In the first of a three-game series between the Baltimore Orioles (7-9) and the Boston Red Sox (7-9) at Camden Yards, Miguel Gonzalez (2-1, 2.55 ERA) and Rick Porcello (1-2, 6.63 ERA) take the mound. The game starts at 7:05 p.m. ET on Friday, Apr. 24 and will air on NESN and MASN.
Gonzalez is 5-1 with a 2.81 ERA against the Red Sox in his career, and faces a less-than-stellar Boston offense that’s hitting just .230 on the year. Adam Jones (.424, 14 Rs, 5 HRs, 16 RBIs) continued his strong season yesterday, going 2 for 4 with two runs. In his pitching opportunities against the Orioles, Porcello is 3-6 with a 5.13 ERA. He meets a strong Baltimore offense that’s batting .268. Xander Bogaerts (.302, 8 Rs, 8 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 2 yesterday.
Baltimore, a -124 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Boston. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is nine runs. The Orioles are 4-4 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -83. They have an SU record of 7-8 against teams in their division and a 4-4 record when they were the favorite in those games. The have been extremely effective at striking opposing batters out at Camden Yards, averaging 8.3 strikeouts per home game.
On the other side, the Red Sox have a nice record of 4-1 when they are the underdog and are +153 overall with the money line. Against divisional foes, they are 5-4 SU and have played well as the underdog with a 3-1 record. The Red Sox rank fifth in the AL in scoring, averaging 5.1 runs per game. Boston has an eye for the strike zone, averaging an AL-best 4.5 walks per game. The Boston pitching staff has been an intimidating group this year, averaging 8.5 strikeouts per game.
This game will feature Porcello (RHP) on the mound against the Orioles, who have a 6-6 record when they take on a right-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Red Sox will be the right-hander Gonzalez. They sport a 7-5 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – BAL, O/U – Over
Notes
The Red Sox lost their last game by a one-run margin. In games decided by one run, the Orioles are 2-3. The Red Sox are 4-1 in close games this season.
In extra innings, the Red Sox are 1-0.
Having scored one run in their last game, the Red Sox are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Orioles have a 2-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Orioles are 6-3. The Red Sox have an 8-0 record when outhitting opponents.
Baltimore and Boston both rank in the top 10 of the league in runs. Baltimore sits at eighth with 76 runs this season and Boston ranks sixth with 77.
Boston tops the league in walks with 70 this season. Baltimore ranks in the bottom half at 16th with 46.
The Orioles are 7-6 when they hit at least one home run. The Red Sox perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 5-4 record.
