BOSTON- Let’s celebrate a series win! Yesterday’s loss was definitely less than ideal, but a series win is a series win. Now it's time for a four-game series against the Baltimore Orioles. The last series against the O's resulted in a series win. Since then, the Orioles have fallen off a cliff and currently sit in last place in the AL East with a 16-32 record. Their pitching staff has been struggling heavily, which hasn’t helped this squad during what's turning into an unexpected season collapse. Speaking of pitchers, let's dive into the matchups! 

Cade Povich has had a rough start to the season. Through 41.1 innings pitched, he’s allowed 24 runs on 46 hits. He’ll face off against Lucas Giolito, who’s also been shaky in his first four outings—giving up 16 runs on 25 hits over just 20.1 innings. This could turn into an offensive shootout from both sides. 

Charlie Morton has been in the league since George Washington was president, and honestly, it might be time for the big man to retire. He holds an 0-7 record with a 7.78 ERA. That said, his last three outings have shown some improvement (9.1 IP, 4 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts). Let’s hope the Red Sox get the worse version of Morton on Friday. He’ll be going up against Brayan Bello. Since returning from the IL, Bello has been hit-or-miss. You never quite know which version you're getting, but let’s hope it's the good Bello this time.

Zach Eflin was starting to heat up, but got lit up by the Nationals on Sunday. If his confidence is shaky, the Red Sox should jump on him early. Rookie Hunter Dobbins will take the mound for Boston. He had another solid outing against the Mets on Monday, despite only going 4.2 innings. Let’s hope he can stretch that out and continue to deliver quality starts for the Sox. 

The series finale will feature Dean Kremer, who’s also been having a tough season. His last two starts saw him allow four runs each, and he took a loss in one of them. He’ll face Walker Buehler, who will be coming in HOT on Sunday. After being ejected on Tuesday, expect Buehler to show up fired up and looking to dominate.

This upcoming series against the Orioles presents a golden opportunity for the Red Sox to build some serious momentum. With Baltimore reeling and sitting at the bottom of the AL East, this is the perfect time for Boston to capitalize, rack up some wins, and potentially catch up to the AL East leading New York Yankees.

The pitching matchups lean in Boston’s favor, and although that hasn't meant much so far this season, if the offense can stay hot and consistent, there’s a real shot at doing more than just winning the series — a sweep isn’t out of the question. That would be a huge boost heading into the next stretch of the schedule.

Riding high off a series win over an NL powerhouse, this could finally be the series where the Sox start putting it all together. But, as always in baseball, nothing is guaranteed. Execution, energy, and timely hitting — specifically with runners in scoring position — will be key to taking this series.