The Red Sox are hurting. Even ignoring the injury that may well have turned Jed Lowrie from a legend into an afterthought, the past few weeks have seen the Sox lose Carl Crawford, Clay Buchholz, and now Jon Lester--to say nothing of the lingering aches and pains of Kevin Youkilis.
So it's with some relief that the All-Star break is so rapidly approaching. Still, that's not to say the Sox haven't been holding their own. After a 3-6 stretch against the Padres, Pirates, and Philles, the Sox have turned things around, taking five of six games off the Astros and Blue Jays. Now, just a half game back of the Yankees, the Sox will take on the Orioles as their arch rivals face the Tampa Bay Rays in the final series before the All-Star break. One way or another, this is prime opportunity for the Sox to gain some ground.
The question is: can the rotation hold up for just four more games without getting some help?
Boston Red Sox (51-35) vs. Baltimore Orioles (36-48)
Thursday, July 7, 7:10 p.m.
NESN/MLBN
Andrew Miller (2-0, 3.06 ERA) vs. Jake Arrieta (9-5, 4.74 ERA)
Friday, July 8, 7:10 p.m.
NESN
Josh Beckett (7-3, 2.12 ERA) vs. Zach Britton (6-6, 3.47 ERA)
Saturday, July 9, 7:10 p.m.
NESN/MLBN
John Lackey (5-8, 7.47 ERA) vs. TBD
Sunday, July 10, 1:35 p.m.
NESN
Alfredo Aceves (3-1, 3.74 ERA) vs. TBD