This isn’t an ideal time for the Baltimore Orioles to have questions about their pitching.
They’ve given up a total of 21 runs across the last two games they’ve lost.
The Orioles will try to get back on track when they meet the visiting Boston Red Sox again Saturday.
The four-game series is tied at one game apiece after Boston’s 12-10 victory Friday night that included four Red Sox home runs.
The Red Sox roughed up Orioles ace Corbin Burnes for eight runs and 10 hits in four innings.
“They were aggressive with him,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said.
It wasn’t smooth sailing from the mound for the Red Sox either.
“We got 27 outs,” Boston manager Alex Cora said of finding a way to preserve a lead and pull out a victory.
There were more good vibes for the Red Sox with the bats.
“Our lineup is a good one,” Cora said. “The offense was locked in.”
Baltimore’s pitching situation appears fluid. Right-hander Albert Suarez had been lined up as the Orioles’ starter for Saturday, but Hyde said Friday those plans changed because of concerns about fatigue.
“If we can give everybody an extra day, I think that’s important right now,” Hyde said.
So that puts left-hander Cade Povich (1-5, 6.27 ERA) in the starting slot. The rookie will be making his ninth big-league appearance, all in starting assignments. In July, he went 0-3 while allowing 17 runs (14 earned) in 10 2/3 innings.
The concerns for the Orioles extended beyond the mound. They scratched catcher Adley Rutschman from the lineup shortly before Friday night’s game.
“He had some lower-back discomfort,” Hyde said. “He’s day-to-day right now. … We’ll see.”
Rutschman has gone 3-for-12 without an extra-base hit in the last four games he played. He has two RBIs in his last eight games.
“He’s scuffling a little bit,” Hyde said. “He’s grinding. He’s working on some things. He’s so good, expect him to come out of it anytime soon.”
Rookie infielder Jackson Holliday of the Orioles recorded a four-hit game for the first time in the majors in Friday night’s slugfest.
Right-hander Brayan Bello (10-5, 4.97) will be Saturday’s starter for Boston. He has gone five consecutive outings without a decision, but the Red Sox have won the past four games in which he has thrown.
Bello, who hasn’t suffered a loss since late June, notched a May 28 victory at Baltimore by going five innings and allowing three runs with seven strikeouts. He didn’t have a decision in an April meeting with the Orioles, giving up three runs (one earned) in 5 1/3 innings of Baltimore’s 7-1 home victory.
His only other matchups with the Orioles resulted in a loss in 2022 and a victory in 2023. For his career, Bello is 2-2 with a 4.35 ERA in four starts against the Orioles.
The Red Sox adjusted their roster Friday by activating first baseman Triston Casas, who went 1-for-5 and scored a run. As a result, first baseman Dominic Smith, who joined the team in the spring, was designated for assignment.
“Roster-wise, it was hard to keep him with us,” Cora said. “It’s not easy, but he was a pro about it.”
–Field Level Media