Another pitcher's duel? (updated)

After last night, when these teams combined for 22 runs, one more than the O's and White Sox had combined to score during their entire four-game series, maybe the O's and Cleveland will return to a pitcher's duel tonight. The O's lead 2-0 after four on a Luke Scott RBI groundout in the first and a Cesar Izturis RBI single in the fourth. Brad Bergesen is off to a good start. The Indians do not yet have a hit and he has thrown just 42 pitches. He has gotten two double plays behind him including the line out to left that ended the Tribe fourth where Felix Pie threw to first from the outfield to double off the runner. The Indians have hit into a couple of hard outs so far. Maybe Bergy was listening intently when Buck Showalter told him the other day he wished Bergesen could sit in on the other teams' pre-game meeting to hear all the nice things they would say about his pitching. Over his last two outings, Bergesen has given up just 3 ER and just 10 hits over 14 innings. O's starters have worked to an ERA of 2.52 over the last eight contests. But Bergesen has lost seven straight decisions over his past 12 O's starts since he beat Seattle on May 12th. With a victory tonight, Showlater would be within a win of the best-ever ten-game start by an O's skipper. Davey Johnson began 9-1 in 1996. Update: Brian Roberts just turned on another fastball and hit it out to right, like he did Monday night to beat the White Sox in the tenth. He got a Josh Tomlin heater on a 3-2 pitch and gave the O's a 3-0 lead with a homer leading off the top of the fifth. It was the 12th pitch of the at bat and Roberts, who is 3 for 3, is hitting everything hard tonight.



Erbe headed for surgery
Tonight's lineups
 

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