Baltimore Orioles (36-48) @ Boston Red Sox (51-35)
Jake Arrieta (9-5, 4.74) @ Andrew Miller (2-0, 3.06)
7:10PM EDT | Fenway Park (Boston, MA)
TV: NESN, MLBN RADIO: WEEI 850, WWZN 1510

GAME NOTES

The Red Sox have not played the Orioles since May 16th. (They should have played the 17th, but the game was rained out.) So much has changed since that day.  After beating the Orioles 8-7 on May 16th, the Red Sox finally went above .500 for the season at 21-20, 3 games behind the AL East leading Rays.  The Orioles were at 19-21, in last place in the AL East but only 4.5 games behind the Rays.  Since that day the Red Sox have gone 30-15, the second best record in MLB, only 0.5 game behind the Yankees.  The Orioles meanwhile have gone 17-27 since May 16th, 6th worst in MLB.  The Red Sox are currently in second, 0.5 behind the Yankees while the Orioles are in last 14.5 back.  Starting tonight, the Red Sox and Orioles will meet 14 times over the rest of the season.

 

INJURY REPORT

Baltimore: Brian Roberts, concussion (Placed on the 7-day DL 5/21); Luke Scott, torn right labrum,  (Placed on the 15-day DL 7/5)

Boston: Clay Buchholz, lower back strain (Placed on the 15-day DL on June 19, retroactive to June 17); Carl Crawford, strained left hamstring (Placed on the 15-day DL June 18, scheduled to begin rehab 7/15); Jon Lester, strained left latissimus (placed on the 15-day DL July 6); Jed Lowrie, right shoulder injury (Placed on the 15-day DL on June 17)


PLAYER OF THE DAY

July 7th, 7/7. I think of the number 7 and and the Red Sox, I think of two guys and one position: Trot Nixon, J.D. Drew, and right field.  Prior to Trot Nixon, who was the last Red Sox right fielder to wear the number 7? Mike Easler in 1985.  Easler only played two games in right field in his Red Sox career and only 81 over a 14-year career spent with the Astros, Angels, Pirates, Red Sox, Yankees and Phillies.  Easler had 3 fielding chances in those two games (18 innings) and recorded 3 putouts.  Easler played 480 of his 1151 career games in left field and 412 at designated hitter, but also spent time at first base.  At the plate Easler hit .293/.349/.454.  His best season came in Boston in 1984 when he hit .313/.376/.516 with 27 HRs and 91 RBIs.  126 of his 156 games that season were played as the designated hitter.

 

Line-ups will be posted in the comment when they are available, feel free to add them if they aren’t there.