All of a sudden, Birdland is a much more interesting place to be. Recapping the latest load of roster moves and uni news, and those yet to come:
-Brad Bergesen took the mound last Tuesday in #35. More power to the kid for switching from the Spring Training-esque #64, but he’s got some bad mojo to break. Since Mike Mussina left in 2000, five other pitchers have taken on his old digits and…ugh. Peep it.
-#24 Adam Eaton out, #34 Matt Albers back for a third stint in 2009. Glory be.
-Jason Berken has made the jump from AA Bowie to AAA Norfolk to Baltimore in just two months, and won his first major league start last night in #49. I was there to see it, and I’ll elaborate further down the page. Believe it or not, no Oriole has worn this number since Hayden Penn in 2006. I get the sense that the Birds were always keeping it warm for Hayden, but with his various injuries and freak occurrences he never made it back. In one of those eerie coincidences, Penn made his debut in #49 four years to the day that Berken got his start.
-Injury news: #2 Lou Montanez out until maybe September with wrist surgery, and #19 Koji Uehara gone for at least 15 days with that pesky hamstring. But hey, #30 Luke Scott’s shoulder is all better!
-David Hernandez will become the third O’s starting pitcher (and fourth player overall, including #14 Nolan Reimold) to play his first big league game when he gets the nod tomorrow against the Tigers. I’ll be back to tell you what he’s wearing (he was #26 at Norfolk, and it’s available with the O’s) and who he’s replacing on the roster. Did I forget anyone? Oh yeah…
-FRIDAY IS MATT WIETERS DAY. DROP EVERYTHING AND MAKE THE PILGRIMAGE TO ORIOLE PARK AT CAMDEN YARDS TO WELCOME THE FUTURE.
-Okay, I’ve sedated myself. It’s likely that #16 Chad Moeller will have to step aside to let The Man come through. As previously reported, Wieters has worn #32 at Georgia Tech and throughout the minors, but Jamie Walker has dibs. Will he make a gracious gesture for a much-heralded rookie, or will Matt settle for the #15 he sported in major league camp this spring? I’ll be at the Yard Friday to see it with my own eyes. I cannot wait.
-As has been widely reported across the Oriole Blogosphere, MASN hosted several O’s bloggers at last night’s game, including yours truly. You can read my own first-hand account here, but I also recommend Stacey’s take at Camden Chat and Neal Shaffer’s two cents over at The Loss Column. It was a great night, and I got to make a little small talk with Al Bumbry and Rick Dempsey. Can’t beat that! Oh, by the way…
WIETERS. DEAL WITH IT.
Whew, Opening Day is finally here, and it was a good one! It was a thrill to be part of the largest first-game crowd ever assembled at Camden Yards, especially since the Birds made mincemeat of CC Sabathia, Mark “Boo” Teixeira and the rest of the overpaid mercenary All-Stars. Savor first place, O’s fans, however long it may last!
Five more cuts today, as the Birds’ roster continues to take shape. #19 Ben Davis, #49 Hayden Penn, #71 Bob McCrory, #72 Fredy Deza, and #74 Zach Dillon are all headed to the minor league camp in Sarasota. McCrory’s the only cut that surprises me, as he’s had an impressive Spring. Of course, the new organizational focus seems to involve not rushing folks to the major leagues. Besides, Bob should get his shot in a month or two, when the bullpen is beset by its next round of bomb-outs/elbow injuries. The Orioles still have 45 players in camp, with open competitions at shortstop, utility infielder, backup catcher, fifth starting pitcher, and a handful of bullpen slots.