The Baltimore Orioles are clinging to their playoff lives. They’ve dropped five straight games and sit three games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the final Wild Card spot, with two teams between them. With just 19 games remaining, they’ll need to turn things around in a hurry to sneak into the final spot.
Unfortunately for Baltimore, they have an opponent with added motivation. After Blaze Alexander’s questionable slide and subsequent hyping of the crowd on Friday, the Red Sox weren’t happy. Last night, Isaiah Kiner-Falefa mocked Alexander’s slide, and Sonny Gray said they wanted to “bury” the Orioles. If last night wasn’t the final nail in the coffin for Baltimore, a sixth straight loss could be.
Payton Tolle goes for the Red Sox, who went 5.2 against the Seattle Mariners last Monday. He looked fatigued throughout the start, so the extra rest is very welcome for Tolle. The team has an off day each week to finish the season, making the pitching management much simpler. The Orioles will throw Kyle Bradish. He held the Sox to one run over six innings back in July, but has a 5.71 ERA over his seven starts since then.
In roster news Ceddanne Rafaela went on the injured list retroactive to September 3rd with a quad sprain, while Nate Eaton was recalled to take his place. Eli White gets his fourth straight start in center field today.
We’re still 3.5 games behind the Yankees, but dates with the Angels and Royals on the horizon represent a chance to stack wins and gain ground if New York scuffles. Taking care of the O’s is up first, though, at 1:35 PM EST on NESN and WEEI.
