Orioles at Red Sox
The four-game series between the visiting Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox - which continues with the third game Saturday night at Fenway Park - is allowing two of the game's top hitters to take center stage. Baltimore's Manny Machado had three of his team's 10 hits in Friday's 7-4 win and has four RBIs through the first two games of the series - 15 over his last eight contests.
Meanwhile, Boston's Mookie Betts homered among three hits for the hosts, raising the best average in the majors to .371 and tying Machado for the lead in home runs at 14. Machado had a bit more help Friday when the Orioles evened the series at a game apiece, as Jonathan Schoop also went deep and Adam Jones was 2-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored. The result allowed Baltimore to snap a seven-game losing streak against its American League East rivals, their longest slide in the series since 2009-10. The Red Sox will try to bounce back with Rick Porcello on the mound Saturday opposite fellow right-hander Dylan Bundy.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, MASN2 (Baltimore), NESN (Boston)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Orioles RH Dylan Bundy (2-5, 4.53 ERA) vs. Red Sox RH Rick Porcello (5-1, 3.28)
Bundy recovered from an atrocious outing two turns ago (seven runs allowed, no outs recorded) with seven scoreless frames and a win against Tampa Bay on Sunday. He kept the ball in the park after giving up nine home runs over his previous three starts. The 25-year-old gave up one earned run in 5 2/3 innings at Fenway Park on April 15 and has a 3.18 ERA in seven career games (four starts) in Boston.
Porcello was 5-0 with a 2.14 ERA through his first seven starts, but he's given up 10 total runs over his last two outings while going 0-1. The former Cy Young Award winner lost all three of his starts against Baltimore last year while giving up 16 runs (nine earned) in 16 2/3 innings. Machado is 12-for-36 with two home runs and Mark Trumbo is 10-for-34 with four long balls against Porcello.
WALK-OFFS
1. Betts has multiple hits in seven of his last nine games.
2. Schoop also drew two walks in the 7-4 win Friday after recording a total of two in his first 23 contests this season.
3. Red Sox CF Jackie Bradley Jr. struck out in his only two at-bats Friday to see his average fall to .164 in 37 games.