Boston @ Baltimore preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 10, 2011 ) Baltimore 6, Boston 8

THE STORY: Things got combative the last time the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles got together. Boston swept the four-game series which was marred by an ugly bench-clearing brawl in which Boston’s David Ortiz and Baltimore’s Kevin Gregg exchanged punches. The two teams open a three-game set at Camden Yards on Monday night with knuckleballer Tim Wakefield pitching for Boston opposite Baltimore’s Brad Bergesen. The Orioles have won two games in a row for the first time in nearly a month, while Boston is coming off an exhausting 1-0 win over Tampa Bay in 16 innings on Sunday.

TV: 7:05 p.m. NESN, MASN

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox RH Tim Wakefield (5-3, 4.74 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Brad Bergesen (1-6, 5.65 ERA)

Bergesen is 2-3 with a fine 3.06 in seven career starts against the Boston. He came in bail out Zach Britton in his last outing after Britton was charged with eight runs in the first inning. Bergesen allowed just two hits and no runs in three innings in that game. The 25-year-old began the season as a starter but had little success and with the way the Oriole bullpen has been struggling, his move to the pen has helped. Bergesen threw a shutout for his only win of the season, beating Tampa Bay 6-0 on May 14.

Wakefield is closing in on 200 career wins and seems to have a spot in the starting rotation secured for quite some time in Boston. He has 198 victories and beat Toronto 6-4 in his last outing allowing three runs on nine hits in seven innings. Wakefield struck out a season-high seven batters in his last outing. He is 16-13 lifetime with a 4.13 ERA in his career against Baltimore.

ABOUT THE RED SOX (57-36): Boston has won 38 of the last 52 games against the Orioles. David Ortiz expects to receive word on his appeal of his four-game suspension before Monday’s game and one can expect it will be upheld especially with the two teams meeting again in the start of a three-game series. Carl Crawford is scheduled to return to the Boston lineup after missing 22 games with a hamstring injury. He will play left field unless Ortiz is suspended and the Red Sox elect to use him as the DH. Jon Lester will not be available for the series. The ace left-hander is scheduled to throw a side session on Monday.

ABOUT THE ORIOLES (38-54): The Orioles ended a nine-game losing streak with a 6-5 win over the Cleveland Indians on Saturday and then made it two straight wins on Sunday. After spotting Cleveland a 3-0 lead the Orioles won 8-3 and snapped a streak of 21 straight games where they’ve allowed at least four runs in a game. Baltimore is last in the majors with a team ERA of 4.81. Robert Andino homered and had a career-high four RBIs on Sunday. The Orioles will be without DH Vlad Guerrero who was placed on the DL. . Guerrero suffered a broken bone in his hand when he was hit by a pitch from Kyle Weiland in the testy series at Fenway Park. Baltimore recalled OF Matt Angle from Norfolk and Angle went 0 for 3 with a walk in his major league debut on Sunday.

FINAL PITCH: Ortiz doesn’t know if there will be any more nastiness between the two teams this series. Said Ortiz: “There’s one thing I can control. It’s David Ortiz. I can’t control anything else.”