Dylan Bundy gets tough test as Boston series begins

With a starting rotation that needs to cover more innings and a bullpen that finally cracked on Sunday, the Orioles move on to play in Boston tonight. Last year, the Red Sox hit well against the Orioles.

O's highest ERA versus opponents from 2016:
7.47 - Seattle (seven games)
6.33 - Houston (seven games)
5.50 - San Diego (four games)
5.29 - Boston (19 games)

Boston won 11 of 19 games versus the Orioles last season and outscored Baltimore 102-82 while batting .282/.346/.482.

Outfielder Mookie Betts did big damage in the season series. He hit .408/.477/.816 against O's pitching with four doubles, nine homers and 21 RBIs. While Betts did go on to finish second in the MVP voting, he did not have nearly as much success batting against the rest of the American League East. In 55 combined games versus New York, Tampa Bay and Toronto in 2016, Betts hit .260 with three homers and 26 RBIs. He hit nine homers in 76 at-bats against Orioles pitchers. He hit three in 227 at-bats versus Yankees, Rays and Jays pitchers.

The Orioles last played the Red Sox when they came to Camden Yards on Sept. 19. The pressure was on the Orioles as they entered that series in second place, three games behind the Red Sox. But they got swept four in a row by a combined 20-8 score to end hopes of a division title. Boston claimed the East for the second time in four years, winning 93 games - four more than the Orioles and Toronto.

That sweep propelled Boston to its first season series win over the Orioles since 2011 as they went 11-8. From 2012-15, the Orioles were 13-5, 11-8, 11-8 and 11-8. That adds up to a record of 46-29 (.613) against Boston.

At Fenway Park, the Orioles won all three series last year and went 6-3 (they were 2-8 at home against the Red Sox). The Orioles have a winning record in four of the last five seasons in Boston, going 29-18 (.617) at Fenway Park since 2012.

So although it will be just a two-game series, it will be interesting to see how the Orioles fare against the team being picked to win the division championship.

This will also be a test for 24-year-old right-hander Dylan Bundy, who gave up four hits and one run over seven innings Wednesday against Toronto. He broke out his cutter/slider big time, using it 31 percent of the time, and fanned eight without a walk. He only faced two batters that hit left-handed in that start, but could see five or more lefties tonight. That should mean the changeup becomes a pitch he'll need more than the cutter/slider.

Last year, Bundy made six appearances (three starts) against the Red Sox, going 1-2 with a 6.75 ERA. They hit him hard, with a .344 batting average and six homers over 20 innings.

So, yeah, tough test for the kid tonight.

On the farm Monday: Triple-A Norfolk won its home opener, 3-0 over Gwinnett in front of 9.087 at Harbor Park. Right-hander Alec Asher, making his Orioles organization debut, combined on the four-hitter with Stefan Crichton and Jimmy Yacabonis. Asher went 4 1/3 allowing four hits with no walks and six strikeouts on 74 pitches. That outing seems to have moved him to the head of the class to be the fifth starter when the Orioles need one Saturday at Toronto. Crichton and Yacabonis combined to allow no hits with four strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings. Tides pitchers allowed 39 runs during an 0-4 start but the shutout last night provided the club its first win of 2017.

Prior to the game, the Tides retired a jersey with the number 55 to honor longtime general manager Dave Rosenfield, who passed away in February after working 55 seasons for the club.

Double-A Bowie lost 9-8 to Erie in 10 innings to fall to 3-2. This was a game Bowie led 7-0 in the third inning. Outfielder Cedric Mullins hit his second leadoff homer of the year and third overall in five games. He went 3-for-5 and is batting .545. First baseman Aderlin Rodriguez went 2-for-5 with his third homer and is batting .381. Glynn Davis went 2-for-5 with a triple and is batting .417. Bowie has scored 40 runs in five games with team batting stats of .351/.383/.611. The Baysox have 27 extra-base hits and seven players hitting .357 or better.

Potomac beat Single-A Frederick 12-4. Keys starter Cristian Alvarado allowed a career-high nine runs and 10 hits over four innings. Outfielders Randolph Gassaway and Austin Hays had two hits each for the Keys, now 1-3.

Single-A Delmarva fell to 1-4, losing 4-1 at Greensboro. Left-hander Alexander Wells, the native Australian, made his Shorebirds debut and gave up two runs and six hits over five innings. Catcher Daniel Fajardo went 2-for-3 and is batting .364. First baseman Preston Palmeiro had a hit in four at-bats and is hitting .188.