Game Preview: Sox @ Baltimore

Lester (3-0, 5.26) vs. Cabrera (9-14, 5.06)
Camden Yards 705

The Sox will send another young hurler to the hill in hopes of defeating the fading-yet-still-fighting Orioles when Jon Lester tries to keep his unbeaten streak alive tonight at Camden Yards.

But for some reason putting this forgettable flock of floundering foul out of its misery for has proved to be a somewhat difficult task for the best team in baseball.

Even with a 10-0 no-hitter and a 13-4 early April beatdown thrown in, most of the games between these two teams have been close.

And with a couple of erratic young pitchers starting tonight, another barn burner is entirely possible.

Although Lester does boast an undefeated record in seven starts this season, he has allowed at least six hits and four earned runs in four of those starts, and throw in a couple of four-walk outings and you end up with a lot of baserunners and a high ERA.

Last time out though Lester got healthy against these very Birds, tossing six innings of two-run ball and helped his team hang in for a 3-2 win last Sunday, a.k.a the day after the no-no.

Baltimore starter Cabrera has been an enimga for his entire brief career. Possessed with a live arm and lanky body, the 26-year-old Dominican righty has been more wild than a spoiled hotel heiress and despite his massive talent has a career record of 40-45 and an ERA approaching 5.00.

So you have two young starters with high ERAs and a tendancy to be with, and with Millar attempting to blast off every at bat against his old mates, pesky Markakis and Roberts lingering around every corner and a stadium half full of Sox fans pissing off what few loyal Oriole fans there are left in Camden, this game scares me.

But something tells me the starters might be long gone when this one is decided, and hopefully tonight the Sox bully will be able to come through and prove they don't have to rely on Papelbon to get them through every game.

Just as long as Gagne's still out. We all remember what happened last time he was here.

Go Sox!