Colorado @ Boston preview

Last Meeting ( May 25, 2016 ) Colorado 3, Boston 10

The Boston Red Sox offense keeps bashing its way through opposing pitching staffs and the Colorado Rockies seem helpless to stop it. The Red Sox will try to wrap up a three-game sweep and win for the 14th time in their last 16 home games when they host the Rockies in the finale of a three-game interleague series on Thursday.

Jackie Bradley Jr. went 2-for-4 on Wednesday to extend his hitting streak to 29 games and Xander Bogaerts pushed his own streak to 18 straight games with a homer in the fourth as Boston breezed to a 10-3 victory. The Red Sox have scored eight or more runs 10 times in the last 14 home games and piled up 18 in the first two games of the series against Colorado. The Rockies expected a tough trip with a nine-game stretch through St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Boston and dropped to 2-6 on the excursion with Wednesday’s loss. Colorado’s pitching staff allowed a total of 24 runs in the last three games after holding the Pirates and Cardinals to two or fewer runs in four of the first five games of the trip.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, ROOT (Colorado), NESN (Boston)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH Jon Gray (1-2, 6.75 ERA) vs. Red Sox RH Clay Buchholz (2-4, 5.92)

Gray was ripped for nine runs in 3 1/3 innings while walking three and surrendering eight hits at St. Louis last Thursday to suffer his second loss. The former No. 3 overall pick posted three straight quality starts before that dud, yielding a total of four runs in 20 innings. Gray is seeing Boston for the first time in his young career and is making his second career start against an American League opponent after facing Seattle in his major-league debut last season.

Buchholz could be pitching for his spot in the rotation with Eduardo Rodriguez (knee) nearing a return from the disabled list. Buchholz posted a quality start in just three of his first nine outings and was knocked around for four runs – three earned – on five hits and four walks over six innings in a loss to Cleveland on Friday. Buchholz is seeing Colorado for the first time and is 6-2 with a 4.34 ERA in 12 career interleague outings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia (tight right hamstring) and C Ryan Hanigan (illness) both left Wednesday's game and are day-to-day.

2. Colorado 3B Nolan Arenado is 1-for-16 in the last four games.

3. Boston will retire Hall of Famer Wade Boggs’ No. 26 prior to Thursday’s game.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 9, Rockies 7