Boston may hope the moment takes some of the heat off the offense. After showing up for the season opener, the Red Sox dropped their next three games to the Rangers to begin 1-3.
Rafael Devers has put up historic numbers to open the year — and not in a good way.
His 12 strikeouts are the most for any MLB player ever in the first four games of a season. His 10 Ks through three games were also a record.
Boston will hope its newly crowned designated hitter can get things going ahead of Friday’s home opener.
The Orioles split four games at Toronto, falling 3-1 in the series finale.
Baltimore’s offense is expected to be a strength, it just hasn’t been the case consistently. The Orioles have scored a total of three runs in their two losses.
“We had traffic, but we just didn’t get the big hit,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said of Sunday’s game.
Here’s your preview.
RED SOX (1-3): Duran LF, Devers DH, Bregman 3B, Refsnyder RF, Story SS, Campbell 2B, Gonzalez 1B, Wong C, Rafaela CF
Pitching: LHP Sean Newcomb
ORIOLES (2-2): Westburg 2B, Rutschman C, O’Neill LF, Mountcastle 1B, Kjerstad DH, Laureano RF, Mullins CF, Urias 3B, Holliday SS
Pitching: LHP Cade Povich
Time: 2:35 p.m.
TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7
Red Sox vs. Povich: Alex Bregman 0-3, Triston Casas 2-3, Rafael Devers 2-6, Jarren Duran 0-6, Romy González 1-5, Ceddanne Rafaela 1-4, Rob Refsnyder 3-5, Trevor Story 0-2, Connor Wong 0-4
Orioles vs. Newcomb: Jorge Mateo 0-1, Cedric Mullins 0-0, Ryan O’Hearn 1-1, Tyler O’Neill 0-2, Adley Rutschman 0-0
Stat of the day: Boston is 1 for 24 with runners in scoring position in its last two games.
Notes: Both teams will have starting pitchers in first-time situations Monday. Lefthander Cade Povich (3-9, 5.20 ERA in 2024) will head to the mound for the Orioles, beginning a season in the major leagues for the first time. He made his MLB debut last June. “To be in the rotation with this team is an honor in itself,” Povich said, pointing out that throwing the first pitch of the season in Baltimore is another special distinction. “I’m super excited.” … On the other side, it will be the Red Sox debut for left-hander Newcomb. Newcomb (1-0, 6.30 ERA in 2024 with Oakland) was signed in January to a minor league deal, but he was so solid during spring training that he earned a spot in the rotation. … In his career, Newcomb has appeared in two games against Baltimore, covering 8 ⅓ innings. He has a 2.16 ERA in those outings without a decision. … Povich faced the Red Sox twice last season, and he was tagged with losses both times. His first outing against Boston lasted 6 ⅓ innings, giving up two runs. He was dinged for four runs in 4 ⅔ innings in the September rematch. He struck out 11 batters in those 11 total innings. … The Orioles had some injury concerns coming out of Toronto. That included an injured left thumb suffered by Colton Cowser. … Infielder Jordan Westburg was available for Baltimore, but Hyde said he wanted to give him another day off. … There will be a transition for the Orioles after playing four straight games on artificial turf in Toronto. … Monday’s game time has been moved up 30 minutes (to 2:35 p.m.) because of a forecast for rain later in the day.
Katie McInerney can be reached at katie.mcinerney@globe.com. Follow her @k8tmac.
