Ramirez pitches well

Or did he? That seems to be the question of the day. Some people think he pitched a great game against Baltimore last night, while a different contingent thinks the O's just suck. I have to admit, I felt during the game the Orioles were sort of going through the motions, which may or may not be quitting on the season. It could just be they aren't very good.

So we sort of have to give Ramirez a passing grade. If the Orioles truly do stink offensively then he did what he had to do to win the game- let hitters get themselves out by pitching to contact. His next few starts, especially on the road against Toronto will tell the real story.

But the biggest story simply continues to be the Mariners. They shrugged off the loss of Hargrove. They hung tough against a much better team in the Tigers. They give us a reason to watch the games, and argue about what it means the next day. I thought the manager was crazy for taking out Green with two outs in the 8th last night, but at least I found myself caring again.

The next big story assuming the team continues to do well will be trades. We know Bavasi is trying to improve the team. We know his record on identifying talent is suspect. We know his back has been against the wall all season to try to win to save his job.

The roster of this team after the deadline is the story that's about to become the next big topic.