BOSTON RED SOX (79-55) VS. BALTIMORE ORIOLES (70-61) Thursday, August 29, 2013 • 7:10 p.m. ET • Fenway Park, Boston, MA LHP Jon Lester (12-7, 3.97) vs. RHP Chris Tillman (14-4, 3.66) Game #135 • Home Game #66 • TV: NESN/MLBN • Radio: WEEI 93.7 FM, WUFC 1510 AM (Spanish) HOME COOKIN: The Red Sox tonight continue a 9-game SOX AND O’S: The Red Sox and Orioles tonight conclude a homestand with the last of 3 games against the Orioles... 3-game set, the 4th series between the 2 clubs in 2013 and RED SOX RECORD BREAKDOWN Overall ........................................... 79-55 They will also host the White Sox for 3 games this weekend 2nd at Fenway...The season set is tied 6-6 with 8 match-ups AL East Standing ....................1st, 2.5 GA followed by a 3-game set with the Tigers. remaining...After tonight’s game, the 2 teams next meet at At Home ......................................... 42-23 Beginning with this homestand, 18 of the Sox fi nal 30 Fenway Park for 3 games from 9/17-19. On Road ......................................... 37-32 games will be played at Fenway Park. The Sox have won 4 straight and 5 of their last 7 In day games .................................. 24-12 In night games ............................... 55-43 On Sunday night, Boston ended a stretch in which against the O’s...They are looking for their 1st sweep of Baltimore since taking a 4-game set in Boston from April ................................................. 18-8 it played 16 of 19 games away from home...The Sox May ................................................ 15-15 went 9-10 in that span that began 8/5. 7/7-7/10/2011. June ............................................... 17-11 July ................................................. 15-10 ON THE RECORD: At 79-55 (.590) the Red Sox have START UP: Sox starters are posting a 1.64 ERA (11 ER/60.1 August ........................................... 14-11 the best record in the AL and 2nd-best mark in the major IP) over the last 8 games...They have held opponents to 3 vs. AL East ...................................... 32-24 leagues behind the Braves (.606, 80-52). runs or less in all 8 tilts and 1 run or less 5 times...The start- vs. AL Central ................................. 14-14 ers have gone at least 6.0 IP in all but 1 of those games. vs. AL West ..................................... 20-12 BEST MLB RECORDS IN 2013 vs. National League.......................... 13-5 The Red Sox starters have recorded a 2.82 ERA (30 vs. RH starter .................................. 53-36 TEAM W-L WPCT ER/95.2 IP) over the last 14 games, holding opponents Atlanta 80-52 .606 vs. LH starter .................................. 26-19 to 2 earned runs or fewer 11 times in that stretch. Leading after 6 innings .................... 60-7 Boston 79-55 .590 Tied after 6 innings ............................ 9-6 LA Dodgers 78-55 .586 Boston’s 3.81 starter ERA (344 ER/812.0 IP) is 2nd in Trailing after 6 innings ................... 10-42 St. Louis 78-55 .586 the AL to Detroit’s 3.50 mark. Leading after 7 innings .................... 62-4 Texas 78-55 .586 Tied after 7 innings .......................... 10-6 Boston’s 79 wins are 1st in the AL and 2nd in MLB THREE PEAT: Red Sox pitchers overall have yielded 3 runs Trailing after 7 innings ..................... 6-45 behind Atlanta’s 80...The Sox have won 10 more or fewer in each of the last 8 games (1.78 ERA, 14 ER/70.2 Leading after 8 innings .................... 65-3 games than they did all of last year (69-93). IP)...The team has not done that in 9 straight games since a Tied after 8 innings ............................ 9-6 9-game run from 4/8-19/2007. Trailing after 8 innings ..................... 4-45 The Sox are the only AL team and 1 of 2 ML clubs Red Sox score 1st ........................... 53-14 whose record has been above .500 all year (also ATL). MR. 2,000: With 1,993 career hits, David Ortiz is 7 shy of Opponents score fi rst ..................... 26-41 2,000...He would be just the 39th player ever with 2,000 Shutouts ........................................... 7-10 Scoring less than 3 runs ................... 3-29 HIGH WATER MARK: The Red Sox are a season-high 24 hits, 400 home runs, and 1,400 RBI...Among actives, only games over .500...They haven’t been 25 games over .500 Scoring 3 or 4 runs ......................... 15-17 Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez have done it. Scoring 5 or more runs ..................... 61-9 since fi nishing 9/13/11 at 86-61. Red Sox hit HR ............................... 50-24 KOJI’S ROLLING: Koji Uehara, who tossed a perfect 9th to Red Sox hit 0 HR ............................ 