Orioles, Red Sox aim to build momentum, steady the course

The Baltimore Orioles might have taken a big step toward establishing the momentum that has been lacking over the past few weeks.

The Boston Red Sox had a chance to do the same but were stymied.

Those Wednesday finishes set up the teams for a meeting Thursday in Baltimore, where the American League East rivals will start a four-game series.

Baltimore snapped a two-game skid by defeating the visiting Washington Nationals 4-1 on Wednesday. Since the All-Star break, the Orioles are 13-12, with a two-steps-forward, two-steps-backward vibe surrounding them.

"It felt like a normal baseball game," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said about the win Wednesday. "We haven't played many of them. I felt like, where we pitched really well, we were solid defensively. ... That was more of what I'd like to see."

The Red Sox were going for a three-game sweep of the visiting Texas Rangers on Wednesday but fell 9-7 in 10 innings after leading 7-4 in the ninth.

"We are still learning," Boston manager Alex Cora said. "We're still growing as a group. That's not an excuse because we're better than that."

Boston pitchers allowed four home runs to the Rangers on Wednesday.

"You can talk about sloppiness," Cora said. "We have to keep the ball in the ballpark. We haven't done that since the All-Star break."

The Red Sox are 10-14 since then.

There were notables for the Orioles on Wednesday. Gunnar Henderson smashed his 30th home run of the season, and Coby Mayo recorded his first big-league hit -- a single.

It was only Henderson's second home run since the All-Star break, but he sensed he might have been getting it together before that.

"Just had a weird little run there, but like I said, I'm starting to feel good in the box and starting to get going," Henderson said.

Mayo ended a 0-for-16 stretch since arriving in the major leagues.

"I was never too stressed about the hit," Mayo said. "But then, it gets to you a little bit and you want it. You want it so bad because you're so competitive."

The Orioles have won five of six meetings this year with the Red Sox, though the teams haven't met since late May.

The Orioles have right-hander Zach Eflin (8-7, 3.83 ERA) lined up as their starting pitcher for the series opener. He's 3-0 since he was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays last month.

Eflin's most recent outing came Friday night, and he shut out his former team on four hits across seven innings to earn the win.

With the Rays, Eflin picked up a victory at Boston in May by limiting the Red Sox to three runs in five innings despite registering a season-low two strikeouts in that stint. He's 2-0 with a 6.00 ERA in five career starts against Boston.

The Red Sox will turn to right-hander Nick Pivetta (5-7, 4.44), who has gotten through five innings in only one of his past three outings.

In 12 career starts vs. Baltimore, Pivetta is 8-2 with a 3.18 ERA. The eight wins match his most against any single opponent, with the Atlanta Braves the other team he's topped that many times.

The Red Sox have won four of their past six road games, but they're just 5-7 away from home since the All-Star break.

--Field Level Media