Hey, did you guys know that there was actually baseball being played in Boston this week?

Aside from all the drama and total nonsense, the Orioles managed to split the four-game set versus the Red Sox before heading back to Baltimore.

Hopefully, they’ll be able to focus on actually playing baseball instead of being in the middle of a media-driven soap opera this weekend.

The Orioles (17-10) are right on the Yankees’ heels for first place in the division as they prepare to kick off a five-game homestand, and will be looking to build on an already impressive 8-3 record at home.

The White Sox (15-12) have surged as of late behind the AL’s best pitching staff (3.19 ERA) and find themselves tied with the Cleveland Indians for first place in the AL Central going into the three-game set at Camden Yards. They will stay on the road after splitting a four-game set in Kansas City, and have won eight of their last eleven contests.

Will the Orioles reclaim first place, or will the red-hot visitors prove to be too much to handle? Only time will tell. For now, let’s take a look at the starters:

Game One

Wade Miley (1-1, 2.32 ERA) will take the mound versus former Oriole Miguel Gonzalez (3-1, 3.27 ERA) in the series opener on Friday.

Miley has been nothing short of excellent for the Orioles this season, as evidenced by the southpaw allowing five hits or fewer and two earned runs or fewer in four of his five outings going into Friday. He’s also notched five-plus K’s in all five of his starts this season.

Gonzalez is coming off a rough start versus Detroit in which he allowed six runs on a career-high 14 hits over six innings, but had allowed just one earned run in the 16 1/3 innings that he spun prior to that. He held the Yankees to just one run on four hits over eight innings before following up and allowing just a single unearned run over 8 1/3 innings versus the Royals at home.

Game Two

Dylan Bundy (4-1, 1.82 ERA) will look for win number five versus rookie Dylan Covey (0-2, 7.29 ERA) on Saturday.

Bundy has been simply ridiculous this year and only seems to be getting better and better. He owns a 3-0 record and a stellar 1.37 ERA over his last four starts while going six-plus innings in all six of his starts on the campaign. He’s also allowed two earned runs or less in five of his six starts in 2017.

Covey is still searching for his first career MLB win in what will be his fifth attempt. The transition to the show has been a rough one for Covey, as he’s allowed nine-plus hits and six-plus runs in two of his four starts on the year while opponents are hitting a gaudy .325 against him.

Game Three

Chris Tillman is expected to make his long-awaited season debut versus White Sox ace Jose Quintana (2-4, 4.10 ERA) on Sunday.

Despite his rehab assignment struggles, Tillman looks to be cleared for take-off. In six career starts versus Chicago, Tillman owns a 3-2 record with a rock-solid 3.51 ERA.

Quintana stumbled out of the blocks this season, going 0-4 with a 6.17 ERA over his first four outings before finding his All-Star form. The Colombian native has allowed just a single earned run over his last 14 innings en route to notching back-to-back wins, while also lowering his ERA from 6.17 to 4.10.

Notes

-Unlike the white-hot Avisail Garcia (.371, 5 HR, 23 RBI), the Chicago South Siders are struggling at the plate and come into Baltimore with the 11th-best offense in the AL (114 runs). Garcia, along with Matt Davidson (.276, 5 HR, 15 RBI) and Jose Abreu (.270, 4 HR, 14 RBI) are in form, but if the Orioles manage to hold this trio in check, they should be fine.

– Adam Jones will be looking forward to facing Jose Quintana on Sunday. He’s 7-for-12 (.583) lifetime against the ‘Sox ace with two doubles, two homers and four RBI. Chris Davis (.091), Mark Trumbo (.200), Manny Machado (.200) and Jonathan Schoop (0-for-6) won’t be too excited about it.

– Jones will be looking forward to this series in general, as he owns a career .271 average with 11 doubles, 11 homers and 30 RBI in 67 games versus the White Sox.

-Machado will look to stay hot after cranking three homers at Fenway. He’s in line to do just that, as he owns a career .302 average with six doubles, six homers and 18 RBI in 27 games against Chicago.

– Yeah, yeah, we know. Davis (8-for-56 in his last 16 games) is in a rut at the moment. He could break out of that rut this weekend, as he boasts a career .285 average with ten doubles, ten home runs and 30 RBI in 47 games versus Chicago. Jeez, let’s hope so.

That’s it for now, Orioles fans! Enjoy the series!