Coming off of a three-game sweep of the Royals and riding high on a five-game win streak, the Orioles hit a brick wall in the form of the Toronto Blue Jays this past weekend at Rogers Centre.
They will have to shake off their frustrating trip to Toronto quickly, as they face a three-game clash with the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, with sole possession of first place on the line.
The Orioles (36-26) will kick off the second leg of their road trip in Boston today currently on a three-game losing skid and will be looking to improve upon their 12-15 record away from Camden Yards.
Despite dropping three in a row to the Jays, the O’s still own an impressive 8-4 record in the month of June and a 14-11 mark against AL East opponents.
The Red Sox (36-26) haven’t been at their best versus AL East opponents this season, posting a 14-15 mark, but they do boast a sparkling 19-12 record at Fenway Park.
After cranking out 25 runs and winning the last two ballgames versus the Sox at Camden Yards a few weeks ago, the Orioles own a slight 4-3 advantage in the head-to-head category against their long-time rivals. Here’s to taking a few more W’s in Beantown!
Now, let’s take a look at the probable starters:
We could have a potential pitcher’s duel on Tuesday, as Chris Tillman (8-1, 3.01 ERA) is set to take on David Price (7-3, 4.63 ERA) in the series opener.
Tillman put in a stellar performance in his last outing during the O’s 4-0 win versus Kansas City on June 8th, allowing eight hits over 7.1 shutout innings with zero walks to nine strikeouts. He’ll be looking for a similar result on Tuesday versus a club that he has owned in his career.
Over 18 career starts versus the Red Sox, Tillman has recorded a 9-3 record with a superb 2.84 ERA. He hasn’t won more against any other club in the majors.
Price, though, owns the Orioles as well. Over 20 career starts versus Baltimore, the five-time All-Star is 8-4 with an outstanding 2.90 ERA.
And to make matters worse, he’s coming off a tremendous effort versus San Francisco in which he allowed just two runs on two hits over eight innings with two walks and seven Ks in a 2-1 loss on June 8th.
Tyler Wilson (2-5, 4.73 ERA) will take the mound against knuckleballer Steven Wright (7-4, 2.09 ERA) on Wednesday.
Wilson might be facing a situation in which he has to impress the O’s coaching staff and earn back some faith in this start, or he could be facing a trip back to Norfolk as Yovani Gallardo is set to come off the DL at the end of the week. The 26-year-old has a 0-2 record with a 7.16 ERA over his last three outings.
However, the Virginia alum’s last quality start came against the Sox on May 30th , when he allowed three runs on eight hits over 6.2 innings with two walks and four Ks in a 7-2 loss. If he can improve upon this type of outing, or at least match it, it might be enough to save his spot in the rotation…for now.
Wright has been phenomenal over his last three starts, posting a perfect 3-0 record with a ghostly 0.84 ERA, and the 31-year-old is coming off a tremendous outing against the Twins in which he allowed just seven hits over 7.1 shutout innings with two walks and six Ks in an 8-1 victory.
Which means the Orioles might be in for another tough outing against the University of Hawaii alum, as Wright allowed just two runs on four hits with seven Ks over a complete-game against the O’s in a 7-2 win on May 30th.
Kevin Gausman (0-3, 3.45 ERA) will continue his search for a win against southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez (1-1, 6.06 ERA) in the series finale on Thursday.
Despite allowing five runs on six hits over six innings with two walks and eight Ks in a 6-2 loss versus Boston on May 31st, the 25-year-old Gausman still boasts a 2-2 record with a 3.76 ERA over eleven games (six starts) against the Red Sox and has held the Sox sluggers to a lowly .217 batting average.
Rodriguez, 23, made his season debut against his former club on May 31st, allowing two runs on six hits over six innings with zero walks and three strikeouts in a 6-2 win.
But since then, the Venezuela native has struggled, allowing five runs over 5.2 innings versus Toronto on June 5th and four over 4.2 innings against the Twins on June 11th.
Now, a quick look at the tale of the tape:
The Red Sox boast the best offense on the planet at the moment, and lead the majors in runs per game (5.95), batting average (.291) and OBP (.357) while ranking 4th in the AL in HR (77), and the catalysts are well known at this point. David Ortiz (.340, 16 HR, 55 RBI) and Dustin Pedroia (.311, 7 HR, 27 RBI) lead the charge, followed by young guns Xander Bogaerts (.359, 8 HR, 44 RBI), Jackie Bradley Jr. (.311, 10 HR, 43 RBI) and Mookie Betts (.289, 14 HR, 47 RBI).
Hopefully, the O’s pitching staff that ranks 9th in the AL in team ERA (4.14) and 12th in starter ERA (4.84) can execute the tough task of silencing the Red Sox dynamic attack over the next three games.
The Red Sox pitching staff that ranks 11th in team ERA (4.22) and 9th in starter ERA (4.55) will be hoping for the same against the O’s potent line-up that ranks 4th in the AL in runs per game (4.82) and leads the major leagues in homers (99).
Since the start of the 2012 season, the Orioles own a sparkling 50-32 record against their Boston rivals. Here’s to adding a few more to the win column at Fenway, and here’s to taking back the top spot in the division!
