If The Orioles Want To Keep AL East, They Need To Slow Down Betts
If the Baltimore Orioles want to stay with the Boston Red Sox and keep the pressure on the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East, they are going to need to find a way to slow down Mookie Betts. The Red Sox will try to ride Betts to a sweep of the brief two-game series when they visit the Orioles on Wednesday.
Betts has seven home runs in five games at Baltimore this season, including a three-run shot and a two-run blast on Tuesday that accounted for all of Boston's runs in the 5-3 triumph. The budding superstar is 7-for-13 with five homers and 13 RBIs in the last three games overall and has been dropped into the cleanup spot in the order to provide even more RBI opportunities as the Red Sox fight for a playoff spot. The Orioles dropped into a tie with Boston for the first wild card spot and both teams sit one game behind the Blue Jays in the East. Baltimore is 2-2 so far on a brutal stretch of schedule that features 22 straight games against teams with winning records.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, ESPN MASN 2 (Baltimore)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH David Price (10-8, 4.29 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Dylan Bundy (6-3, 2.93)
Price snapped a five-start winless streak by holding the Arizona Diamondbacks to three runs on 10 hits and one walk in eight innings on Friday. The former Cy Young Award winner has not won on the road since May 18 and is 3-5 with a 4.34 ERA in 12 starts away from Fenway Park this season. Price went eight innings at home against Baltimore on June 14 and stuck out 11 but absorbed the loss while allowing three runs and five hits.
Bundy is getting pushed up a day in place of righty Chris Tillman, who was scratched due to shoulder discomfort and likely won't pitch until the weekend. Bundy is riding a streak of three straight wins and breezed through 5 2/3 innings at San Francisco on Friday, allowing one run on three hits and two walks. The Oklahoma native is making his first career start against Boston and allowed two runs and 10 hits spread across four previous relief appearances against the Red Sox.
WALK-OFFS
1. Red Sox 3B Aaron Hill (forearm tightness) was scratched from Tuesday's lineup and is day-to-day.
2. Orioles 1B Chris Davis is 0-for-9 with eight strikeouts in the last three games.
3. Boston manager John Farrell spoke personally with free agent RHP Jonathan Papelbon about a possible return, and the veteran is expected to pick a team on Wednesday.
PREDICTION: Red Sox 5, Orioles 3
