Baltimore Orioles vs. Boston Red Sox: Series Preview for First 2015 Trip to Fenway Park

Apr 13, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; An overall view of the opening ceremonies for the Boston Red Sox home opener against the Washington Nationals at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

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On Friday night, the Baltimore Orioles will begin their first series of the season against the Boston Red Sox, as they make their first trip of 2015 to Fenway Park. It will be a four-game series which will include the infamous 11 a.m. game on Monday morning, the same day as the Boston Marathon.

The Orioles enter the series after coming back to win the final two games of a three-game set with the New York Yankees.

The Red Sox fell to the Washington Nationals on Wednesday afternoon, as they failed to complete the sweep after taking the first two. Boston played the Yankees last weekend, and also took two of three from New York.

Last year, the Orioles and Red Sox met 19 times, with Baltimore earning 11 victories. The Orioles went 7-3 at Fenway Park in 2014.

Both teams enter this series after having an off-day on Thursday.

We’re going to take a look at the pitching matchups for all four games, as well as the series’ most impactful player.

Next: Game 1 Probable Starters

Friday, April 17th, 7:10 PM EDT

Apr 11, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez (31) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Ubaldo Jimenez, RHP – BAL

Jimenez is coming off a really strong first start of the year, giving up only one hit and one walk in seven shutout innings. He also struck out eight while getting the win on Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Multiple Red Sox have had a lot of success in their careers against Jimenez, notably, Pablo Sandoval, Dustin Pedroia and Shane Victorino. Sandoval is 11-for-34 with two homeruns; Pedroia is 7-for-19; and Victorino is 6-for-17 with two homeruns.

Jimenez has done well against David Ortiz, limiting him to two hits in 13 at-bats, though one of those hits was a homerun.

Apr 11, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Joe Kelly (56) pitches during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

BoSox Injection

Joe Kelly, RHP – BOS

Kelly, like Jimenez, had an awesome first start with very similar numbers. In Yankee Stadium on Saturday, Kelly gave up one run on one hit and two walks in seven innings, also striking out eight men.

Kelly’s stuff looked great in that outing, and if you watched ESPN’s Sunday Night Baeball last week, you heard Curt Schilling tell you that on multiple occasions.

Kelly just came over to Boston at last year’s trade deadline, having spent the first two years of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals. The only Oriole with a decent sample size of at-bats against Kelly is Travis Snider, who is 3-for-11 against the 26-year-old hurler, striking out twice.

Next: Game 2 Probable Starters

Saturday, April 18th, 4:05 PM EDT

Apr 12, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Chris Tillman (30) pitches during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Tillman, RHP – BAL

Tillman looked really good on Opening Day, giving up one run against the Tampa Bay Rays in 6.2 innings, earning himself a victory. However, he had a rough outing on Sunday, only lasting 2.2 innings, giving up seven runs, only three of which were earned, evening his early season record.

Tillman is looking for a bounce-back outing against a lineup that has had a bit of success against him. Pedroia, Daniel Nava, Mike Napoli and Victorino have all had success against him; Pedroia is 10-for-35; Nava is 8-for-31; Napoli is 6-for-22; and Victorino is 4-for-11.

Tillman, like Friday’s starter Jimenez, has good numbers against Ortiz, as Ortiz has just three hits in 27 at-bats, but, of course, one of those hits was a homerun.

Apr 12, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz (11) pitches in the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

Clay Buchholz, RHP – BOS

In another show of similarity between dueling starters, Buchholz, like Tillman, had a lot of success on Opening Day, throwing seven shutout innings against the Philadelphia Phillies to earn himself a victory. He followed that up by getting shelled by the Yankees, giving up ten runs, nine earned, in 3.1 innings.

Alejandro De Aza is the Oriole with the most success against Buchholz, going 4-for-13, while Snider has really struggled against him, getting only one hit in 17 at-bats.

Next: Game 3 Probable Starters

Sunday, April 19th, 1:35 PM EDT

Apr 14, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Miguel Gonzalez (50) throws a pitch during the game against the New York Yankees at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Orioles won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Miguel Gonzalez, RHP – BAL

Gonzalez pitched well enough to win in both of his starts this year, yet he stands with a 1-1 record. In his first start, he did struggle a bit with control, allowing five walks, while striking out five. He only allowed one run in that start, but his team got shutout.

In Gonzalez’s second start, he certainly straightened out the control issues, walking only one and striking out ten.

Nava and Pedroia (anybody else noticing a trend here?) have both enjoyed success against Gonzalez, with Nava going 5-for-15, and Pedroia going for a more modest 3-for-14.

Apr 13, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Rick Porcello (22) throws a pitch against the Washington Nationals in the third inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Rick Porcello, RHP – BOS

Porcello has pitched fairly well to start the year, giving up three and four runs in his first two starts, respectively. The first start was a six inning outing, but it wasn’t enough, as he took the loss against Philadelphia. In his second outing, only three of the four runs were earned, but he spread those runs out across eight innings against Washington, earning himself a victory.

Delmon Young‘s 8-for-24 career against Porcello is the best amongst the Orioles. It could be another rough game for Snider, who is 1-for-10 against Porcello.

Next: Game 4 Probable Starters

Apr 14, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones (10) hits a sacrifice fly in the third inning against the New York Yankees at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Series Key Player: Adam Jones – BAL

Jones is red-hot right now. He’s hitting .406 on the young season with 4 homeruns and 11 RBI’s.

I expect to see Jones keep this hot streak up, especially with Chris Davis and Manny Machado both showing signs of getting things going. Caleb Joseph is also coming off a big series against the Yankees, and those three guys should be able to provide protection for Jones in the lineup, as he takes advantage of the Green Monster of Fenway.

If Jones continues to stay hot, then the Orioles should leave Boston and be feeling pretty good about themselves.

Next: Update on J.J. Hardy