Kuzul

I am in the midst of a series examining the relative strengths and weaknesses of the teams in the AL East, on a position-by-position basis. The players at each position are being ranked in relation to their peers within the division, with each team being assigned points based on where their player ranks in comparison to the other players.

Today, the series continues with a look at the No. 4 starters in each rotation.

The best player will earn 10 points for his team, with the remaining players being assigned points as follows: 7-5-3-1.

At the end of the process, I will accumulate all of the points for each team and create a divisional power ranking.

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It’s no secret that under Buck Showalter’s reign, the Baltimore Orioles might as well be a different team. They are 26-15 since he came on board and the biggest reasoning has been the team’s pitching.

Coming into the season, the rotation was supposed to be this young group of guys that were the future.

However, that image went out the window in the heat of summer when not a single one of them had an even mediocre ERA.

Well, under Showaler, the starting rotation has finally molded into what we expected…and even more. In the 41 starts, the staff is 19-11 with a 2.93 ERA.

Considering the fact that these numbers have been put up against some of the best teams in baseball, Orioles fans have got to be excited going into next year.

That being said, here is a list of the O’s starters and how they have done under the new regime.

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The Baltimore Orioles don’t have much to play for during the remainder of the 2010 regular season, except for the role of spoiler. They may have just crushed the playoff dreams for the Los Angeles Angels.

Brad Bergesen threw eight stellar innings and Luke Scott provided the lead run with a run scoring single in the sixth, giving the Orioles their fourth straight win over the Angels, 3-1.

Bergesen got off to what looked like a rocky start in the first, allowing back-to-back singles to Howie Kendrick and Alberto Callaspo, putting men on first and third. Bergesen then committed a rare balk, allowing Kendrick to score. Seemingly unrattled, Bergesen promptly struck out Hideki Matsui to end the threat, and the Angels never got another real chance.

Bergesen (6-9) was spectacular, allowing just four hits and one run, striking out four and walking none in eight innings. He gave way to Koji Uehera, who picked up his third save in as many chances.

The Angels were swept by the O’s in early August at Camden Yards, and their dominance over the Angels continued in Anaheim.

Rookie right-hander Trevor Bell (1-4) pitched seven innings, his longest stint of the season, giving up two runs and six hits while striking out three. Bell, making just his ninth start of the season, certainly pitched well enough to win, but Bergesen was just a bit better on this night.

The Angels’ loss, combined with the Texas Rangers’ victory over the Oakland Athletics earlier tonight, puts them 10 1/2 games behind the Rangers in the American League West. With just 33 games left to the regular season, the Halos’ hopes of playoff glory are slimmer than Tiger Woods’ wallet after his divorce.

You can follow Doug on Twitter, @desertdesperado.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

If defense wins championships, then having a good pitching staff is the key to World Series titles.

With that idea in mind, Andy MacPhail has spent his time as the general manager of the Orioles by stockpiling talented pitchers in the Baltimore farm system and slowly cultivating a rotation (as well as a bullpen) that can win pennants, much like the Tampa Bay Rays have.

That being said, let us take a look at some of those arms that Baltimore thinks will eventually turn the organization around and review their progress so far.

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