Boston @ Baltimore preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 26, 2011 ) Boston 3, Baltimore 6

THE STORY: Here’s what it’s come down to for the fading Boston Red Sox. With their season on the line, the Red Sox will send Erik Bedard to the mound Tuesday night in an effort to stave off one of the biggest collapses in baseball history. Boston’s staggering spiral continued with a 6-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night, a defeat that set a franchise record for losses in September (19) and dropped the Red Sox into a tie with Tampa Bay for the AL wild-card lead with only two games to play. Now Boston must pin its hopes on Bedard, who will be starting for the second time in 3 ½ weeks in Baltimore on Tuesday night.

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

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH Erik Bedard (5-9, 3.50 ERA) vs. Orioles LH Zach Britton (11-10, 4.44 ERA).

Bedard has made only one start since Sept. 3 – which was also his last win – after recovering from a strained lat muscle, and it came against Baltimore on Sept. 20. He lasted 2 2/3 innings and allowed four runs (one earned) and five hits. He is 1-2 in seven starts since joining Boston at the trade deadline and has not pitched beyond six innings. In four career starts against the Orioles, he’s 1-0 with a 2.79 ERA.

Britton had one of his worst outings of the year against Boston in July, when he was shelled for eight runs in two-thirds of an inning. The rookie is 5-1 in his last seven starts, but he has pitched only five innings in three of his last four outings and surrendered 13 runs in those three starts. He has given up only 10 homers this season, including one in his last nine starts.

ABOUT THE RED SOX (89-71): Boston left the momentum from Sunday’s pulsating win over the Yankees somewhere along I-95 between New York and Baltimore. The Red Sox had a chance to break open Monday’s game early, but stranded 12 runners in losing to the Orioles for the fourth time in eight days. Jacoby Ellsbury extended his hitting streak to 11 and has four straight multi-hit games. Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz and J.D. Drew also had two hits apiece. The Red Sox may be without their top two catchers Tuesday. Jarrod Saltalamacchia took a foul tip off the collarbone and had to come out of Monday’s game, and Jason Varitek suffered a badly bruised knee Sunday.

ABOUT THE ORIOLES (68-92): Second baseman Robert Andino continued to torment the Red Sox, delivering the first inside-the-park homer by an Orioles player in the history of Camden Yards on Monday night. The three-run blast gave Andino eight RBIs in a five-game hitting streak against the Red Sox since Sept. 19. He’s also scored a run in each of those games. Vlad Guerrero became the all-time hits leader for a Dominican-born player, collecting No. 2,587 to surpass Julio Franco. Catcher Matt Wieters belted a conventional homer, a solo shot for his 21st of the season. That’s one more than he hit in his first two major league seasons combined.

FINAL PITCH: “There’s not much to say. We need to come out and win tomorrow. We’ve backed ourselves about as far as we can go.” – Red Sox manager Terry Francona after Monday’s loss, the team’s 19th in 25 games this month.