that a better pitching coach is right under their nose.
Hey Roch,
First time poster. Love your blog. Question: Doesn't Bergy need to stay in the minors a certain length of time before being recalled? I thought it was 15 days unless there's an injury.
Thanks again for all you do for the O's online community!
Cheers,
NashvilleRay
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10 days. - Roch
I doubt it. You don't often see non-contending teams fire their manager this early in the year. the Nationals waited until more than half the season had passed before firing Manny Acta last year. There were two managerial changes in May - Rockies and DBacks - but both were made by teams with legitimate hopes for contention (or so Josh Byrnes thought...). To go back a year further, the Mariners, Blue Jays, and Mets all fired their manager in June - but no changes were made earlier than that.
As for Bergesen - I think it all depends on how he looks mentally and physically. If his head is in the game, and he's not carrying an injury, I think you have to call him back up. He has always been a guy with great control and lots of groundballs, if nothing else; suddenly this year he has 6 BB and 4 HR in 10.1 IP. assuming he hasn't suddenly turned into Steve Blass, and assuming he's all good physically, I think he deserves a chance to redeem himself at the ML level. why? because in 2009, he posted 123.1 innings of great baseball in the majors, and that means more to me than Arrieta's 116 innings of great baseball in AAA.
Good for Bergy, but he should have 3 good starts in AAA to balance the 3 bad starts in the MLB. If he doesn't then the cosmos will remain out of sync and he may struggle.
Is Bergesen struggles again on Saturday, is that when they'll give Arrieta more consideration? Thanks
Frustrating posts - I refuse to mention certain folks by name, but completely agree with those who have suggested that fans interested in a balanced and reasonable discourse continue to scroll the trolls with no reference to their whiny snifflings.
Also, re: firing Trembley (a reasonable question) - it's too early in the season for discussions of firing a manager. Further, the issues that have plagued this team this year are #1 relief pitching, and #2 clutch hitting. Trembley has generally made what I consider to be the right move most of the time (although JJ should not have been pitching the 10th yesterday). Neither Trembley or any other manager can hit for the players. Given the manner in which the players have manged to steal defeat from the jaws ofvictory, I think Trembley should be given a B to B+ on the season.
Re: Bergesen (and Arrietta by implication) - too early to bring up Arietta. He needs to prove himeself for at least half a season at triple A before getting the call. Further, we don't want to start too many service time clocks clicking at the same time and we would like to have back to back ROY's at the P position as a prelude to the next team to have 4 20 game winners in the same season :). Bergesen did not get enough work in ST, so it was shear genius by A. Mac to steal a start for him in a less pressurized evironment when the schedule did not permit same. A few more AAA starts would be nice, but cannot waste other player's options / servie time clocks.
Re: Coser - we need one. Question: is there a clsoer on this roster? Koji, maybe, durability issues. JJ - no way, great 8th ining guy, just not a closer. Still extreely valuable. Meredith? Hernandez? Castillo? Maybe. This needs to be resolved.
Last, re: hitting / R. Hughes: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Tejada thanks you too, as does Nick the stick. O, if the O's start to hit and pitch like they have been (closing excepted), then this team can be pretty, pretty, pretty good. Maybe not great, maybe great. Definitely, pretty, pretty, pretty good. A. Mac has done very well. As has Joe Jordan.
Bergesen got a lot out of Mike Griffin....in less than a week and one start?? Griffin's a miracle worker, apparently.
Also, Bergesen said that Griffin related a lot of his experiences in his career on to him. Considering Mike Griffin had a lousy Major League career, including a stint with the Orioles, I would be worried myself.
Arrietta has walked 10 in his 25 innings. He's still got a little work to do, since MLB hitters have better plate discipline and it's very hard to succeed walking over 4 a game. Other than that stat, though, he's been dominant (striking guys out AND getting lots of ground balls).
I'd have liked for Bergy to get more starts in the minors, but there's a lot of logic in how things played out if he comes back this weekend. With the off days, we easily had the opportunity to skip a starter's turn in the rotation and even give most of the others an extra day of rest. Bergesen might have been sent to the bullpen instead, but by sending him down he keeps starting regularly, got a chance to work on things, and a confidence boost. You can look at the whole thing as him never having lost his rotation spot, just playing the schedule to keep him working regularly.
you know i dont know if this means anything but on espn rumors they say Arrieta could be coming up.
i don't have a problem with him, or Bergesen coming up at this point. You know we all loved Bergy last year and just because he has 3 bad starts doesn't mean you give up on him. This is a very long season lets not throw everything he did last year away because he has a poor start.
Mazzilli, Perlozzo, Trembley... all long time baseball men. None with prior managerial experience at the majors.
Hargrove, Miller, Johnson... established managers. All handcuffed... the established managers were handcuffed by the inept general manager and perhaps the ownership as well.
How cool would it be to have MacPhail as the GM and an established manager. Someone with a name... some experience. I can dream... see what happens when we have a day off I start getting wild and crazy ideas.
Last O's Fan in NOVA -- Perhaps a point, but not likely. Bergy was with Griffin and Kranitz all spring, and it was Kranitz when Bergy had MAJOR league success. I would expect the statement has much more to do with Bergy, like all athletes, emphasizing the positives of the experience.
Re: Arrieta: Schoolmates, am I correct in that Arrieta (like Tillman last year) has been dominating but without demonstrating great command? He's blowing guys away, but also giving up walks? That is a strong reason to keep him in AAA. MLB umps require you to pitch the ball into a pint glass to get a strike called, and our divisional friends pay for...oops, I meant, KNOW that. Remember, Tillman would probably have gotten far fewer starts last year if anyone over 16 and under 40 with an arm better than mine were available. It was his command that was a strong factor in his struggles here.
