Two AL East rivals will finish their four-game series on Monday as the Boston Red Sox (22-13) take on the Baltimore Orioles (15-19). The Orioles will host this one at Camden Yards, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05 pm ET.
The Red Sox will be trying to finish the sweep on Monday as they have taken the first three games of the series. On Sunday, the Red Sox won 4-3 behind home runs by Rafael Devers and Hunter Renfroe. They also got a solid start from Nick Pivetta, who went six innings, allowing just two runs.
In the loss, Cedric Mullins hit a solo home run, and Ryan Mountcastle drove in two runs. With the loss, the Orioles have fallen to 4-13 at home and are 0-6 when hosting Boston.
The Red Sox are the favorites to win this one despite playing on the road. They are -150 to win, while the Orioles’ moneyline sits at +130. The run line features Baltimore +1.5, while the over/under for total runs is 9.5.
Pitching Matchup
The Red Sox will send lefty Martin Perez (0-2, 4.40 ERA) to the mound on Monday. While he is still looking for his first win, Perez has pitched well recently. In his last start, a 6-5 loss to the Tigers, Perez went 5 2/3 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) and struck out six.
The Orioles will look to Jorge Lopez (1-3, 6.49 ERA) to try to avoid the sweep. In his last start, a 5-2 loss to the Mariners, Lopez allowed just a single run but only went 4 2/3 innings.
By The Numbers
Offensively, the Red Sox have been the best team in baseball this season. They rank atop the Major Leagues in runs scored, averaging 5.38 runs per game. The Orioles are 25th overall, averaging just 3.88 runs.
Defensively, these two are neck and neck, with Baltimore holding the slight edge. They rank 17th in runs allowed per game at 4.33. The Red Sox come in next at 18th, allowing 4.35 runs per game.
Boston Shoots To Finish Sweep
At 22-13, the Red Sox have a 3 1/2-game lead on both the Yankees and the Rays in the division. It’s still early, but Boston knows that every game is crucial and will look to finish off a four-game sweep against its division foe.
Leading the way for Boston have been J.D. Martinez, Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts. Martinez leads the way in both home runs (10) and runs batted in (31) while hitting .333/.425/.651.
Devers and Bogaerts have been similarly productive. Devers has eight home runs and 28 runs batted in, while Bogaerts has seven home runs and 20 runs batted in.
In their careers against Lopez, Devers and Martinez are a combined 4-for-9 with three home runs and six runs batted in.
Baltimore Hopes To Turn Around Home Woes
Sitting 6 1/2 games out of first place in the AL East, the Orioles have to figure out how to play better at Camden Yards. Oddly, they are 11-6 on the road but just 4-13 at home. They will look to try to improve on that dismal record Monday.
Offensively, first baseman Trey Mancini has been the most productive Orioles player to date. He is hitting just .244/.306/.427, but he is tied for the team lead in home runs (six) and holds the team lead in runs batted in at 27.
Mancini has also had success against Perez in his career. In 13 at-bats, Mancini is hitting .462, although he doesn’t have a home run to date.
Maikel Franco and Pat Valaika have both taken Perez deep in their careers, and Austin Hays is 2-for-5 against the lefty.
Hard To Bet Against Boston
It is just really hard to get excited about Baltimore in this one. Not only has it been brutal at home, but Lopez has not shown that he can go deep in games. It also doesn’t help the Orioles’ cause that the Red Sox offense just seems to be clicking right now.
Granted, Perez has shown inconsistencies at times, but he and the Red Sox still seem like the better bet. Take the Red Sox at -150, and don’t be afraid to bet them covering the run line.
