The Baltimore Orioles have been looking like significant offensive threats again and that should bode well for the American League East contenders.
They meet the visiting Boston Red Sox again Friday night.
The Orioles won their second in a row by beating the Red Sox 5-1 in the series opener Thursday.
“They hit the ball hard,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “They grind at-bats.”
The Orioles have won six of seven meetings against Boston this year.
Baltimore’s big bats are cranking up again. Gunnar Henderson, who has 31 home runs, has homered in back-to-back games for the first time since June 25-26.
“I feel like we’ve been making strides in the right direction,” Henderson said.
Cedric Mullins, who also homered in the series opener, is finding the groove as well.
“It has been awesome to make those adjustments and see them incorporate themselves out on the field, staying on that path, staying to the grind, so I can be productive for the team,” Mullins said.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Mullins looks ready to be a difference maker.
“He’s always a power threat,” Hyde said. “He just changes the game for us ’cause it’s premier, premier defense in center field to go with it. He’s playing with some confidence right now, and it’s fun to watch.”
The Red Sox have lost two games in a row and six of their past eight.
The one run scored for Boston matched its lowest output since the All-Star break. The Red Sox also scored one run in the first game after the layoff against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Orioles are scheduled to start ace Corbin Burnes (12-4, 2.71 ERA) for the second game of the series. He’s 3-0 in his past five starts, though he had a no-decision Saturday at Tampa Bay after giving up three runs in six innings.
Burnes didn’t allow an earned run across seven innings in a home victory against Boston on May 29. He held the Red Sox to one run in seven innings on the road in April. He is 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA in three career starts against Boston.
Right-hander Cooper Criswell (4-4, 4.02) is expected to return from the COVID-19 injured list and start Friday. He was roughed up in his only career start against Baltimore for seven runs on seven hits in four innings during Boston’s 11-3 loss on May 27.
Cora said there’s a huge emphasis on keeping the Orioles off the bases with free passes to try to limit big innings.
“They have to earn it, and they do that,” Cora said. “They’re very good at what they do.”
On Thursday night, the Red Sox got two strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings of relief from Chase Shugart in his big-league debut. He allowed one run.
“He found the strike zone with good stuff,” Cora said. “He wasn’t afraid.”
Meanwhile, the Orioles sent infielder Coby Mayo back to Triple-A Norfolk a day after he picked up his first major league hit.
–Field Level Media