I started a new position today (no I'm not an international journalist in Berlin) and I didn't have my laptop ready today to read the SOR all day. I was bummed, big time.
I'm very interested to see what happens with Bergy. Hopefully he can get one or two more confident builders down in AAA and come back up to show what he can do.
I couldn't help but notice the same old "SUM button", "Andy this, Andy that" rants from Brummie, Brummie, and well, Brummie.
I thought those days were over with but, I'm glad I got to scroll through them all at once!
Hopefully we can start off tomorrow with a W and keep the hitting going. Let's go O Birds!
Roch-
It would be a huge mistake to bring him up already.
If he comes up Saturday, and gets shelled, then uh-oh. It isn't the mechanics. Its the league catching up to his stuff.
Plus, if they wait just one or two more turns, wait for a more friendly opponent.
I pray they see it this way. Let Arrieta come up.
They can move Hernandez to the set-up role, he is so much better out of the stretch and has better stuff 1 time through the line-up. PLUS, the O's need bullpen help.
Its amazing how all your sheep have demoted DH to the bullpen when he has done nothing to deserve this demotion. Arrieta will have the same problem DH had last year that DH has already learn. Arrieta command is worse than DH's and yet everyone expects to walk on water.
I'm also confuse when you and most here expect Arrieta to just walk in and produce. As egboyz mentioned Arrieta command is worse than DH and will have problems with the strike zone as Hernandez did last year and the ML hitters will be sitting on his pitches like they did with Hernandez's last year. Hernandez has learned a lot from last year and it has showed so far this year. Arrieta's command will get him in trouble as it did with Hernandez and pitching in AAA is a whole different in the ML just ask Hernandez.
-- Anybody who has ever pitched at any level (including me) can tell you that anytime you get 14 ground balls in 7 innings, you have some serious sink happening. Bring Bergy back while the gettin's good. You should see plenty of worms dying on the infield this weekend. I do wonder if his injury hasn't completely healed, though.
-- Starting pitching has been excellent, although because the bullpen has allowed so many runs when it enters games you'd never know it to look at stats. Hitting...well, just because they got 30 hits in the last two games against the Red Sox is no reason to jump for joy. They benefited from the short wall, some really bad relief pitching and to their own credit, vastly more patience at the plate. The latter is the one big difference that I noticed...even when they were behind late they were still working counts and hitting the ball.
The Red Sox, frankly, didn't strike me as any better than the Orioles until you got down to closing the game, and not so much then, either. They're going to have to buy at least two quality bullpen arms and one good bat in the middle of the lineup to contend. Starting staff is terrific...but once you get by that, they're pretty much an empty shell. I haven't seen the Twins or the Yankees yet, but I'll be surprised if either of them are as good as Tampa. It's looking like those three are the class of the American League, though.
As much as I am a Bergy fan...if he fixed his mechanics and confidence problems in one start, when he returns he needs to make sure he brings Griffin with him. Sorry Kranitz but if Griffin can fix a young pitcher in one start then you obviously are not connecting with the pitchers.
Tell Bergy to stay down for a couple of starts and use this time to regain that sinker. Tell Arrietta he is coming up for 1 or two starts ONLY. Unless he totatlly dominates. this would be a good time for him to get a taste of the ML to see what it is like. This way when he gets called up later this year, he will have a foot up on the game at this level.
Rob- nice post- please post more often.
Sheets- good comment on Arrieta's control. I noticed that and it is probably the only reason he should remain at AAA. It does his command has improved the last couple of starts but we really need to physically see the guy throw. His ERA doesn't lie. Maybe he wisely threw around a couple of guys. Or he may be "getting away" with stuff. THe answer to those questions determines the call up. I am a huge Bergy fan. He pitched so intelligently last year. We need him back in form.
Roch
Why are the baseballs different ?
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Don't know. - Roch
With all due respect Roch, what did you expect Bergy to say? "I fee terrible and need a few more starts in the minors" ???
Of course he is going to tell you and every other reporter he feels great and has worked out all his problems.
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So I shouldn't check on him? I was interested that he focused more on the mental part of his game with Mike Griffin, rather than mechanics. And it supplied a blog entry when nothing else was going on. - Roch
No offense to Bergy but 1 good start isn't enough for me to say your fixed and ready to come back. I'd like to see 2 more starts at AAA to see if the mechanics are the same and what the Orioles are expecting. Let Arrieta come up for a start or 2 and see what her can do.
The question becomes then.....
What happens if Bergesen gets rocked by the Red Sox on Saturday? Then you keep him in the rotation anyway? Then you send him back to Norfolk again? I wish Bergesen well, but I don't see how one outing against Charlotte can flip the switch and reverse his first three starts with the O's (10 1/3 IP, 21 H, 6 BB, 4 HR, 12.19 ERA)
To answer the question about baseballs.
The major difference is in where the balls are made. Major League baseballs are made in Costa Rica and I have heard are wound tighter in Costa Rica than the minor league balls which are made in various places. I think Demspey covered that during a rain delay a couple years ago.
I don't know know much about the winding process but if you ask Felix Pie he may be able to assist you.
I say let Bergy stay at Norfolk for a total of 4 starts. He starts April 30, May 5 and May 10 and if he can continue the success then bring him back up to start against Cleveland at home on May 15th.
The O's can use Berken/Hendrickson on May 1 and 6 which are the days they need a 5th starter. If Bergy does not continue his success then either let Berken or Arrieta start. If Berken, then bring Simon up to be the long guy.