Boston @ Baltimore preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 16, 2016 ) Baltimore 5, Boston 1

The Boston Red Sox will play their third game in three different cities in as many days when they visit the Baltimore Orioles for the opener of a key two-game series on Tuesday. The Red Sox finished up a home sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday afternoon and began an 11-game road trip with their fourth consecutive win in a makeup game at Cleveland on Monday.

Boston will hit Detroit on Thursday, making it four cities in five days, as it clings to the second American League wild card and tries to keep pace with the Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East. The Red Sox have been tinkering with the lineup of late to try to jumpstart David Ortiz and moved red-hot Mookie Betts into the cleanup spot between the veteran slugger and Jackie Bradley Jr. on Monday, leading to key home runs from both Ortiz and Bradley in the 3-2 win over the Indians. Baltimore is happy to be home following a 5-5 road trip that finished on the west coast and sits one game ahead of Boston in the AL East standings. The Orioles ended the trip on a high note, battling back from a six-run deficit in the final three innings to earn an 8-7 win at San Francisco behind a 5-for-5 effort from Matt Wieters.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, NESN (Boston), MASN (Baltimore)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH Eduardo Rodriguez (2-5, 5.43 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Yovani Gallardo (4-4, 5.17)

Rodriguez is winless in his last five starts despite allowing three earned runs or fewer in each of those turns. The Venezuela native is coming off the best start in that bunch after allowing one run and three hits in seven innings without factoring in the decision against the New York Yankees on Thursday. Rodriguez was knocked around for five runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings of a loss to Baltimore on June 16 and is 1-3 with a 4.97 ERA in five starts against the Orioles in his young career.

Gallardo suffered a similar fate to Rodriguez in his last outing, absorbing a loss at Oakland on Wednesday despite surrendering one run in six innings. The Mexico native allowed two or fewer runs in three of his last four starts. Gallardo started at Boston on April 11 and was knocked around for five runs in as many innings to fall to 2-2 with a 5.26 ERA in five career starts against the Red Sox.

WALK-OFFS

1. Orioles RF Mark Trumbo homered in three of the last four games to boost his league-leading total to 34.

2. Boston 2B Dustin Pedroia is 15-for-31 during a seven-game hitting streak.

3. Betts has hit safely in 14 of his last 15 games to push his batting average to .313.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 7, Orioles 3