Series Preview: Sox at Orioles

Red Sox (69-45) at Baltimore Orioles (52-61)
Standings: Sox up 6 on NYY, 16.5 on BAL

Season Series: Sox lead 6-2

Probable Pitching Matchups:
GM1 Fri 7:05 Matsuzaka (13-8, 3.70) vs. Bedard (12-4, 3.09)
GM2 Sat 3:55 Beckett (14-5,3.31) vs. Burres (5-5, 4.61)
GM3 Sun 1:35 Schilling (6-5, 4.31) vs. Trachsel (5-7, 4.88)

Keep an eye on: Eric Bedard 12-4, 3.09, 192Ks--the lanky lefty has quietly developed into one of the best starters in the league, and his recent hot stretch (8-0 in his last 9 starts) has put him in the top 10 in nearly every important pitching category in the AL.

Preview:
The Sox are back on the east Coast (thank god!) and will take on their division rival in a three game set this weekend before returning to Fenway for a much-needed 7 game homestand on Monday.

But just being back on the right coast (and you can take that two ways) and playing a lousy team doesn't ensure success for our struggling club.

In fact despite having its three aces lined up to pitch in a series for the first time since early June, this series will be a tough one for the Sox to win.

First off you have tonight's contest, which will feature two of the best pitchers in the AL and promises to be another pitchers duel that could be decided by one fluke play or one bad pitch.

Matsuzaka and Bedard are both hotter than the current heatwave sweeping the Northeast and only the lack of run support Dice-K has received (or not received) over the last few weeks has prevented him from having more wins than he has.

Bedard, meanwhile, merely leads the league in strikeouts, is 4th in ERA & WHIP (1.10) and hasn't lost since June 10th. This game promises to be a doozy.

After tonight the matchups definitely slant in Boston's favor as co-AL wins leader Beckett will face young lefty Brian Burres in Game 2, and Schill will oppose aging vet Steve Traschsel in the finale.

Burres did beat the Sox back in May but has lost 3 of his last 4 decisions and has allowed 28 hits and 19 earned runs in his last six starts for an 8.55 ERA. Decided advantage for Becks.

Schilling will be making his second start sice returning from the DL and although he pitched well enough to win in Anaheim, a boatload of boneheaded plays including a couple by him contributed to the loss, and no one knows how his hand will respond to the ball that nearly broke his finger in that fateful game.

Trachsel pitched well last time out against Boston, allowing just 1 run (none earned) and five hits in six innings on August 1st, but his bullpen let him down and he was saddled with an ND.

Bottom line is Boston is going to have to work hard to take two of three or (hopefully) sweep the series, and with Big Papi still nursing his achy shoulder and
likely to miss tonight's game, guys like Pedroia, Manny and Drew are going to have to step it up to help deflock the Birds before heading back home to face the putrid Rays.

Ironically despite the early start tonight I will be watching the game later this evening because I will be at the Pats/Bucs preseason game. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do!

Go Sox!