Red Sox Announce Starting Pitchers for Key Series vs Rival Orioles

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The Boston Red Sox have been cold over the last week. On Thursday, they will try to break out of it as they kick off an important American League East series against the Baltimore Orioles on the road at Camden Yards.
Boston dropped three out of four games against the New York Yankees on the road and then followed up with a series loss against the Seattle Mariners back home at Fenway Park, including a brutal 8-3 beatdown on Wednesday night.
Now, the Red Sox are sitting at 75-65 with 22 games left to go. Boston still has a cushion in the Wild Card standings for the No. 2 spot. The Red Sox have a 4 1/2-game lead over the Cleveland Guardians for the No. 3 spot. The Orioles are on the outside looking in on the playoff race and are looking to make a run for the No. 3 spot. Baltimore is 1 1/2 games behind Cleveland and six games behind Boston. This three-game series between the two American League East rivals could go a long way.
With that being said, here are the Red Sox's probables for the three-game set.
Thursday — Jake Bennett

Bennett looked elite his last time out. On Aug. 29, Bennett tossed six scoreless innings against the Yankees and struck out seven batters while allowing just three base hits. It was his second-straight solid outing after tossing seven innings against the San Francisco Giants on Aug. 23 and allowing just three runs. Boston has needed it after a cold stretch for the lefty.
Friday — Ranger Suárez

Suárez didn't have the same luck as Bennett his last time out. The lefty took the hill against the Yankees on Aug. 30 and allowed six runs in 5 1/3 innings pitched. Suárez has made 24 starts so far this season and he has 3.64 ERA in 123 2/3 innings pitched. Boston needs a good outing out of him. The lefty has a 5.72 ERA over his last six starts in 28 1/3 innings pitched to go along with a 16-to-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Saturday — Sonny Gray

Gray was skipped in the rotation during the Red Sox's last time through the rotation. He initially was scheduled to pitch on Tuesday against the Mariners. Instead, Jedixson Páez took the hill and allowed eight runs in the loss. Gray has been Boston's No. 1 hurler all season to this point. He has a 2.82 ERA in 25 starts. Boston gave him extra rest and made it clear that it was a necessity to keep him on the hill and healthy. Fortunately, he will return on Saturday.

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick received an MBA at Brandeis University. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Boston Red Sox On SI, please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@moreviewsmedia.com
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