Orioles at Red Sox
With their postseason hopes fading, the Boston Red Sox need to take advantage of a softer spot in the schedule and are off to a solid start. The Red Sox will look to once again take advantage of a team at the bottom of the standings and earn a fourth straight win when they host the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday.
Boston sits 6 1/2 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the race for the second American League wild card with 38 games left but started to pull out of a slump with a pair of impressive wins at Cleveland this week and began a stretch with 11 of 13 against teams with losing records by bashing the Orioles 9-1 on Friday. Nine of the Red Sox's 12 hits went for extra bases on Friday, including Mookie Betts' 21st home run, and the team owns 21 runs scored during its three-game winning streak. The Orioles have allowed the most runs in the majors (783) and are surrendering an average of 10.7 runs during a stretch of nine losses in 10 games. Baltimore will try to get some length on Saturday out of right-hander Asher Wojciechowski while Boston counters with lefty Eduardo Rodriguez.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MASN (Baltimore), NESN (Boston)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Orioles RH Asher Wojciechowski (2-5, 4.84 ERA) vs. Red Sox LH Eduardo Rodriguez (13-5, 4.31)
Wojciechowski was the starter in Baltimore's lone win in the last 10 games but did not factor in the decision on Sunday despite holding the Houston Astros to three runs and four hits over six innings. The quality start came on the heels of a two-start stretch in which the 30-year-old was ripped for a total of nine runs - eight earned - and 12 hits in 8 2/3 innings. Wojciechowski's best start of the season came at home against Boston on July 21, when he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and ended up allowing one hit in 7 1/3 scoreless frames while striking out 10.
Rodriguez is winless in his last three turns and was knocked around for five runs on 10 hits in six innings at Cleveland on Monday. The Venezuela native surrendered a pair of home runs in that start, matching his total allowed in his four previous outings. Rodriguez owns a pair of wins against Baltimore this season and yielded a total of three runs and nine hits while striking out 12 over 12 2/3 innings in those two outings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Red Sox LHP David Price (wrist) played catch prior to Friday's game and is expected to throw in the bullpen soon.
2. Baltimore 1B Chris Davis is 1-for-22 with 13 strikeouts in his last nine games.
3. Boston RHP Nathan Eovaldi, who has been used exclusively out of the bullpen since returning from elbow surgery, is scheduled to start Sunday's series finale.