Baltimore @ Boston preview
Fenway Park
Last Meeting ( Sep 19, 2011 ) Baltimore 6, Boston 5
THE STORY: Although the Boston Red Sox still hold a two-game lead in the race for the wild card, things don’t look good for Terry Francona's club. With its pitching in shambles and its psyche at an all-time low, the Boston hosts the Baltimore Orioles in a crucial day-night doubleheader at Fenway Park on Monday. The Orioles seem to relish their role as spoilers. They have won four of their last five games against teams in the thick of the wild-card race.
TV: 1:05 p.m., 7:10 p.m. ET, MASN, NESN
PITCHING MATCHUP: Game 2: Orioles RH Brian Matusz (1-7, 9.84 ERA) vs. Red Sox RH John Lackey (12-12, 6.19 ERA)
The Orioles had Rick VandenHurk originally slated for the start but announced on Sunday that they will go with Matusz, who is 2-0 lifetime against Boston with a 2.49 ERA. Matusz has lost his last seven decisions - and his offense let him off the hook in an 11-10 loss. In that contest, he allowed five runs in 1 1/3 innings against the New York Yankees. Opponents are hitting .364 against Matusz on the season.
Lackey has lost three straight decisions and has failed to rescue a wounded Boston staff at its most desperate of times. The veteran righthander has the highest ERA in the majors among those who qualify and has made just three starts this year when his ERA was below six. Lackey is 11-4 against the Orioles in his career with a fine 2.89 ERA. He hurled 6 2/3 shutout innings in his only appearance against Baltimore this season.
ABOUT THE RED SOX (87-65): Boston has lost 12 of its last 16 games and is in the midst of a colossal collapse. No team has ever come from as far back as the Rays and made the playoffs, but the Red Sox seem intent on handing them a postseason spot. Boston not only isn’t winning lately, it rarely has held a lead. Tampa Bay won three of four games in Boston in the wraparound series and jumped out to leads in every contest. The Rays won 12 of 18 against Boston this season. Kevin Youkilis is still nursing a few injuries and is questionable for Monday’s twinbill. His replacement, Mike Aviles, has homered in each of the past two games and is the hottest hitter on the team.
ABOUT THE ORIOLES (62-89): Baltimore has won just three of 11 meetings against the Red Sox this season and is even worse at Fenway Park. In their last 52 games in Beantown, the Orioles have just 11 wins. Baltimore had its four-game winning streak snapped on Sunday as it dropped an 11-2 decision to the Los Angeles Angels. Nick Markakis snapped out of an 0-for-18 slide with a single on Sunday. Mark Reynolds did not play, one day after getting hit in the head by a pitch from Ervin Santana. Vlad Guerrero cracked his 13th homer of the season on Sunday.
FINAL PITCH: Boston has won eight of the last nine games against the Orioles, who would love to knock the Red Sox out of the playoffs. The teams were involved in a bench-clearing brawl earlier in the season and the bad blood still remains. Jed Lowrie has been cleared to play and is available to pinch hit.