Josh Beckett, Red Sox Have Sights Set on Crucial Series Sweep in Baltimore
Boston enters the series seven games out of first place and the wild card with just 31 games to play. Trips to Baltimore are usually reserved for Red Sox wins, but this one is no gimme.
The Sox have dropped four of six games in Camden Yards this season and will be facing an Orioles bunch that has gone 16-10 under new manager Buck Showalter.
Josh Beckett, coming off his first win in four starts, is on the mound for Boston. Young lefty Brian Matusz goes for Baltimore.
WHEN AND WHERE
Red Sox (74-57) at Orioles (48-83)
Monday, Aug. 31, 7:05 p.m. NESN
Camden Yards, Baltimore
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HEAD TO HEAD
The teams have split 12 games this season.
PITCHING MATCHUP
RHP Josh Beckett (4-3, 6.50 ERA) vs. LHP Brian Matusz (6-12, 4.79 ERA)
Beckett has progressively improved in each of his last four starts, culminating in a victory over Seattle six days ago. He allowed three runs in 6 1/3 innings, striking out seven and walking one. The righty was still peeved at giving up three runs in the seventh inning of that one.
Over his last four starts he has struggled to avoid the big inning — in the 10 innings over that span in which opponents have scored, just twice has Beckett limited them to one run.
He is 6-2 with a 3.61 ERA in his career vs. Baltimore.
Matusz, 23, struggled through a large portion of his first full season but has begun to show the form in recent weeks that has the organization very excited for his future.
The lefty is 3-1 with 2.32 ERA in August, during which he has held opponents to a .239 average and has walked just six batters in 31 innings. Matusz threw seven shutout innings in a win at Fenway Park on July 4.
LINEUPS
| Red Sox | Orioles |
|---|---|
| Marco Scutaro, SS Darnell McDonald CF Victor Martinez, C David Ortiz, DH Adrian Beltre, 3B Mike Lowell, 1B J.D. Drew, RF Jed Lowrie, 2B Bill Hall, LF |
Brian Roberts, 2B |
STAT SHEET
Red Sox
- Catcher Victor Martinez was 8-for-13 with three home runs in the weekend series at Tampa Bay.
- Boston has scored three runs or fewer in four straight games.
- For his career third baseman Adrian Beltre is six RBIs shy of 1,000 and five runs shy of 900.
Orioles
- Catcher Matt Wieters went 6-for-15 with four RBIs in the Orioles' recent road trip.
- Baltimore had a losing August for 13 straight years before snapping the streak this month.
- Right-hander Koji Uehara is 4-for-4 in save opportunities since assuming the closer's role Aug. 21.
BLACK AND BLUE
Red Sox
- Second baseman Dustin Pedroia had his broken left foot put back in a boot Thursday, where it will stay for seven days. After one week, he will either continue his rehab or face season-ending surgery.
- Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury has another broken rib near where he was hurt earlier in the year, the result of a collision at first base in Texas. He is out four to six weeks at minimum and will likely miss the remainder of the season.
- Center fielder Mike Cameron will have season-ending surgery Friday to repair an abdominal tear.
- First baseman Kevin Youkilis had successful surgery to repair the torn right adductor muscle on his right hand. He will miss the remainder of the season.
- Catcher Jason Varitek (broken right foot) continues to try to recover from a broken right foot. He has yet to be able to run at full speed, one of the last major obstacles before he can eye a rehab stint.
- Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia is on the DL after recovering from an infection in his lower right leg. He is now 4-for-12 in two rehab games with Pawtucket and should return Sept. 1.
- Outfielder/second baseman Eric Patterson is 4-for-13 with three stolen bases in two rehab games at Pawtucket. He will likely return Sept. 1.
- Right-hander Junichi Tazawa underwent Tommy John surgery in March. He is out for the year.
Orioles
- Second baseman Brian Roberts is day-to-day with a left hip strain.
- Center fielder Adam Jones was hit by a pitch Aug. 24 on the left shoulder. He has not played since.
- Right-hander Jason Berken will likely miss the remainder of the season with a slightly torn right labrum and a frayed rotator cuff.
- Right-hander David Hernandez is expected to return in September from a sprained left ankle.
OUTLOOK
Boston went 67-28 at Baltimore from 1999-2009. Filled with Red Sox fans who made the trip Camden Yards became known as "Fenway South." If there was ever a time to rediscover that era of dominance this is it.
