The Sox dropped their first six decisions of the young season, as the O's were busy rattling off wins in six of their first seven games.
From there, however, it's been a virtual reversal of fortunes for the two clubs who meet for the first time on Tuesday night Baltimore. The Red Sox enter playing their best baseball of the season (winners of eight of their last nine), whereas Buck Showalter's club can't get out its own way during a 2-11 stretch.
For the Red Sox, it can't come at a better time, as they're set to take on a reeling team in a ballpark in which they have had a ton of success in recent years. The Sox enter Tuesday's tilt with a 42-22 record at Camden Yards in the Terry Francona era.
Since 2004, the Sox have lost just four of 21 series in what has been appropriately dubbed at times "Fenway South" because of the stranglehold Red Sox fans put on one of the bigs' nicest parks when Boston is in town.
Still, past successes aside, the Orioles have shown some fight against the Red Sox in the more recent past — OK, fine, just 2010. The teams split their 18 meetings just a year after the Sox took an unprecedented 16 of 18 meetings.
The Orioles played everybody tough after they hired Showalter during the 2010 season, but they also defended their home field admirably against Boston. Perhaps you remember Boston's early-season struggles last year as well, struggles that were capped by a three-game sweep at the hands of the O's in Baltimore during April.
The Orioles themselves sound like they're ready to defend their home field with some more veracity this season. At least that's the impression you have to get from center fielder Adam Jones.
In March, he suggested that O's fans "knock the [expletive]" out of Red Sox and Yankees fans that take over Camden Yards, before admitting, "If we beat the hell out of them out of the field … maybe more of our fans will go to the game."
Apparently, the Orioles are sick of being pushed around at home by not only the Red Sox, but by the rest of baseball, too. Is this the year they turn it around, particularly against the Red Sox?
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Monday, April 25: Which Red Sox player would you like to see hitting leadoff every day?
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