GAME #54, BOSTON RED SOX AT BALTIMORE ORIOLES

[Bear]

RED SOX V ORIOLES

FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 2017, 7PM AT ORIOLE PARK AT CAMDEN YARDS

TV:  NESN, MASN, MLBN, (OUT-OF-MARKET ONL)

BOSTON, ( 27-24)...........................................................................BALTIMORE, (28-24)

BOSTON:

RICK PORCELLO, RHP, 3-6, 4.21 ERA, 68K

The sinkerballer gave up eleven hits but just two runs in his last start.
Opponents are hitting .306 against the right-hander, who hasn't come close
to matching last year's breakthough season.  Porcello is 2-4 with a 4.89 ERA
lifetime at Camden Yards.

BALTIMORE:

ALEC ASHER, RHP, 1-3, 2.77 ERA, 23K

Asher will get his fourth start of the season on Friday after taking the place
of Ubaldo Jimenez in the starting rotation on Sunday.  In his first start since May 2,
the righty only made it though two innings after giving up six runs on six hits.

Porcello eyes return to Cy form vs. Asher, O's

Mandy Bell

Despite what has happened between the Orioles and Red Sox this season, the teams say they are only focused on winning games in a competitive American League East.

"Look at the standings, it's bunched up," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "So we're right in the heat of it. We're right in the throes of maybe the second-third of the season where you get teams kind of hitting their stride. Everybody's dealt with oddities, whether it's injuries, performance, what have you. But every game is important."

Right-hander Rick Porcello (3-6, 4.21 ERA) will take the mound for the Red Sox. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner has excelled recently at attacking hitters, having thrown the highest rate of pitches while ahead in the count (34.9 percent) of any qualified starter. The righty has a 4.89 lifetime ERA at Camden Yards.

For the Orioles, Alec Asher (1-3, 3.77) is looking to get ahead in the count more often in his fourth start. Asher took the place of Ubaldo Jimenez in the rotation Sunday, but lasted just two innings against Houston after allowing six runs on six hits.

"You try to take what you can from it," Asher said. "I fell behind a lot of hitters and I just had to give in. And it happens. You try not to take your bad outings too serious and go from there."

Asher started against Boston on May 2, throwing six innings and giving up three runs, including two home runs to Hanley Ramirez.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS GAME

• Porcello finished April tied for the most barrels allowed in the Majors. But Porcello turned his contact around in May, reducing both his barrel rate (from 13.2 to 5.7 percent) and average exit velocity against (from 90.2 to 87.7 mph) by significant margins.

• Chris Davis (8-for-39), Adam Jones (11-for-48) and Mark Trumbo (9-for-29) have a combined .241 career average against Porcello with nine home runs and 23 RBIs.

• Boston's Pablo Sandoval got three hits as the DH in his first game back from the disabled list Wednesday.

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/20170601233829532/porcello-eyes-return-to-cy-form-vs-asher-os/?game_pk=490914

[Bear]

RED SOX LINEUP:

BETTS, RF
BENINTENDI, LF
BOGAERTTS, SS
MORELAND, 1B
RAMERIZE, DH
BRADLEY, CF
RUTLEDGE, 2B
SANDOVAL, 3B
LEON, C

PORCELLO

[Bill-806]

  Last night was no way to start this important series !!!

[Rob from Mass]

108 games left!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bill-806]

108 games left!!!!!!!!!!!

  SON, where I come from, we play every game to WIN.... There is no trophy here for just showing up !! thumb_d :losers rofl iono

[Rob from Mass]

So in your opinion they had no intentions what so ever to play for a W.You are a strange dude.
OK guys let's not give it all today so Bingo Billy can say something stange.

[longgame]

On another board we had an annual argument over whether games at the end of the season counted more.  My point was that they did only if you didn't win enough earlier.

[Schloicka]

They all count the same no matter when you play them.

[Bill-806]

On another board we had an annual argument over whether games at the end of the season counted more.  My point was that they did only if you didn't win enough earlier.

  B I N G O  dat !! thumb_u

[ipot]

Porcello will go 6.2 inns with 12 hits, 6 Ks, 1 BB.  How many ERs he gives up is the only thing that counts. 

If anyone can allow 1 ER on 12 hits, it's him :o

[Rob from Mass]

Rick had his 1 great season and now the hope is he can stay around the 3.7- 4 ERA mark and not much higher.

[Bill-806]

E-ROD to the  10 day  D L  with a twisted knee ......  At least he is consistent, last two years if not every year !!

[SeaBeachFred]

This team only seems to be able to disappoint, disappoint and disappoint some more.  I've taken to just revelingwhen they win a game or two in a row and just allow myself to expect that they will once again fall on their collective asses and windup between third and fourth place this season.  Such a finish might allow DD to finally cashier the worst manager in the league and hire someone with a li ttle fire who knows how to handle the ups and downs of this still pretty young team.  Truth be told, I don't think we're going anywhere this season except an early off season.  No leadership, no sense of urgency, poorly coached, poor on fundamentals,  unable to rise to the occasion more than a few games at a time, dependent on other teams giving them the game with mistakes, and players on this team that are not winners in any sense of the word.  Just one disappointment after another and to be honest, I expect more of the same tonight and that both saddens and pisses me off.

[Bill-806]

Porcello will go 6.2 inns with 12 hits, 6 Ks, 1 BB.  How many ERs he gives up is the only thing that counts. 

If anyone can allow 1 ER on 12 hits, it's him :o

  Not a great start....  TWO  H R's already..... iono rofl

[elktonnick]

Porcello's sinker isn't sinking.  He was throwing meatballs.  He was lucky to have only given up homeruns.  There could have easily been two more.