Baltimore @ Boston preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 20, 2014 ) Baltimore 5, Boston 6

Patriots Day is always big in Boston but Monday’s game between the Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles will be extra intense when the teams wrap up a four-game series. In addition to baseball, the Boston Marathon will be run and the recent one-year anniversary of the deadly bombings will be on the minds of everybody. “I think it’s going to be very emotional,” Boston’s David Ortiz told reporters. “There’s going to be happiness around too, more than sadness because the way the city bounced back.”

Boston has won two of the three games in the series after overcoming a five-run deficit while posting a 6-5 victory on Sunday night. Jonny Gomes started the comeback with a three-run homer in the sixth and Baltimore aided the rally with three errors, including an errant throw by left fielder David Lough that allowed Dustin Pedroia to score the decisive run with two outs in the ninth. Adam Jones went 4-for-5 for the Orioles to raise his average to .435 in six games against the Red Sox this season while Nelson Cruz went deep and has hit all three of his homers and recorded eight of his 12 RBIs against Boston.

TV: 11:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, MASN (Baltimore), NESN (Boston)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Orioles LH Wei-Yin Chen (2-1, 4.76 ERA) vs. Red Sox RH Clay Buchholz (0-1, 5.51)

Chen is coming off his best outing of the season, giving up one run and five hits in 6 1/3 innings while defeating Tampa Bay. He lost to the Red Sox on April 3 when he allowed four runs and 12 hits in 5 2/3 innings. Chen is 2-3 with a 5.24 ERA in eight career starts against Boston.

Buchholz has allowed 26 hits in 16 1/3 innings as opponents have touched him up for a .351 average. He took a no-decision against the Chicago White Sox in his last outing when he gave up three runs (two earned) and six hits in six innings. Buchholz is 9-3 with a 3.40 ERA in 16 career appearances (15 starts) against Baltimore, including three of his four shutouts and a no-hitter in his second career start.

WALK-OFFS

1. Red Sox OF Grady Sizemore is 1-for-13 in the series and just 1-for-22 over his last six games.

2. Orioles SS J.J. Hardy, who is questionable with a hamstring injury suffered Sunday, is batting .368 with two homers against Buchholz while Jones (27 at-bats) and 1B Chris Davis (18 at-bats) have also taken Buchholz deep twice.

3. Boston 2B Dustin Pedroia is 11-for-22 against Chen with four doubles and one triple and Ortiz is 5-for-13 with a homer.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 6, Orioles 3