The Boston Red Sox have plenty of catching up to do in the American League East, as they are currently trailing the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays in the division. The Orioles, meanwhile, are going nowhere, as they seem to have the bottom of the AL East very much secured. The Red Sox are +2800 to win the 2019 World Series, while the O’s are +300000 to pull off a miracle and win the AL East.
Starters: David Price (7-2, 3.16 ERA) vs. John Means (7-5, 2.94 ERA)
Pitching:
Price got tripped up by the Los Angeles Dodgers in his last start, but at least he picked up a no-decision. Against the Los Angeles Dodgers at home on Jul. 14, Price held LA to only an earned run on four hits in 5.0 innings of mound duty, but Boston still lost 7-4. Price held the Orioles scoreless in seven innings of work during a 4-0 home win back in April. Means got rocked on Jul. 13 by the Tampa Bay Rays, allowing six earned runs on eight runs — including three home runs — in six innings of a 12-4 home loss on Jul. 13. He is 1-1 with a solid 2.12 ERA in three starts against Boston this season.
Hitting
Xander Bogaerts is 3-for-7 in career vs. Means.
Trey Mancini is 5-for-19 in career vs. Price.
Prediction: Red Sox win, 5-3.
GAME 2
Starters: Rick Porcello (7-7, 5.37 ERA) vs. Thomas Eshelman (0-1, 5.06 ERA)
Pitching:
Porcello hasn’t been right in his last three starts, during which he’s allowed 16 earned runs in just 12.0 total innings on the mound. Interestingly, he still managed to get a win in two of those games, thanks in large part to Boston’s offense that is giving him 6.13 runs per nine innings pitched. Eshelman is still searching for the first win of his career in the majors. In his last start, he surrendered four earned runs in 5.2 innings of a 4-1 home loss to the Rays on Jul. 14.
Hitting
Rafael Devers is batting .326 on the road this season, as of this writing.
Trey Mancini is 4-for-9 in career vs. Porcello.
Prediction: Red Sox wins, 7-5.
GAME 3
Starters: Andrew Cashner (9-4, 4.09 ERA) vs. Asher Wojciechowski (0-3, 5.74 ERA)
Pitching:
Cashner will make his second start for the Red Sox since getting traded from the Orioles. In his debut for Boston, he allowed five earned runs on eight hits in 5.0 innings of a 10-4 home loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Jul. 16. He is 6-8 with a 4.49 ERA in 22 career starts at Camden Yards. Wojciechowski is winless on the season, but fared relatively well in his last start, allowing three earned runs on six hits in 5.1 innings on the mound during an 8-1 home loss to the Washington Nationals on Jul. 16. He is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in two appearances at home this season, including a start.
Hitting
Chris Davis is 2-for-8 in career vs. Cashner
Only six current Red Sox players have faced Wojciechowski. They are 0-for-6 overall.
