O's game blog: O's host Boston to start final homestand

The Orioles are not officially a spoiler yet - their wild card hope is still mathematically possible - but they could make life more difficult for the AL East leading Boston Red Sox the next three nights at Camden Yards.

Boston leads the division by three games over New York, but the Red Sox have not won a series against the Orioles this year. The Orioles lead the season series 10 wins to six. The clubs have split a series of two games and two series of four games each. The Orioles won a three-game series two games to one and swept three straight from Boston Aug. 25-27 at Fenway Park. When the Orioles swept that series, they beat a hot Boston team - one that had gone 16-5 the previous 21 games.

But then the Red Sox lost three games in a row to the Orioles and were outscored 25-4 and outhit 36-18 in the Baltimore sweep. O's starters pitched to a 1.37 ERA, allowing three earned runs over 19 2/3 innings. In the three games, Boston batters went 1-for-23 with runners in scoring position (.043) while the Orioles went 13-for-28 (.464).

Orioles right-hander Dylan Bundy (13-9, 4.03 ERA) tonight makes his 28th start. Tuesday at Toronto he allowed one run over six innings. Over his last seven starts, Bundy is 4-1 with a 2.74 ERA and .194 batting average against. In 46 innings, he has walked 11 and fanned 58.

Bundy has 19 quality starts and that is tied for the 10th most in the majors. The Orioles are 16-11 in his 27 games. Bundy will be making his fifth start against the Red Sox this season, his 12th career appearance and eighth start. He has gone 3-4 with a 4.30 ERA in his career and this season, Bundy is 2-2 with a 2.49 ERA versus the Red Sox.

Right-hander Doug Fister (5-8, 4.40 ERA) will make his 16th appearance and 13th start for the Red Sox. Over his last five starts, he is 3-2 with a 2.91 ERA. On Aug. 27 at Camden Yards he took a loss despite allowing just two runs in seven innings to the Orioles. In 10 career games (nine starts), he is 4-3 with a 4.24 ERA versus Baltimore.

Orioles closer Zach Britton earned a four-out save in Sunday's win over New York. Britton has now thrown 24 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings against the Yankees. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it marks the longest current streak against New York and the longest streak since Britt Burns of the Chicago White Sox had 31 scoreless against the Yankees spanning 1981-82. The Yankees last scored a run off Britton over three years ago on Aug. 13, 2014.

O's second baseman Jonathan Schoop ranks among AL leaders in several offensive categories. He ranks 10th in batting average (.300) and second with 104 RBIs. His 32 home runs and 65 extra-base hits are tied for ninth. Schoop's 172 hits rank fifth and his .525 slugging percentage is 11th.