The Red Sox and Orioles are locked in a 0-0 tie through four innings Saturday night.
If there were any pairing of pitchers this series that would never be expected to actually shut down either offense, this would have to be it. Lackey has made terrible offenses look unbeatable routinely, and Alfredo Simon's 4.64 ERA comes out of the bullpen.
Somehow, though, they're surviving. For John Lackey, it's been a matter of the strikeout, as he's already sat five men down via the K. Simon, meanwhile, is dodging the really damaging hit. The Sox are already 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, and the one hit just loaded the bases. With five men stranded so far, it's feeling a lot like the National League road trip where the Red Sox so often found themselves hitless in the clutch.
There's been no sign of the hostilities from Friday night's brawl, but that could always change just as soon as someone picks up a decent lead.