There’s a big AL East four-game series beginning in Camden Yards tonight that could pretty much solidify the division going into the penultimate weekend of the baseball season.
The Red Sox, owners of a three-game first-place lead in the division, will be traveling to Baltimore to take on the second-place Orioles, who currently sit three games back with 13 left to play. The O’s also still need to further cement their position at the top of the Wild Card standings, where they are currently one game up for the top Wild Card berth, and also three games ahead of the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners, who are the next-closest competitors for those two desired paths to the annual play-in game.
Boston, meanwhile, has to be riding high after an impressive four-game sweep of the previously-surging New York Yankees at Fenway Park. Not only did they gain some ground on all of their AL East rivals for the division, but they may have also dealt the fatal knockout blow to their arch-nemesis’ playoff chances. Will they continue with their newfound momentum and do something similar to the Orioles? It’s a big reason why this is one of the main high-profile series of the week. Let’s take a look at the type of action it’s drawing on the secondary ticket market, with information provided by Razorgator.
9/19 | Red Sox @ Orioles | Oriole Park at Camden Yards | Avg. ticket price: $88.02 | Get-in price: $10
9/20 | Red Sox @ Orioles | Oriole Park at Camden Yards | Avg. ticket price: $132.27 | Get-in price: $17
9/21 | Red Sox @ Orioles | Oriole Park at Camden Yards | Avg. ticket price: $108.59 | Get-in price: $13
9/22 | Red Sox @ Orioles | Oriole Park at Camden Yards | Avg. ticket price: $81.72 | Get-in price: $16
Baltimore has the third-best home record in the American League, being 47-27 in front of the hometown faithful this season, but unfortunately for the O’s, the Red Sox actually are the best road team in the league, with a stingy 39-32 record away from home. Their ‘road-warrior’ mentality is a big reason why they’ve vaulted to the top of the AL East and look like they’re on cruise control towards a playoff spot.
The best value on Red Sox vs. Orioles tickets this series arguably is in game one Monday evening, when the AL’s only 20-game winner, Rick Porcello, gets things going for the division leaders opposite emerging youngster Dylan Bundy, who has shown glimpses of excellence in his rookie campaign. Porcello just faced Baltimore in his most recent start, when he hurled eight brilliant innings of one-run ball against them on Sept. 14, while Bundy also faced this opponent in his last assignment, getting tagged for three runs in just over five innings of work the day prior.
If the O’s want to win this four-game set and keep their hopes alive in the division, they’ll absolutely need their pitching to step up and slow down Boston’s offense, which ranks first in all of baseball with 830 runs scored. Furthermore, the Red Sox lineup is first in team batting average (.286) and OPS (.821), with outstanding play from the likes of their star hitters David Ortiz and Mookie Betts. The Orioles certainly have an impressive offense of their own, but it may do them no good if they try battling the Red Sox in a slugfest for each of these four contests.
Fans traveling to this expensive series should check out ParkWhiz.com for cheap Oriole Park at Camden Yards parking, as they feature numerous great deals on parking spots all around the stadium.
submitted by Ralph Garcia
