O's game blog: The final home series begins

The Orioles have reached the final week of the 2021 regular season, which has six games remaining. Tonight the Orioles host Boston in the opening game of a three-game series. It's the last home series of the year.

The Orioles (50-106) can play spoiler in the final week as they play wild card contenders Boston and Toronto to wrap up their schedule. The O's just split four games with Texas. Overall they have lost seven of 10 and 12 of the past 16 games.

The Orioles have played a lot of close games recently, and five of their last eight and 15 of the past 26 games have been decided by one or two runs. They are 7-8 in those 15 games.

The Orioles are 25-53 at home and 9-16 in September, and they are 17-33 in series-opening games and 8-17 when the series opener is at home.

The O's began this season sweeping three straight at Boston from April 2-4 by a combined 18-5 score. But since then they are 1-12 versus the Red Sox. In series, they have gone 0-3, 1-3, 0-3 and 0-3, losing the last six games against the Red Sox.

Boston (88-68) begins play tonight holding the second American League wild card spot, but they are just one game behind New York (89-67) for the No. 1 spot, and they are just one game ahead of Toronto (87-69). Both Seattle (87-70) and Oakland (85-72) remain in the hunt. Boston has never played in the wild card game.

The Red Sox took a seven-game win streak into their last series with the Yankees, but they got swept three straight by New York, losing 8-3, 5-3 and 6-3.

Boston is 39-36 on the road, 13-9 in September and 40-33 in games within the AL East. Boston has recorded 46 come-from-behind wins this season. The Red Sox have played error-free ball over the last eight games. Boston is 39-30 in one- and two-run games.

O's lefty Bruce Zimmermann (4-4, 4.83 ERA) gets the start tonight, and it is his first in the majors since June 13 and a 7-1 loss at Tampa Bay, where he allowed three runs and six hits over 5 2/3 innings on 95 pitches.

Zimmermann went to the injured list with left biceps tendinitis, and just as he was recovered from that and about to rejoin the Orioles, he sprained his right ankle while working out, and that further delayed his return. Tonight he finally is back.

In seven games in the minors this year with four different teams, Zimmermann has gone 1-2 with a 3.38 ERA over 21 1/3 innings. Most recently he pitched Sept. 18 for Double-A Bowie and Sept. 23 for Triple-A Norfolk. Combined in those two games, Zimmermann threw 6 1/3 innings, allowing nine hits and five runs with no walks and nine strikeouts.

Left-hander Chris Sale (5-0, 2.57 ERA) will make his eighth start for Boston since his return from his Tommy John surgery of March 30, 2020. He has thrown 35 innings, allowing 37 hits with eight walks and 39 strikeouts. He has a 1.286 WHIP, allowing 9.5 hits per nine innings with 2.1 walks and 10.0 strikeouts. The Red Sox are 6-1 in his starts.

He's made two of his starts versus the Orioles, going 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA. In those games he has thrown 10 innings, allowing eight hits and three runs with no walks and nine strikeouts in 16-2 and 7-1 wins.

Outfielder Cedric Mullins has hit safely in 14 of 15 games against Boston this season, batting .371/.435/.565 (23-for-62) with nine extra-base hits, including one home run. His 23 hits are the second-most against a single opponent this year and tied for the third-most by a player against the Red Sox this season.

He is batting .363/.399/.659 (49-for-135) in the first inning this season. Mullins' 49 first-inning hits are the most in the majors and also the most in any single inning in the majors. Mullins' 22 first-inning extra-base hits (12 doubles, two triples, eight home runs) also lead all of baseball. His 22 extra-base hits in the first inning are tied for the second-most in Orioles history, along with Rafael Palmeiro (12 doubles, 10 homers) in 1995, and trailing only Brady Anderson's 24 in 1996.