Bergesen: Reliever or starter?

Brad Bergesen doesn't know what tomorrow will bring. Approached by reporters this afternoon, Bergesen could only confirm that he's in the bullpen tonight. The rest - Jake Arrieta coming up tomorrow and Jeremy Guthrie's start being pushed back to Friday - was "all news to me." "I'm not really worried that it's my first time being in the bullpen," he said. "I'm going to go out there and try to do my thing and hope for the best right now." He also should hope that the worst is behind him. And it's hard to imagine his season heading further south (unless we're talking about Norfolk) after he allowed six runs and seven hits in 2 1/3 innings in last Wednesday's start in New York. Bergesen fell to 3-4 with a 6.75 ERA and landed in the bullpen. He's allowed 71 hits, walked 18 and struck out 14 in 50 2/3 innings. The Orioles could option him to Norfolk tomorrow to make room for Arrieta on the 25-man roster. In the meantime, he's part of the relief crew tonight and could make an early appearance if Chris Tillman falters. "I'm staying positive about it. I'm still here in the big leagues. This is what they need me to do right now. This is what I want to do," he said. "It's different. I still have yet to get in a game as a reliever. I still don't know how it will affect me. It's a new role for me, but I'm actually finding it kind of exciting, sitting down there not knowing if I'm going to get the call. It definitely keeps you in the game." Bergesen's routine obviously has changed since he left the rotation. He's warmed up only once, and he did so knowing that he probably wouldn't pitch. He just wanted to get in some work on the side. "I've been talking to guys like Mark Hendrickson and Will Ohman. They've been giving me a lot of advice about how to go about my business to get into a more reliever routine," he said. "Just trying to do the best I can right now."