Red Sox Series Preview: Vs. Orioles

Jun 3, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher

(52) pitches during the first inning in game one of a doubleheader against the Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Pitching Matchups @ Orioles (Oriole Park at Camden Yards)

June 9th @ 7:05 PM ET

• Eduardo Rodriguez (2-0, 0.61 ERA) vs Miguel Gonzalez (5-4, 3.54 ERA)
• Here comes the most intriguing matchup of the series. Not only will highly-touted youngster Eduardo Rodriguez start for the Red Sox after a pair of masterful outings, but he’ll be doing it against the team that traded him to Boston last season. Rodriguez has been dominant in his first two major league starts and perhaps the vengeance aspect of facing his former team will give him a third.
• The Red Sox have not traditionally had a ton of success against Gonzalez, who had continually posted strong numbers despite mediocre peripherals. However, hopefully that will change tonight and, with Rodriguez on the mound, the Red Sox might not even need to score a whole lot.

June 10th @ 7:05 PM ET

• Rick Porcello (4-5, 5.01 ERA) vs Wei-Yin Chen (1-4, 3.18 ERA)
• Porcello has shown a little bit of everything in 2015. He’s shown the Red Sox that he has the potential to be a reliable arm near the top of the rotation, but he’s also had dreadful starts, one of which came against the Orioles this year. Porcello has struggled with the home run ball this season and, with the Orioles ranking fourth in the American League in home runs, this could be a difficult game.
• Chen has continued his strong stateside career with another admirable season in 2015. But though Chen has upped his strikeout rate, leading to some expected improvement, he is also benefiting from a .260 BABIP. Perhaps this will be the game that his BABIP normalizes.

June 11th @ 7:05 PM ET

• Wade Miley (5-5, 4.67 ERA) vs Chris Tillman (3-7, 5.61 ERA)
• Miley has been a bit inconsistent recently, and this season in general. After a tough outing where he allowed 5 runs in 4 innings against the Rangers, Miley turned in a brilliant outing, allowing just 2 runs in 7.1 innings to open the series versus the A’s. If we can see good Miley, this could be another great game, but if bad Miley shows, this one could get ugly.
• Like with Gonzalez, the Red Sox have traditionally scuffled against Tillman. However, Tillman is in the midst of an unexpectedly terrible season which has seen his ERA spike to 5.61 through 11 starts. That can be attributed to his unusually high walk rate, now standing a 4.7 BB/9 despite just 2.9 last season. With the Red Sox a very patient team, they could turn in a solid offensive performance here against Tillman.

Jun 7, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Baltimore Orioles catcher

(32) hits a triple in the fifth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Orioles’ Key Players to Watch

• Journeyman infielder Jimmy Paredes has turned in a monster breakout season in 2015, currently slashing .301/.330/.480 in 43 games, he has been ice cold of late. In his last seven games, he has gone a mere 3-25 and is struggling mightily.
• Adam Jones, on the other hand, has been as strong as ever lately. Slashing .311/.348/.509 on the season, Jones is hitting .357 with three home runs in his last seven weeks and could put on a show here in Baltimore.
• Matt Wieters recently returned from the disabled list, where he was recovering from Tommy John Surgery that he underwent last season. In 12 at bats since returning, Wieters has five hits and a home run, so he’s starting his season right.

May 29, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop

(2) hits during the game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Red Sox’ Key Players to Watch

• Xander Bogaerts has been the man in the Red Sox lineup of late. Through his last seven games, he is hitting .440/.462/.560 and has upped his slash line to .296/.340/.402 on the season. The power still hasn’t really emerged from Bogaerts, but there’s no doubt he’s been hitting consistently.
• Pablo Sandoval, who was raking the last time the Red Sox and Orioles squared off, has been ice cold lately at the plate lately. He has recorded just 3 hits in his last 24 at bats and his season line has dipped to .244/.310/.356. Historically a streaky hitter, look for some positive results before long from the Panda.
• Alejandro De Aza, acquired last week from the Orioles, has made a positive impact since the Red Sox traded for him. Displaying good defense in the corner outfield positions and having gone 3-8 in 3 games, look for him to become a valued piece of the Boston bench.

Jun 5, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Wade Miley (20) delivers a pitch during the first inning of the game against the Oakland Athletics at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Predictions

• Game One Winner- Red Sox
• Game Two Winner- Orioles
• Game Three Winner- Red Sox

I’m going with the hot hand with my picks here, expecting another strong performance to begin young E-Rod’s career and another good start from Miley. Porcello looked good in his last start, tossing 8 strong innings against the Twins, but he has been homer-prone this season and that’s not good when facing a powerful Orioles team. Still, it’s reasonable to hope for a series win here, especially with the Red Sox coming off an invigorating series sweep.