ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.- I'll be checking out of my hotel and heading to Tropicana Field in the next hour. It seems like I just got here. I didn't bother to unpack my suitcase. Do you realize that the Orioles haven't used their bullpen in regulation in the last three games? Kevin Gregg and Jim Johnson followed Zach Britton to the mound on Thursday after the rookie tossed nine scoreless innings. Jeremy Guthrie and Brad Bergesen went the distance in the first two games of the Rays series. The...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Manager Buck Showalter addressed a few topics in his postgame session with the media, but Brad Bergesen was the focal point. "He keeps battling through it and he doesn't wallow around in self-pity, and that's a big thing of mine," Showalter said. "Nobody really cares. We do, but the opposition doesn't. He pitched pretty well the last time against Tampa, too. I thought he and Jake (Fox) had a real good tempo going. And he had command of his fastball. Something I...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Brad Bergesen earned his first win of the season by tossing his first career shutout and fourth complete game. Escaping that jam in the first inning propelled him in the right direction. "It was a really good feeling," he said. "To have those couple pitches go your way or to be able to make those crucial pitches, especially early on and getting out of a couple jams, it is a huge momentum shift that goes in your favor. And to be able to put up zeroes after we score,...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - It looks like the Orioles can turn in a quality start with Jake Fox behind the plate. Just when you think you've got this game figured out... Brad Bergesen shut out the Rays on four hits, retiring 20 of the last 22 batters he faced in a 6-0 victory. The Rays didn't have a hit after Sam Fuld's single with one out in the third inning. Jake Fox talks about his big 2-run HR and how he battled within that at-bat "I think Brad showed what he's capable of tonight,"...

Brad Bergesen came into this start today with an ERA of 7.45 in his past two starts, just one quality start all year and with a career record of 0-5 and 9.13 ERA in five lifetime starts against Tampa Bay. But he got a huge double-play grounder against Evan Longoria to keep Tampa Bay off the board in the first inning on his way to a four-hit shutout as the Orioles beat Tampa Bay, 6-0 at the Trop. It's the Orioles third shutout this year. Bergy seemed to be able to keep the ball down today....

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Brad Bergesen escaped jams in the first three innings, retired 11 in a row and won his first game of the season, 6-0, over the Rays at Tropicana Field. Bergesen retired 17 of 18 going into the bottom of the ninth. He walked leadoff hitter Ben Zobrist on four pitches, but retired the next three batters. He allowed four hits, walked one and struck out five. He threw 103 pitches, 68 for strikes. The Orioles had lost the last nine games that Bergesen pitched, including a...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Jake Fox has taken his share of heat, but he's catching a shutout and padding a lead today. Fox is giving the signs to Brad Bergesen, who's blanking the Rays on four hits over six innings. And he gave the Orioles a 4-0 lead with a two-run homer in the sixth that drove Rays starter Wade Davis from the game. Fox won a 10-pitch battle with Davis by launching his first home run since April 16 in Cleveland. It was a no-doubter. Davis had allowed two homers in seven career...

Cole Kimball got the call late Friday. He didn't sleep all night and caught an early flight to Washington. At 3:24 p.m., Kimball threw his first major league pitch, a 92 mph fastball for a called strike, against Marlins cleanup hitter Gaby Sanchez. He struck out Sanchez on four pitches. Logan Morrison lined out to second base and Mike Stanton walked. Kimball then got Greg Dobbs to fly out to left. In less than 24 hours, right-hander Kimball went from the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs to...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Brad Bergesen has held the Rays scoreless through three innings, though he's allowed four hits and a few loud outs. Ben Zobrist doubled and Johnny Damon singled in the first, but Evan Longoria grounded into a 5-4-3 double play on the next pitch. B.J. Upton doubled with one out in the second, but Casey Kotchman grounded out on a changeup and Reid Brignac flied to the warning track in center on another changeup. Sam Fuld singled and stole second base with one out in the...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - If second baseman Brian Roberts is going to bust out of his slump, he'll do it from atop the order. No big surprise here. Roberts is the club's leadoff hitter and there aren't many options if manager Buck Showalter wants to lower him. J.J. Hardy would be the likely replacement. Felix Pie has speed, but he doesn't play every day and he doesn't steal bases. It's a moot point. Showalter has dropped Mark Reynolds to ninth and he's willing to make other changes, but...