The O’s head to Beantown to take on a surprisingly hot Red Sox team, with Corbin Burnes getting his first taste of AL East action.
After a disappointing series in Pittsburgh, the Orioles travel north to Boston for their first AL East series of 2024. Coming into the season the Red Sox were the consensus pick to finish last in the division. You wouldn’t know that based on the early results, as Boston comes in 7-3 after a West Coast road trip through Seattle, Oakland and Anaheim.
The Orioles send ace Corbin Burnes to the mound, having already gone 2-0 in Burnes’ first two starts. The former Cy Young winner was not at his best last time out against the Royals, allowing nine hits and two runs over 5.2 innings. He was still able to keep the O’s in the game, though, and Baltimore came back to walk off the Royals.
Today’s game will also be the first time Burnes feels the intensity of an AL East matchup. He has one previous start against Boston, throwing five innings, allowing three runs and striking out five. Burnes does have a great track record against newly-acquired Red Sox slugger Tyler O’Neill, who’s started this season with five home runs and a 1.407 OPS. When Burnes was with the Brewers and O’Neill the Cardinals, the Red Sox RF was 1-11 vs. Burnes with 7 Ks.
Hard-throwing 24-year-old Brayan Bello will make his third career start against the O’s this afternoon. His last outing vs. Baltimore came last September, where he went five innings while allowing three runs and striking out four in a 7-3 Boston win. Cedric Mullins has been an especially tough out for Bello during his young career, as the Orioles CF is 4-5 across two meetings with the righty from the Dominican Republic.
Orioles Lineup
- Gunnar Henderson (L) SS
- Adley Rutschman (S) C
- Anthony Santander (S) RF
- Ryan O’Hearn (L) DH
- Ryan Mountcastle (R) 1B
- Cedric Mullins (L) CF
- Colton Cowser (L) LF
- Ramón Urías (R) 3B
- Tony Kemp (L) 2B
Starting pitcher: RHP Corbin Burnes (1-0, 2.31 ERA, 14 Ks)
Red Sox Lineup
- Jarren Duran (L) LF
- Rafael Devers (L) 3B
- Tyler O’Neill (R) RF
- Triston Casas (L) 1B
- Masataka Yoshida (L) DH
- Ceddanne Rafaela (R) CF
- Emmanuel Valdez (L) 2B
- Reese McGuire (L) C
- David Hamilton (L) SS
Starting pitcher: RHP Brayan Bello (1-0, 5.40 ERA, 8 Ks)