Weekend preview: Red Sox at Orioles

Game Preview Boston (86-59) at Orioles (60-86) After splitting a four-game series with Tampa Bay, the Orioles welcome Boston to town tonight to start a three-game series at 7:05 p.m. It's the last series of the year between the teams. Jeremy Guthrie (10-14, 5.06) will pitch for the Birds vs. Boston's Clay Buchholz (5-3, 3.66). The Orioles are 2-2 on this homestand and 36-39 at home on the year with six Camden Yards contests remaining. The O's were shutout 3-0 Thursday as Tampa's Wade Davis pitched a four-hit shutout in just his third Major League start. Davis fanned ten, throwing 124 pitches. The O's were shutout for the 9th time this year. They are 6-2 in games following a shutout. They have been shutout three times this year by Boston. The O's are 4-3 over the last seven games and 6-5 over the past 11. They are 12-14 since August 20th. The O's bullpen has worked to an ERA of 1.69 over the last three games, but an ERA of 6.64 over the past 19 contests. The Orioles are 20-39 vs. AL East opponents and are 14-16 at home vs. Eastern foes. The Red Sox had a seven-game win streak and ten-game home win streak snapped Thursday with a 4-3 loss vs. Los Angeles. Boston completed a homestand with a 7-1 record. The Red Sox lead Texas by six games in the wild-card race and have a magic number of 12 to clinch a playoff berth. The Red Sox, who are starting a ten-game road trip tonight, are 24-11 since August 10th, best record in the Majors in that time. Over the last ten games, Sox starters are 5-1, 1.79. Boston's team ERA was 1.68 during its win streak. Jason Bay and Jacoby Ellsbury homered yesterday for Boston. The Sox have hit at least one homer in 24 of the last 31 games, hitting 50 total in that time. The season series The Orioles are 2-13 on the year vs. Boston, including a mark of 1-5 at home and 1-8 at Fenway Park. The O's have been out-scored 107-59 by the Sox. The Orioles have lost 16 of the last 18 and 20 of 23 vs. Boston since July 12, 2008. Since the beginning of the 2005 season, the O's are just 25-62 vs. Boston. The Orioles have lost ten straight series to the Sox, since taking two straight at Camden Yards on May 13-14, 2008. O's v. Sox, 2009: .256 avg, 59 runs, 9 HR, 7.05 ERA Sox vs. O's, 2009: .332 avg, 107 runs, 23 HR, 3.71 ERA O's hitters, 2009 vs. Boston: Andino: 7-25/0/0 Aubrey: 0-0 Fiorentino: 1-2/0/0 Izturis: 5-29/0/2 Markakis: 22-59/2/16 Moeller: 0-3/0/0 Mora: 3-27/0/1 Pie: 7-38/0/5 Reimold: 13-39/1/4 Roberts: 17-60/0/4 Rodriguez: 0-1 Scott: 11-43/1/3 Turner: 0-2/0/0 Wieters: 13-32/0/2 Wigginton: 15-49/2/6