The Boston Red Sox have not been blowing people away this season like they were hoping after several offseason moves. After finally breaking a six-game losing streak on Wednesday to the Orioles, momentum might be difficult to gain as injuries become a reality for the team. Both Dustin Pedroia and Hanley Ramirez are destined to hit the disabled list, will the Red Sox be able to string together more wins as they prepare to face off against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday.
Both Pedroia and Ramirez exited Wednesday night's game against Baltimore early and the diagnosis do not appear positive. Ramirez suffered a bruised left hand after getting his with a ball while running the bases. Pedroia exited with a tight hamstring after a two-run single. Losing either batter for a period of time would be a huge loss to the rotation that has finally found some rhythm. The Red Sox have been batting .322 and averaging 6.1 runs per game while being winners of their last five of eight. Both players have been significant in that effort. Pedroia is batting .406 while Ramirez is hitting .341 right now.
The Red Sox will put Eduardo Rodriguez on the mound who is 3-1 with a 3.13 ERA. He has been inconsistent lately, struggling at home. In his last start at Fenway, he gave up nine runs and eight hits in just four innings of play. He did rebound well against Kansas City, giving up one run in over six innings. He will face a Baltimore batting lineup that has been averaging 6.8 runs in their previous six games against Boston. Adam Jones will not be in the lineup as he has a sore shoulder and will not return until the weekend.
The Orioles will put Miguel Gonzalez on the mound who is 5-4 with a 3.33 ERA on the season to counter the Boston batters. This is his first appearance on the mound after sitting on the disabled list with an injured groin. He is 1-0 with a 4.11 ERA against the Red Sox this year, but had dropped his last three starts before getting hurt while going 2-4 with a 4.64 ERA in his previous six starts.