29-31 IN THE STANDINGS: The Sox are in 1st place in the AL collect his career-high 14th save last night, has not allowed 1-run games ................................... 17-15 East, 2.5 games ahead of the Rays...The Sox have held the a run in 21.2 innings over his last 19 outings since 7/9...It is 2-run games ................................... 13-13 top spot 25 of the last 28 days...Boston has been in 1st or the 2nd-longest active scoreless streak in MLB after Atlan- Walk-offs .......................................... 11-6 T-1st for an AL-high 126 days in 2013. ta’s Craig Kimbrel’s 23.1-inning stretch...It is his career long Extra innings (home) .......................... 4-1 stretch and longest single-season scoreless inning streak by Extra innings (road)............................ 4-4 SERIES TALK: With victories in their 1st 2 games of the Extra innings (total) ........................... 8-5 a Sox reliever since Daniel Bard’s 26-1 inning run in 2011. Series openers ................................ 25-19 current set with the Orioles, the Red Sox have tallied their Series fi nales .................................. 26-17 major league-best 27th series win...The Sox have won their JONNY IN THE CLUTCH: Jonny Gomes is batting .471 Series W-L-T (home) ......................14-7-1 last 3 sets after a season-high tying 3-series losing streak. with runners in scoring position in August, going 8-for-17 Series W-L-T (road) ........................ 13-8-1 A win tonight would give the Red Sox their 1st sweep with 2 homers and 14 RBI in those situations...It is tied for Series W-L-T (total) ......................27-15-2 since taking 3 from the Mariners, 7/30-8/1 at Fenway. the 3rd-highest mark in the month (min. 15 PA)...Overall he Series sweeps (home) ........................ 5-1 is batting .362 with RISP with 30 RBI, the 2nd highest AVG Series sweeps (road) .......................... 2-1 (min. 50 PA) in the AL (DET’s Miguel Cabrera, .419). Series sweeps (total) .......................... 7-2 WINNING LATE: The Red Sox last night came from behind Come-from-behind wins ......30, last 8/28 with 2 runs to tie in the 7th and a game-winning, pinch-hit Innings batting around......18, last 8/27 (4th) RBI single by Mike Carp in the 8th for the win over the Ori- THEFT ALERT: Jacoby Ellsbury tops MLB with 49 stolen Games decided in last AB................. 20-9 oles...It marked Boston’s 20th last at-bat win, tied for the bases and has been caught 4 times, a 92.5% success rate... most in the AL with Kansas City. He is 1 shy of his 3rd 50-steal season (50 in 2008, Red Sox single-season record 70 in 2009)...He is the only Red Sox The Red Sox are tied for the MLB lead with 11 walk- VS. THE ORIOLES ever with multi 50-steal seasons...Since 2008, only Michael All-Time vs. O’s (since 1954) .... 525-444 off wins, the Sox’ most in a season since 1978 (11)... Bourn has had 50 steals in as many as 3 seasons. Boston last had more walk-off wins in 1961 (12). In Boston .................................. 267-214 In Baltimore ............................. 258-230 SUPER SHANE: Shane Victorino has 12 RBI in his last 8 FRIENDLY FENWAY: The Sox have won 8 of their last 11 tilts, including 9 over his last 3 contests...He leads the Sox 2013 vs. Orioles ............................... 6-6 home games and 19 of their last 27 at home...Boston has with both 20 RBI (T-6th in the AL) and 6 HR in August. In Boston .......................................... 3-2 also taken 23 of its last 32 and 29 of its last 41 at Fenway. In Baltimore ..................................... 3-4 Tuesday night Victorino set a career high with 7 RBI The Sox own an AL-best .646 win percentage (42-23) and matched career marks with 2 homers, 3 extra- DATE H/R SCORE WP LP at home, 3rd-best in MLB. base hits, and 4 runs...According to Elias, he became 4/8 H W3-1 Buchholz Chen The Sox lead MLB with a .467 SLG, 250 XBH, and 168 the 1st player in Red Sox history to go 3-for-3 or better 4/9 H L8-5 O’Day Hanrahan 4/10 H L2-3 Matusz Mortensen doubles at home, and are 2nd with a .287 AVG, .353 with at least 2 homers, 4 runs, and 7 RBI in a game. 6/13 R L4-5 (13) McFarland Wilson OBP, .820 OPS, and 326 RBI...Their 168 doubles at 6/14 R L0-2 Tillman Dempster Fenway are 39 more than any other club at home. OFFENSIVE LEADERS: The Sox lead MLB with 678 runs, 652 6/15 R W5-4 Lackey Garcia RBI, 299 doubles, 464 extra-base hits and 480 walks, and are 6/16 R L3-6 Gonzalez Lester RECENT RESULTS: The Sox have won 4 straight, 5 of their 2nd with a .274 AVG, .346 OBP, .785 OPS, 5.06 runs per game, 7/26 R L0-6 Tillman Lackey last 6, 6 of their last 8, and 7 of their last 10 tilts...They went 1,280 hits, 2,047 total bases, and 1,817 times on base.