Friday night Orioles game thread: vs. Red Sox, 7:05

I’ve got good news and bad news for you.

The bad news is that the 35-80 Orioles, the worst team in the majors, are about to square off against the 81-35 Red Sox, the best team in the majors.

The good news is...wait, actually, I have more bad news first. If the Orioles lose tonight, they’ll clinch a non-winning season. Which we’ve known was going to happen for quite some time, but still, it’s Aug. 10. Yeesh.

Now, as for the good news...oh, hold on, I forgot something else. If the Orioles lose tonight, they’ll officially be eliminated from the AL East race. Again, we’ve been resigned to that fact for a long time, but seriously, it’s Aug. 10. And they’ll be mathematically eliminated. My goodness.

Moving on to the good news, it’s...wait, no, one more thing. Dylan Bundy is starting tonight, and the last time he faced the Red Sox, they crushed three home runs off him before the game was mercifully rained out and all the statistics wiped away.

OK. But here’s the good news! Cedric Mullins is officially an Oriole, with the club calling him to the majors today, and he’s taking over the center field job. Adam Jones has agreed to move to right field to make room for him. Mullins’ arrival should bring a much-needed jolt of excitement — not to mention a significant defensive improvement — to the Orioles. In this rebuilding phase of the team, it’s nice to have a youngster to watch who might actually be a significant part of the Orioles’ future.

Best of luck to Mullins in his major league debut — and to Jones in his new digs in right field.

1. Jonathan Villar 2B
2. Tim Beckham SS
3. Adam Jones RF
4. Mark Trumbo DH
5. Trey Mancini LF
6. Chris Davis 1B
7. Renato Nunez 3B
8. Caleb Joseph C
9. Cedric Mullins CF

Dylan Bundy SP