Tim Wakefield With Another Chance to Record Win No. 192

For the Orioles, the beginning of July was very much a continuation of the first three months of the season.

For the Red Sox, that’s a good thing.

The O’s lost 8-1 on Thursday night in the first night of the new month, bringing their record to a woeful 24-54 mark. They are, however, 5-4 against the Red Sox, who enter play Friday night 1 1/2 games out of first place in the AL East.

So as Boston heads for yet another exciting holiday weekend, the Sox will hope to spark some fireworks of their own off O’s pitching.

WHEN AND WHERE

Orioles (24-54) at Red Sox (47-32)
Friday, July 2, 7:10 p.m.
Fenway Park, Boston

HEAD TO HEAD

Baltimore has won five of the nine meetings this year.

PITCHING MATCHUP

RHP Brad Bergesen (3-4, 6.83 ERA) vs. RHP Tim Wakefield (2-6, 5.21 ERA)

Wakefield has worked with 18 different catchers in his career. It appeared Gustavo Molina was going to be No. 19 on Friday, but the Thursday acquisition of Kevin Cash may change that.

Wakefield will be making his fourth bid for win No. 192. He has not been awful in the previous three attempts, but did not received much run support. The 43-year-old has worked at least into the seventh inning in each of his last four starts.

He is 15-13 lifetime against the Orioles.

Since a personal three-game winning streak in early May that included a win over Boston, Bergesen has fallen on hard times. He is 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA in seven outings and has one strikeout against seven walks in his last 16 2/3 innings.

The 24-year-old has been much better against the Sox. He is 1-1 with a 3.79 ERA in three career starts in the series.

LINEUPS

STAT SHEET

Red Sox

• Wednesday’s loss snapped Boston’s seven-game home winning streak.
• Designated hitter David Ortiz collected 21 walks in June, tied for the most he has ever had in that month.
• The Sox finished June with 77 doubles, just two shy of the club record for the month, accomplished in 2003.

Orioles

• Nick Markakis is pacing the O’s offense with a .303 average.
• The O’s began the year with a 2-16 record. They later went on a stretch of 35 games in which they went 7-28.
• Ty Wigginton homered on Wednesday night, giving the Orioles their first homer from a first baseman all season. The 76 games without a homer from a first baseman set a franchise record.

BLACK AND BLUE

Red Sox

• Manny Delcarmen is expected to be placed on the disabled list before Friday’s game with a forearm injury.
• Second baseman Dustin Pedroia was placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with a fracture in his left foot. He suffered the injury when he fouled a ball off his left foot the day before. He will not put any weight on the foot for 2-3 weeks before being re-examined.
• Catcher Victor Martinez was put on the DL Tuesday with a minimally displaced fracture on the tip of his left thumb, suffered after taking two foul balls off the thumb during Sunday’s game in San Francisco.
• Clay Buchholz suffered a left hamstring strain running the bases Saturday in San Francisco. He will not pitch this weekend but the club is hopeful he will return to the rotation by Monday or Tuesday.
• Outfielder Jeremy Hermida was placed on the DL on June 11 after an MRI revealed five fractured ribs, the result of a collision with third baseman Adrian Beltre one week earlier. He is swinging and doing outfield and base running drills.
• An MRI conducted June 9 revealed a new fracture in outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury‘s ribs. Ellsbury, who was placed on the DL May 28 for the second time this year, has been at the Athletes’ Performance center in Arizona for three weeks but has yet to resume baseball activities.
• Josh Beckett is expected to begin a rehab assignment soon as he works his way back from a lower back strain.
• Infielder Jed Lowrie remains on the DL after coming down with mononucleosis during spring training. He is playing in extended spring training games.
• Righty Junichi Tazawa underwent Tommy John surgery in March. He is out for the year.

Orioles

• Second baseman Brian Roberts is out until at least mid-July. He’s played in just four games all season.
• Outfielder Luke Scott was placed on the disabled list Thursday with a strained left hamstring.
• Pitcher Mike Gonzalez is out until mid-July with a strained left shoudler.
• Outfielder Felix Pie is on his way back from a back injury, but he’s not expected to be ready for this weekend’s series.

OUTLOOK

With as many injuries as the Red Sox have, Thursday’s day off likely went a long way for the healthy players who have been in the lineup every night. On Friday, it’s back to business against the worst team in baseball.

With the Yankees winning on Thursday, the Sox are 1 1/2 games out of first. A sweep of the O’s wouldn’t guarantee them first place, but it would keep the pressure on the Yankees, who are hosting Toronto for a trio of matinees against the Blue Jays.