GAME #8, BALTIMORE ORIOLES AT BOSTON RED SOX

[Bear]

ORIOLES V RED SOX

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017, 7:10 PM AT FENWAY PARK

TV:  NESN, MASON 2

BALTIMORE:  4-2............................................................BOSTON, 4-3

BALTIMORE:

UBALDO JIMENEZ, RHP, 0-0, 10.38 ERA 5K

Jimenez struggled in his season debut going just 4 1/3 innings against the Yankees
in a bitterly cold Friday night that saw him slog through a 30-pitch first.  The righty,
who got a no decision, will try to bounce back against the Red Sox.

BOSTON:

STEVEN WRIGHT, RHP, 0-0, 5.40 ERA, 4K

Wright pitches at Fenway Park for the first time at home in 2017.  Wright is 11-4
with a 4.05 ERA lifetime at home.  Wright has pitched 51 games in his career,
holding opponents to a .240 average.  Wright is 2-0 with a 2.45 average against
the Orioles.

Ubaldo, Wright looking to get on track as O's face Sox

Quinn Roberts

Orioles starter Ubaldo Jimenez will oppose Red Sox knuckleballer Steven Wright as the American League East rivals wrap up a brief two-game series on Wednesday at Fenway Park.

Wright tossed 6 2/3 innings in his season debut on Friday against the Tigers, allowing four runs on seven hits for the no-decision.

"It took him an inning to establish his release point, but after that, he was able to execute his pitches well," manager John Farrell said.
Wright struggled in his final two starts at Fenway last season, combining to allow nine runs in 10 innings. He also surrendered four home runs.

Meanwhile, Jimenez didn't have much success in his season debut on Friday against the Yankees, going 4 1/3 innings and allowing five runs on seven hits in a no-decision.

The right-hander has never fared well against the Red Sox, going 2-6 with a 6.82 ERA, which is his highest ERA against any club with at least five starts.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS GAME

• Red Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland has hit at least one double in his last five games, a feat that hasn't been accomplished by a Red Sox first baseman since 1913.

• Jimenez faced the Red Sox four times last season (three starts). He was winless, going 0-2 with a 5.28 ERA.
• Wright's 2.47 career ERA vs. AL East opponents is the fourth lowest among active pitchers (minimum 80 innings).

• O's catcher Welington Castillo threw out Hanley Ramirez trying to steal in the fourth inning, making him 3-for-7 on throwing out would-be basestealers. He went 40 percent last year. Castillo's two tracked pop times to second so far this season (including Tuesday) have averaged 1.94 seconds, right in line with his 1.93 average that ranked fourth among all MLB catchers with at least 15 tracked throws to second base last season. Only Martin Maldonado (1.91), J.T. Realmuto and Gary Sanchez (1.92) were better.

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/20170411223686028/ubaldo-wright-looking-to-get-on-track-as-os-face-sox/?game_pk=490217

[Bear]

Red Sox-Orioles Airs On NESNPlus, With Bruins-Senators On NESN Tonight

http://nesn.com/2017/04/bruins-senators-airing-on-nesn-watch-red-sox-orioles-on-nesnplus/

RED SOX LINEUP:

PEDROIA, 2B
BENINTENDI, CF
BETTS, RF
RAMIREZ, DH
MORELAND, 1B
BOGAERTS, SS
SANDOVAL, 3B
YOUNG, LF
LEON, C
WRIGHT, RHP

TWITTER

[Bill-806]

  Looking for Stevie to make things Wright again !!!

[Rob from Mass]

 Amazing what having the 1st team minus JBJ could do .15 hits and some timely ones also.Personally, the Tigers series didn`t bother me all that much considering the lineups that had to be put on the field.Take 3-4 TOP PLAYERS off any team and the results will not be much better. A nice little 5of 6 before going to Toronto would be damn good.

[elktonnick]

While I love knuckleheads. Clearly Wright doesn't have it tonight

[markj]

Over before the end of the 1st inning. Lovely. Sox batters will really need to be sharp tonight or they have no chance.

[markj]

Inning over, finally.

[markj]

WTF? Farrell must have been hoping he could straighten things out, but no such luck.

[Rob from Mass]

So goes the nature of a knuckle baller.

[markj]

Sox batters aren't helping the situation. Damn GIDP again.

[markj]

The hits keep on coming.  9-0

[elktonnick]

Sandoval hit that pitch as it hit the ground. He hasn't got a hit in his last 14 at bats

[markj]

He just went yard. Sox clawing back some runs. Now 9-4.

[elktonnick]

Sandoval will be a confounding player as long as he is in Boston

[markj]

Sox closing in. Now 9-5 and bases loaded. 1 out, so it's GIDP time.