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BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Orioles finally found some success against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night. But the Orioles also lost one of their top players at the same time, so things will be tougher for them when playing Boston in the series finale on Wednesday at Camden Yards. The Orioles ended a four-game losing streak with a 7-6 victory over Boston Tuesday. Tim Beckham and Jonathan Schoop both hit two-run homers and finished with three RBIs apiece in the win.
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That ended a streak of frustration for Baltimore versus the Red Sox this season. Boston won 10 of the first 11 games against the Orioles in 2018.
But the Orioles traded closer Zach Britton to American League East rival New York for three minor league pitching prospects. Britton's contract runs out at season's end.
Brad Brach, another player the Orioles might trade, earned his 11th save despite again struggling in the ninth on Tuesday.
However, Baltimore manager Buck Showalter basically admitted the Britton deal was in the works when talking about why he didn't use Britton in the ninth inning as the Orioles were trying to hold on to a 7-5 lead.
"I thought it was in the best interest ... of Zach and the organization for Zach not to pitch in that situation," Showalter said.
The fact that the field was sloppy and it was still raining didn't play into it, Showalter said. But the weather has been a problem throughout the series.
The weather could likely be an issue in Wednesday's game again. There were two rain delays Monday night and one more Tuesday with lots of rain forecast for the Baltimore area again Wednesday.
David Price (11-6, 4.17 ERA) will start for the Red Sox against Baltimore ace Dylan Bundy (6-9, 4.57 ERA) in the Wednesday match-up.
Price is 13-5 with a 2.77 ERA in 26 career starts versus the Orioles. In his only start against Baltimore this season, Price got a complete-game victory, allowing two runs and five hits in a 6-2 win on May 17. The lanky left-hander also has won his last two starts overall this season.
Bundy has struggled lately and the home-run ball has hurt him this season. He has allowed 23 homers in 108 1/3 innings, and that's something the Orioles hope Bundy will improve upon in the final two months.
He has a 3-6 record with a 4.24 ERA in 15 career appearances, including 11 starts, against Boston. He has started two games against the Red Sox this season, going 0-2 with a 2.29 ERA. Bundy needs to stay away from Boston's power in the series finale or he'll find trouble once more.
And speaking of homers, J.D. Martinez hit two for Boston in Tuesday's loss and re-took the major league lead with 31.
Boston's power is more dangerous because the Red Sox feature good pitching. In fact, they now have a deeper bullpen and a smaller bench. They activated starter Drew Pomeranz to pitch Tuesday's game -- he was the loser -- and optioned infielder Tzu-Wei Lin to Triple-A Pawtucket.
That gives Boston eight in the bullpen and lets manager Alex Cora have more freedom to make moves with the strong pitchers he has there. He has many more options than most managers.
"We like the bullpen where it is right now," Cora said to reporters. "Having that extra guy out there helps us to maneuver the game."
