Jimenez, O’s struggle to hold down Red Sox
Boston has dominated the first two tilts of its critical four-game series against Baltimore. Will the host squad be able to provide any more resistance this evening?
Oddsmakers have their reservations. According to online sports book Bovada.lv, the Red Sox are favorites to pick up victory No. 7 in a row. Conversely, the Orioles represent +101 underdogs. The over/under run figure sits at 9.5.
Buck Showalter’s bunch seems overwhelmed at the moment, and David Ortiz is causing a considerable number of the problems. Boston’s designated hitter boasts a .358 batting average with five homers and 19 RBIs so far this month. In his swan-song season, Big Papi also paces the majors in slugging percentage and OPS.
Ubaldo Jimenez draws the unenviable task of neutralizing Ortiz in a few hours. After an ugly start to the campaign, the former All-Star’s been rock-solid in place of the injured Chris Tillman over the last few weeks. Jimenez owns a 2-2 record with a sub-3.70 ERA since the All-Star break.
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On the other side, veteran Clay Buchholz draws the assignment. Most recently, he held the Yankees to two runs on seven hits in six innings. The righty typically fares quite well against the O’s, too, having gone 10-7 with a 3.90 ERA in 22 career meetings.
We’ve taken note of Jimenez’s rather remarkable turnaround, and Baltimore desperately needs him to flash that vintage form again shortly. Look for the Orioles to figure out a way to improve to 48-29 in Charm City. After all, their playoff livelihood could very well depend on it.
WEDNESDAY MLB FREE PICK: RED SOX/ORIOLES OVER 9.5 RUNS