Opposite dugout: Pitching will decide Orioles-Red Sox series for division lead

Manager: John Farrell (4th season)

Record: 36-26

Last 10 games: 4-6

Who to watch: DH David Ortiz (.340/.423/.708 with 16 HR, 55 RBIs), SS Xander Bogaerts (.359/.405/.527 with 44 RBIs), CF Jackie Bradley Jr. (.311 with 10 HR, 43 RBIs), RHP Steven Wright (7-4, 2.09 ERA), RHP Craig Kimbrel (2.31 ERA with 14 saves)

Season series vs. Orioles: 3-4

Pitching probables:

June 10: RHP Chris Tillman vs. LHP David Price, 7:10 p.m., MASN2
June 11: RHP Tyler Wilson vs. RHP Steven Wright, 7:10 p.m., MASN2
June 12: RHP Kevin Gausman vs. LHP Eduardo Rodriguez, 7:10 p.m., MASN

Inside the Red Sox:

Two weeks ago, two of the best offenses in the majors battled for first place in the American League East at Camden Yards. Starting tonight, the same two offenses go for the same division lead, this time at Fenway Park, as the Red Sox welcome the Orioles. The O's boast the best longball offense, having hit a major league-best 99 home runs. But the Red Sox have the best all-around offense in baseball.

Boston's 369 runs, 648 hits, 352 RBIs and .291/.357/.483 slash line lead the major leagues. Designated hitter David Ortiz is having a season that will make Red Sox fans beg him for one more year after this farewell campaign. He leads the majors with 55 RBIs, is tied for seventh with 16 home runs and is fourth with a .340 average. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts' .359 average leads the AL, while he also has 44 RBIs. Right fielder Mookie Betts' 47 RBIs are fifth-best in the league. Orioles fans will remember Betts had a pair of multi-home run games in the last series in Baltimore, including a three-homer barrage.

The Red Sox are coming off a five-game stretch in which they hit five home runs and went 3-2. The Orioles are coming off a four-game series in Toronto in which they hit 12 home runs but went 1-3. So with offense galore, pitching must be the difference-maker. The Sox staff had a 2.58 ERA over those five games, compared to the O's 7.68 ERA over four games.

Tonight's opener puts to the two staffs' aces against each other, as left-hander David Price faces the O's Chris Tillman. Price is 7-3 with a 4.63 ERA, but has lost two starts in a row. In his last outing, he pitched an eight-inning complete game in a 2-1 loss to the Giants. Price pitched just five innings, giving up five runs on five hits while striking out eight and getting a no-decision in his only start against the Orioles this season. Knuckleballer Steven Wright is in the midst of four-start winning streak, which includes a complete-game victory over the Birds. Wright stifled the Orioles at Camden Yards, giving up just two runs on four hits and striking out seven. Lefty Eduardo Rodriguez, 23, will start the series finale sporting a 1-1 record and 6.06 ERA. Rodriguez made his season debut against the Orioles on May 31 and got the win, thanks in part to Betts' three-homer night. But Rodriguez held his own, throwing six innings of two-run ball. His ERA has inflated over his last two starts, however, giving up up five and four runs, respectively, in less than six innings each.

The Red Sox and Orioles split the four-game series two weeks ago, with Boston winning the first two. In that series, the Red Sox scored 29 runs with 13 home runs, while the Orioles scored 29 runs with seven home runs. With all the offense and the two teams tied atop the AL East, whichever pitching staff keeps the ball in the park will take the division lead by the end of the week.