Boston @ Baltimore preview
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Last Meeting ( Jun 4, 2010 ) Boston 11, Baltimore 0
Different manager, same result.
The Baltimore Orioles fired manager Dave Trembley on Friday. His replacement, Juan Samuel, had no magic tricks up his sleeve as the Orioles were pounded by the Boston Red Sox, 11-0, at Camden Yards later the same day.
The team's former third base coach, Samuel searches for his first win as the two teams meet again Saturday night.
Trembley had little success with the Orioles. Handcuffed by tight purse strings in baseball's toughest division, Baltimore has suffered through 12 straight losing seasons.
Trembley was the second manager to be fired this season. Trey Hillman was booted by the Kansas City Royals in early May.
This season, the Orioles have the worst record in the majors and are currently riding a nine-game losing streak. Baltimore limped to a 2-16 start, the second worst in club history, and it has never recovered.
Trembley compiled a 187-283 record with the Orioles. Baltimore team president Andy MacPhail said he hoped the managerial change would ignite the team or at least change its mood.
Samuel takes over on an interim basis. He played 16 years in the majors and was a three-time All-Star. He managed one season with Binghamton in the Eastern League and served as coach for the Detroit Tigers for seven seasons.
Things won't get much easier for the Orioles on Saturday as Boston's Jon Lester makes the start.
Lester has won six straight decisions and was named the AL's Pitcher of the Month of May when he went 5-0 and allowed just 24 hits in 44 innings.
He and Clay Buchholz have become a potent one-two punch at the top of the rotation for the Red Sox lately. On Friday, Buchholz pitched a five-hit shutout against Baltimore and Boston pounded out 16 hits on the way to the easy victory.
The Red Sox scored three runs in the top of the first and belted three home runs in the game. In the past two games Boston has 34 hits and six homers.
Jeremy Guthrie (3-5) makes the start for Baltimore. Guthrie has pitched better than his record would indicate. He leads the team's starters with a 3.84 ERA and has won three of his last four starts.
Guthrie, however, is just 1-5 lifetime against the Red Sox.
Injuries have also hindered the Orioles. Currently six players are on the disabled list including sparkplug second baseman Brian Roberts and projected closer Mike Gonzalez.
Felix Pie is also on the 60-day disabled list. Baltimore had hopes that Pie could inject energy into the top of its lineup.