Orioles Look To Sweep The Sox, Extend Winning Streak
(AP) -- One week after a five-game losing streak dropped Baltimore into a tie for last place with Boston, strong pitching has helped reverse those results.
The Orioles haven't often been able to count on Chris Tillman to extend such trends, though the right-hander has had plenty of success against the Red Sox, who he'll face Thursday night as his club seeks a home sweep and its top winning streak of the year.
Baltimore (28-30) is seeking a fourth straight victory and sixth in seven games after Wednesday's 5-2 win. The staff has a 2.07 ERA with a .204 opponent batting average over the last seven, but manager Buck Showalter says some of that has to do with solid defense.
"It can be a real momentum swing against another team when you center some balls up and they stay in the park and you still get outs," said Showalter, whose team has committed an MLB-low two errors in 18 games.
The Orioles have won four straight in the series, all in Baltimore, and are seeking their first sweep of the season, while the Red Sox are trying to avoid their third.
Boston (27-33) has dropped five straight on the road and nine of 10. It last dropped six straight away games during an eight-game slide to end 2012.
David Ortiz was out of the lineup Wednesday because he's struggled against left-handers, but he hasn't been great against Tillman at 6 for 30. Xander Bogaerts (2 for 15) has also struggled, but Brock Holt is 5 for 8.
Tillman (3-7, 5.61 ERA) ended a seven-start winless streak in Friday's 5-2 victory at Cleveland, but he has a long way to go to turn his season around. Tillman gave up two runs and six hits in 6 1-3 innings after a 0-6 stretch with a 6.10 ERA, and his season ERA is his worst through 11 starts since he completed 2010 with a 5.87 mark in that many outings.
Before the prolonged struggles began, he held the Red Sox to a run and six hits in 5 1-3 innings of a 4-1 victory April 18, improving to 8-3 with a 2.63 ERA in 17 starts against them. He's won his last three starts in the series, and dating to the beginning of last year, he's 4-1 with a 2.43 ERA in six.
The Red Sox counter with Wade Miley (5-5, 4.67), who has been strong over the past month with a 4-1 record and 2.73 ERA in five starts after beginning his first season in Boston by going 1-4 with a 6.91 ERA over his first six.
The left-hander held Oakland to two runs and six hits in 7 1-3 innings of Friday's 4-2 home win, and he's gone at least seven innings in three of his last four starts.
"Setting aside (an 8-0 loss in Texas on May 30), he came back out, rebounded, and he's pitching extremely well," Red Sox manager John Farrell told MLB's official website. "We're able to play very good defense behind him, particularly in the infield, and I think a lot of that has to do with the pace in which he works."
One of his worst starts came during an 18-7 loss in Baltimore on April 26 in which he allowed seven runs - six earned - and five hits with two walks in 2 1-3 innings. He took the loss and dropped to 0-1 with a 9.64 ERA in two starts against the Orioles.
