Miguel Gonzalez (5-4, 3.54 ERA) and the Baltimore Orioles (26-30) go up against Eduardo Rodriguez (2-0, 0.61 ERA) and the Boston Red Sox (27-31) in the first of a three-game division series at Camden Yards. The game gets underway at 7:05 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Jun. 9 and will air on NESN and MASN2.
Gonzalez is 5-1 with a 3.17 ERA and 1.35 WHIP against the Red Sox in his career. Adam Jones (.311, 30 Rs, 9 HRs, 30 RBIs, 3 SBs) played well again Sunday, going 2 for 5 with two runs, one home run, and one RBI. The Red Sox were victorious over the Twins 6-3 the last time Rodriguez pitched. He went 7.0 innings, giving up one run, striking out seven and walking two. Hanley Ramirez (.277, 32 Rs, 13 HRs, 32 RBIs, 3 SBs) has been hitting the ball well for the Red Sox, going 2 for 4 Sunday with one run and one RBI.
Baltimore is a slight -102 underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at seven runs. The Orioles perform poorly as an underdog with a 10-18 record and have an overall money line of -409. They have a 15-17 record SU and are 5-9 as the underdog within their division. The Orioles will be looking to pick it up in this one after recent offensive struggles. In the last 10 games, Baltimore has only averaged 3.0 runs per game compared to the 4.1 they’ve averaged on the season. The Orioles have one of the most prolific home offenses in the entire AL, averaging 4.6 runs per game. Baltimore’s pitchers struggle within their division. The Orioles have given up an average of 4.7 runs to intra-division opponents, well over their defense’s season average of 4.1.
Switching to the opposing bench, the Red Sox come into this game with a win percentage of .462 when playing as the favorite (18-21) and an overall money line of -1,009. Against fellow AL East members, they are 10-15 SU and have played poorly as the favorite with a 6-9 record. Boston has an eye for the strike zone, ranking 3.2 in the AL with second walks per game. Playing against AL East foes really brings the worst out of the Boston pitchers. They allow 5.4 runs per game against teams within their division, which is higher than their season average of 4.5.
The Orioles have mostly come out on top against the Red Sox in their previous seven games this season, earning a 4-3 record. The Orioles will take on a left-hander (Rodriguez) in this game and have a 5-6 record against left-handed starting pitchers this season. The right-handed Gonzalez will take the mound against the Red Sox, who have a 19-22 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – BAL, O/U – Over
Notes
The Red Sox are 2-1 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Orioles are 1-1 in such matchups.
The Boston batters brought in a solid 13 hits last game. Baltimore has a record of 1-5 when their opponents get that many hits or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Orioles are 20-6. The Red Sox have a 23-4 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 22nd in runs, Boston has earned 221 this season. Baltimore ranks 18th with 230 runs.
Ranking 23rd, Baltimore is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 135 this season. Boston ranks in the top five at fourth with 188.
When the Orioles hit at least one home run, they are 22-15, well-matched with the Red Sox who are 20-16 when hitting one or more homers.
