It has often been said that the NFL is a game of attrition, that the healthy teams are the ones who will survive December.  And the most healthy among them are the ones who will flourish in January.

You don't necessarily think of baseball in similar terms but the Orioles are unquestionably the victims of attrition, obviously to their pitching staff.  I'm not sure how many games the injury to pitcher Matt Albers has cost the O's but last night's 10-8 defeat to Toronto at Camden Yards was most likely one of them.

Until his last outing in late June against the Cubs -- one of only two really ineffective appearances by Albers all season -- the versatile right-hander could be counted on for three, six, nine outs with an ERA well below 3.00.  He was the sturdy underpinnings that could prop up a shaky starter. And he was even an option as a starter.  Now, with most of the remaining starters getting more shaky by the week and without that bridge between the fifth or sixth inning and Jim Johnson and George Sherrill, manager Dave Trembley can only make the call to the bullpen and cross his fingers.