Boston @ Baltimore preview
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Last Meeting ( Jun 7, 2012 ) Baltimore 0, Boston 7
A three-game series between the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles figured to have a major bearing on the American League East and wild card races. Few could have predicted that the series would be more meaningful for the Orioles, who hold down the second wild card slot as they host the Red Sox for a three-game series on Tuesday night. Prize rookie third baseman Manny Machado is off to a sensational start with Baltimore, going 6-for-16 with three homers in his first four games.
Boston is sitting just five games back of the Orioles despite dropping eight of 12 games this month. The Red Sox have been decimated by injuries, including one to rookie third baseman Will Middlebrooks that likely ended his superb first season. First baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who shared AL co-player of the week honors with Machado, has hit safely in 11 of 12 games while swatting three homers and driving in 18 runs this month. Coming off a four-game split against Kansas City, the Orioles have won seven of nine.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), MASN (Baltimore)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox RH Josh Beckett (5-9, 4.97 ERA) vs. Orioles LH Wei-Yin Chen (10-7, 3.79)
Beckett has become the enemy of the people in Boston, and among the reasons are back-to-back losses in his final two starts against the Orioles last year, helping snuff out the Red Sox's postseason hopes. He is 1-5 in his last 11 starts and was battered by the Texas Rangers for eight runs and three homers last time out. He took the loss against the Orioles on June 6, allowing two runs in eight innings.
Chen is also coming off a woeful performance last time out, getting tattooed for a season-worst seven runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings of an 8-2 loss to Kansas City. That snapped a string of five solid starts in which he allowed a total of eight runs. Chen outdueled Beckett on June 6, allowing one run on seven hits in seven innings. He also gave up three runs on five innings at Boston on May 4.
WALK-OFFS
1. Red Sox RHP Andrew Bailey, who has yet to pitch this season, is expected to be activated off the disabled list Tuesday.
2. Machado is the fourth player in franchise history with an extra-base hit in each of his first four games.
3. Johnny Pesky, a former player and manager with Boston for whom the right-field foul pole at Fenway Park was named, died Monday at age 92.