To start, the Orioles are getting ready to play a doubleheader today due to last night's rainout. I might also add that it's a true doubleheader in the old fashioned sense; the first game (Friday's game in theory) starts at 4:35 PM, and the second game (tonight's game) starts approximately 20-25 minutes after the first one is over. Zach Britton will be opposed by Texas' Colby Lewis in the first game, and Jake Arrieta will go against Matt Harrison in the second. For fans attending the twin bill, the games are in essence one event so it's a single admission deal which is great for fans. My question last night was why the Orioles wouldn't have a day/night doubleheader. The answer to that of course is that the first game wouldn't have been televised had that been the case because it would have interfered with FOX's Saturday game; wouldn't want to interfere with New York and Boston.
Twenty minutes before last night's game was officially postphoned, Brian Roberts was scratched from the lineup and sent to the hospital with stomach pains. J.J. Hardy of course sat out with an oblique problem on Thursday night; so both middle infielders have something wrong with them. Not to mention that Jeremy Guthrie was sent to the hospital with pneumonia earlier in the week. Roberts has been released and is expected to play in at least one of tonight's games, as is Hardy. So perhaps the rainout benefited the Orioles in that sense, but...at least they're keeping that hospital in business!
In the mean time, Brad Bergesen was optioned to triple-A Norfolk this morning, as the Orioles purchased the contract of Chris Jakubauskas from the Tides. Personally I see Jakubauskas as a great story. His last MLB start was last April 24th with the Pirates when he got struck in the head after his twelth pitch. I would pin Jakubauskas as a guy that took the bull by the horns and worked his way back to the big leauges. He's expected to start tomorrow's game, unless he's needed in relief tonight at some point. That would put Jeremy Guthrie back on track to start Tuesday in New York...and we'll go from there unless someone else gets sick or injured! Jakubauskas is 6-8 with a 5.48 ERA for his career.
The O's are going to play 27 regulation innings in less than 24 hours, which will tax pretty much everyone but especially the bullpen. Luckily they have an off day in NY on Monday, but the farther Britton, Arrieta, and Jakubauskas can go in the respective games the better off the Orioles will be. I would assume that Matt Wieters will probably catch only one of the games tonight, as well as tomorrow. This kind of thing is part of baseball, but it's incredibly difficult on players when it happens.
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