First Pitch: Tuesday 7:05, Wednesday 7:05, Thursday 7:05
Arms: Tuesday: Josh Beckett, RHP (5-9, 4.97 ERA ) vs. Wei-Yin Chen, LHP (10-7, 3.79 ERA)
Wednesday: Aaron Cook, RHP (3-5, 4.70 ERA) vs. Miguel Gonzalez, RHP (4-2, 3.42 ERA)
Thursday: Clay Buchholz, RHP (10-3, 4.24 ERA) vs. Chris Tillman, RHP (5-2, 3.40 ERA)
The Matchup
Last time
It has been a while since the Sox and Orioles met. The Orioles came to Fenway from June 5-7 and took 2 out of 3 from the Sox. Game 1 went into extra and Alfredo Aceves gave up 2 to the Orioles in the 10th and the Sox could not come back from it. Wei-Yin Chen and Josh Beckett had a pitching duel in game 2, with the Orioles coming out on top again, 2-1. The Sox salvaged the final game and made a statement doing it with a 7-0 win over Baltimore. Gonzalez, Nava, and a former un-named third baseman gave the Sox a big offensive lift in that game.
This time
Laser Show: Adrian Gonzalez
Don't Fall Behind: Wei-Yin Chen
Chen pitched well in his last outing against the Sox and we will see the rematch of Beckett and Chen tonight. Chen had a tough outing against the Royals, so the Sox could get lucky and hit him while he is down.
How we see it goin' down
Baltimore is not as good as they were earlier in the season. They are still that 5.5 games better than the Sox which makes a world of difference right now. The Sox have a great opportunity to gain some ground which leads me to believe they are going to blow it. The Orioles are going to once again take 2 out of 3, crushing more hopes of a playoff berth.
