Another AL East match-up is on the horizon, as the Boston Red Sox pay a visit to Camden Yards for what will be a big four-game series for the Baltimore Orioles.
Now sitting at 71-50 and 0.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the division, the O’s sit in a dangerous spot heading into this four-game set.
Looking to close this divisional gap on the mound for game one will be Zach Eflin (8-7, 3.83 ERA), as he faces off against Nick Pivetta (5-7, 4.44 ERA). Games two, three and four will feature the match-ups of Corbin Burnes (12-4, 2.71 ERA) vs. a “TBD” starter for Boston, Albert Suárez (5-4, 3.39 ERA) vs. Brayan Bello (10-5, 4.97 ERA) and finally, Trevor Rogers (2-11, 4.89 ERA) vs. Kutter Crawford (8-9, 4.21 ERA).
Jackson Holliday must feel a lot better this time around when playing the Red Sox, as he is 12-for-47 since his recall, including five home runs and 13 RBIs. He has been a staple at the bottom portion of the lineup, and the offense needs that production.
Roster Moves
The Orioles made a roster move prior to the start of this series, optioning infielder Coby Mayo to Triple-A Norfolk and recalling fellow infielder Liván Soto from Norfolk.
Mayo struggled in his first glimpse of the majors, going 1-for-17 (.059) with three walks, two runs scored and 10 strikeouts in 17 at-bats. The 22-year-old O’s No. 2 overall prospect debuted on August 2 in Cleveland, then went hitless in 18 consecutive plate appearances before singling to open the fifth inning of Wednesday’s 4-1 win over the Washington Nationals.
As for Soto, he’s hit well in 74 big league plate appearances, batting .358/.397/.507 dating back to 2022. He has a much more modest track record at the Triple-A level, however, where he’s hit .267/.364/.386 in 709 plate appearances as a utility man.
The Orioles also signed right-hander Matt Bowman to a minor league deal. In 10 games this season between the Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners, the 33-year-old has a 5.40 ERA with 10 strikeouts and is holding opposing batters to a .193 average. He has given up nine earned runs and has a WHIP of 1.20 this season.
BATTER ❌️-FACTOR
The O’s offense has been guilty of scoring early and then never again. Our BATTERY ❌️-FACTOR is about continuing to pressure a struggling Boston pitching staff.
In large part, these offensive issues have arisen from not making the counter adjustments the second and third times against a starting pitcher who is making adjustments themselves.
The Red Sox have the fourth worst team ERA in baseball over the last two weeks, so the Birds’ bats have to capitalize on that by putting together quality at-bats throughout the entirety of each game.
Luckily for the bulk of this lineup, the Orioles are seeing a few arms that they have gotten to see a decent bit this year already. Familiarity could play a role in how each batter approaches this series.
GAME 1 STARTING LINEUP
This four-game series kicks off Thursday evening at 6:35 p.m. EST. Games two and three will both be starting at 7:05 p.m. EST, while Sunday’s contest will begin at 1:35 p.m. EST. Each game will be broadcast live on MASN and on your favorite Orioles Radio Network station.
We also would like to congratulate Orioles lead play-by-play announcer Kevin Brown, as it was announced Thursday that he has signed a multi-year extension with the O’s organization.
How do you see this series playing out? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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