O's game blog: It's Gallardo against Price in road trip opener

The Orioles begin their first road trip of the 2016 season this afternoon when they play the first game of a three-game series at Fenway Park in Boston.

The last time the Orioles played there they were shutout three straight games last Sept. 25-27 by scores of 7-0, 8-0 and 2-0. The Orioles hit just .129 (12-for-93) with only two extra-base hits (both doubles) in the three games. That was the first time the O's were blanked in three consecutive games since 1957.

Right-hander Yovani Gallardo (1-0, 1.80 ERA) makes his second start for the Orioles and faces left-hander David Price (1-0, 3.00 ERA).

Gallardo, who signed a two-year deal with an option for 2018 on Feb. 16, made his O's debut on Wednesday night against Minnesota. He got the win and allowed just two hits and one run over five innings. Twins hitters went 2-for-15 (.133 against him). In four career starts against Boston, Gallardo is 2-2 with an ERA of 4.35.

Price agreed to the richest contract ever by a pitcher when he signed with Boston in December. It is a seven-year deal worth $217 million. Last year between Detroit and Toronto, Price went 18-5 with a 2.45 ERA and 225 strikeouts and finished second to Houston's Dallas Keuchel for the American League Cy Young Award.

On Tuesday, Price started for Boston on opening day at Cleveland and got the win. Over six innings, he allowed five hits and two runs. He fanned 10 and threw 103 pitches.

Price was the first pitcher to make his Boston debut with an opening day start since David Wells in 2005. Since the 1979 season, the only other to do that was Pedro Martinez in 1998. Price joined Martinez and Fergie Jenkins (1976) as the only pitchers to make their Sox debut with an opening day start after previously winning a Cy Young Award.

Price, the AL's ERA leader in 2012 and again last year, has averaged 217 innings and a 2.97 ERA per season dating back to 2010. The Orioles are now facing him with his third AL East team after he's pitched for the Rays and Blue Jays.

Last season, Price went 1-1 with an ERA of 1.29 in two starts versus the Orioles, fanning 20 over 14 innings. In 19 career starts against Baltimore, he is 8-4 with a 2.65 ERA.

AL team ERA leaders:
1.80 - Orioles
2.15 - Kansas City
2.39 - Oakland
3.06 - Chicago
3.17 - Seattle

The Orioles went 11-8 against Boston last season, including a 4-6 mark at Fenway Park, where they are 23-15 (.605) since 2012. Overall since 2012, the Orioles are 46-29 (.613) against Boston.

After going 2-for-9 over the first two games, Manny Machado is 7-for-12 his last three games with a double, three homers and four RBIs. The Orioles lineup currently features three of the top nine hitters in the American League: Mark Trumbo is second at .474 with Joey Rickard seventh at .444 and Machado ninth at .429.

The Red Sox are 3-2 after Sunday's 3-0 loss to Toronto when Marco Estrada pitched seven scoreless innings to beat them. Over their first four games, Boston had scored 28 runs and was averaging 10.8 hits per game.