FINAL: Orioles 11, Red Sox 2 - Tanner Houck hit hard late in loss; bullpen worse

WHO: Orioles (88-51) at Red Sox (72-68)
WHEN: 7:10 p.m. 
WHERE: Fenway Park, Boston. 
SERIES TO DATE: Series tied, 3-3. 
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Kyle Bradish (10-6, 3.03 ERA) vs. RHP Tanner Houck (4-8, 5.07 ERA) 
TV/RADIO: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7

LIVE BOX

LINEUP

RED SOX

Verdugo RF
Devers 3B 
Turner DH 
Casas 1B
Duvall RF
Yoshida LF 
Story SS
Valdez 2B
Wong C
Houck SP

ORIOLES 

Rutschman C
Henderson SS
Santander RF
O'Hearn DH 
Mountcastle 1B
Mullins CF
Hays LF
Frazier 2B
Urías 3B
Bradish SP 

PRE-GAME NOTES 

OF Alex Verdugo (hamstring) returns to right field and the leadoff spot after missing the Tampa series. Enmanuel Valdez makes his fifth start at second base over the previous six games (5-12, 1 HR). 

IF Pablo Reyes (elbow) will make his first rehab start batting second and playing second base for Triple-A Worcester against the Gwinnett Stripers in Georgia at 7:05. SP Corey Kluber (shoulder), out since June and originally scheduled to make a rehab start tonight, will pitch tomorrow instead due to travel issues. Hope remains that he can rejoin the Red Sox before the season ends. Boston intends to pitch him in relief upon his return. 

RP Zack Kelly (elbow) is nearing a return after missing nearly the entirety of the season with an injury suffered on Apr. 12. 

Boston enters this series trailing trailing in the AL wild card race by 4.5 games behind Texas and 5.0 behind Toronto. The Rangers host Oakland and the Blue Jays face the Royals for three games this weekend. 

WHAT'S UP 

The Red Sox have lost back-to-back games following their 3-game winning streak...They’re 3-7 in their last 10 games after going 12-7 in their previous 19...At 72-68 (.514), Boston is tied with the Miami Marlins for MLB’s 14th-best record...The Red Sox and Orioles will meet for the 1st time since April...The Sox won a season-opening 3-game series at Fenway Park (2-1) from 3/30-4/2, then lost a 3-game series at Camden Yards (1-2) from 4/24-26...BOS has 7 games left vs. BAL, ending the regular season with a 4-game series at Camden Yards (9/28-10/1)... The Sox are 8-4 in their last 12 games against the Orioles, beginning 9/10/2022...They’ve won 3 of their 4 series vs. BAL in that span...The Red Sox tonight begin a 3-game series vs. BAL (88-51, 1st in AL), after playing 3 games at TB (85-56, 2nd in AL) from Monday-Wednesday...19 of the Sox’ remaining 22 games will be against teams that currently have record of .500 or better (BAL-7, NYY-4, TEX-3, TOR-3, TB-2)...BOS is 45-42 against teams with a current record of .500 or better, and 27-26 against teams below .500...Tanner Houck is the Red Sox’ nominee for the 2023 Roberto Clemente Award, recognizing the player who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions both on and off the field...Rafael Devers recorded his 395th career XBH on Wednesday at TB, breaking a tie with Mookie Betts for the most by a Red Sox player prior to turning 27, and 22nd most overall in Red Sox history (see table on the right)...Devers is 1 HR shy of his 3rd career 30-HR season (32 in 2019, 38 in 2021)...He’d join Ted Williams and Jim Rice as the only Red Sox players with three 30-HR seasons prior to turning 27...Triston Casas is on a career-long 13-game hitting streak, slashing .396/.491/.667 with 12 RBI during that span (19-for-48, 9 R, 4 2B, 3 HR, 9 BB)...He owns the 3rd-longest active streak in the AL, trailing Teoscar Hernández (16) and Luis Rengifo (14)...In his last 5 starts, RHP Tanner Houck has posted a 4.13 ERA (11 ER/24.0 IP)...Began the season 3-0 in his first 4 starts, but is 1-8 in his last 12...Has recieved 2 runs or fewer of support in 9 of those 12 games...Has pitched at least 5.0 innings in 12 of his 16 starts this season...Has allowed 3 ER or fewer in 31 of his 36 career starts...Is 3-2 with a 3.28 ERA (9 ER/24.2 IP) in 7 games (3 starts) against BAL...Opponents have hit .208 against him the 1st time through the order this season, .291 the 2nd time, and .259 the 3rd and 4th time...Has allowed only 1 HR to his last 348 RHH faced (Gleyber Torres on 6/10/23)...Since the start of 2022, owns MLB’s lowest opponent SLG vs. RHH (.253; min. 300 PA)...