O's game blog: Mike Wright on the mound in Game 3 against Boston

The Orioles will need to beat Boston the next two nights at Camden Yards to split this four-game series with the American League East leaders. At 32-20, Boston has opened a three-game lead atop the division over the Orioles, who have a 28-22 record 50 games into the 2016 season.

The Orioles' current win percentage of .560, if maintained over 162 games, would produce a final record of 91-71. Boston is on a 100-win pace. While the Red Sox are 24-11 since starting the season 8-9, the Orioles have lost seven of nine and 10 of their last 15 games. The O's are 9-7 in AL East games and Boston is 13-11.

Boston shortstop Xander Bogaerts takes a 24-game hitting streak into this game. He is batting .393 during the streak, and is 3-for-9 this series with two doubles and two RBIs.

On the mound tonight, Orioles right-hander Mike Wright (2-3, 5.05 ERA) pitches against Boston right-hander Joe Kelly (2-0, 6.30 ERA). Wright has recorded three quality starts in eight starting assignments and the Orioles are 5-3 in those games. In five home games, he is 1-2 with a 4.32 ERA.

Wright's first start of this season came against the Red Sox and he got the win, allowing five hits and four runs over five innings, throwing 96 pitches. In two career starts versus Boston, he is 1-1 with an ERA of 11.25.

Kelly has made five starts this year, and in two of them against Toronto, he allowed 12 earned runs over 7 2/3 innings. In his other three starts, he has an ERA of 1.46. He beat the Orioles April 13, going five innings, and givng up seven hits and two runs. In six career starts versus Baltimore, he is 2-2 with a 5.10 ERA.

The Orioles are 2-3 against Boston this season and 48-32 since the start of the 2012 season. Coming into this series the Orioles were 7-1 in their last eight home games against the Red Sox, but they were outscored 13-4 in losing the last two nights.

Orioles month-by-month comparison:

April: 14-9 record, .273 batting average, .796 OPS, 4.70 runs/game, 3.63 team ERA.
May: 14-13 record, .242 batting average, .725 OPS, 4.07 runs/game, 4.15 team ERA.