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Orioles Return from Hectic Road Trip to Face Red Sox
Recent Performance of the Orioles
The Orioles are coming off a 4-3 road trip that was heavily disrupted by weather delays, including a long delay before Sunday’s game in Chicago. Despite this, they managed to beat the White Sox 4-1, completing a four-game sweep. “I’m proud of our guys,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “It’s been a lot of sitting around and waiting and delays. You can kind of get complacent. You can get flat really easily, and I feel like almost every game in this series, we had some sort of weather issue. So I give our guys a lot of credit, the way this road trip started.”
Baltimore starter Kyle Bradish threw seven no-hit innings on Sunday, setting a high bar for left-hander Cole Irvin, who will start against Boston. Irvin (4-2, 3.15 ERA) returns to the starting role after two relief outings, having pitched only twice since May 10. Irvin gave up more runs (five) in 3 1/3 innings out of the bullpen last week at St. Louis than in his previous 32 1/3 innings combined (four). In six career outings against Boston, including three starts, Irvin is 0-1 with a 5.16 ERA across 22 2/3 innings.
Red Sox’s Recent Form
The Red Sox haven’t found much rhythm recently, though they won Sunday’s series finale 2-1 against the Milwaukee Brewers to avoid a sweep. “We know we got Baltimore,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “Day game there. It should be a packed house.”
Boston has won its last four road games, topping St. Louis in a series finale and then beating Tampa Bay the next three nights. The three games in Baltimore will be Boston’s only road assignments across a 12-game stretch.
Pitching Matchup
The Red Sox will have right-hander Cooper Criswell (2-1, 2.86 ERA) on the mound. Criswell has had four no-decisions this month, though the Red Sox won three of those games and have notched victories in five of his last six outings. Criswell, in his first season with Boston, has never faced the Orioles despite appearing in 11 games over two seasons with another American League East team, the Tampa Bay Rays.
Key Players
Orioles catcher/designated hitter Adley Rutschman drove in seven runs in the Chicago series, with two coming on his 10th home run of the season in the last game of the series. “He’s a generational talent,” Irvin said. “You think you’d get used to it, being around him every day, and then he does something new that you haven’t seen and it’s just ‘wow.’ The wow factor is unbelievable.”
Team Changes and Injuries
The Orioles placed second baseman Michael Massey on the 10-day injured list on Sunday due to a lower back ligament sprain and recalled shortstop Nick Loftin from Triple-A Omaha. Loftin pinch-hit for left fielder MJ Melendez in the seventh inning on Sunday and stayed in the game, going 0-for-2. “We think the world of Nick,” Quatraro said. “We think he’s going to be a really good major league player. The opportunity hasn’t been there yet on a consistent basis, so we’ll see how he mixes in here.”
The Red Sox might be without outfielder Tyler O’Neill again Monday due to a sore right knee. He sat out Sunday as well.
Conclusion
As the Orioles and Red Sox aim to start new winning streaks, the series opener promises an exciting matchup. With key players like Adley Rutschman and Cooper Criswell performing at high levels, this series is set to be a thrilling contest for baseball fans.
