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It's been tough going for the Orioles against Boston this year. In ten games between the two teams, the Orioles are 1-9. And the offensive matchup numbers are not pretty. As a team, the Orioles are batting .216 against Boston this year, having hit only five home runs in 348 at-bats.
Boston boasts one of the best pitching staffs in the majors, leading the league in a number of pitching categories. Rick Porcello will take the ball for the Red Sox tonight in the series opener in Baltimore. In nine starts against the Orioles between 2015 - 2017, he has a 5.46 ERA and in his lone start against the O's this year, Porcello allowed three runs over six innings.
Several Orioles regulars are quite familiar with Porcello. In 41 at-bats against the right-hander, Chris Davis is hitting only .195. In 45 at-bats, Adam Jones is hitting .200. Mark Trumbo, on the other hand, has four home runs and a .321 average over 28 at-bats and Jonathan Schoop is hitting .318 in 22 at-bats. Renato Nunez will get his fourth start in a row tonight at third base since being called up on July 20.
Kevin Gausman takes the mound for the O's, looking to improve on his 4-7 record. In his last four starts, he's 1-1 with a 4.13 ERA. Last time he faced the Red Sox he gave up six runs in 4.2 innings. In that game, J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts each hit a home run. In 48 at-bats against Gausman, Bogaerts is hitting .283 and Martinez is hitting .500 in 10 ABs. Mookie Betts, Oriole killer, is hitting .469 with three home runs in his career against the O's right-hander.
We'll see if Gausman can keep the potent Red Sox offense in check. Boston is first in the majors in runs (540), third in home runs (135), first in RBI (515), first in batting average (.270) and tied for first in on-base plus slugging percentage (.795).