Red Sox-Orioles Preview

This time last year, Rick Porcello was two losses into a six-start losing streak with a 5.37 ERA. Things got worse before they got better, but his first season with the Boston Red Sox eventually leveled out.

There's no such massive overhaul needed this year, and he can get within a win of last season's total Thursday night in the finale of a four-game stop in Baltimore with the Orioles hoping to salvage a split.

Porcello (7-2, 3.68 ERA) was 4-4 entering June last year and fell to 4-9 with a 6.08 ERA by July 1 before ending the year 9-15 with a 4.92 mark. It'll take a disaster to enter July on that level this year, though the right-hander's last three starts have at times been rocky with a 1-1 record and 5.19 ERA.

He gave up four runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings of Saturday's 10-9 loss in Toronto, though he was in line for the win before a bullpen collapse.

Porcello's work against Baltimore last season was particularly rough with a 0-2 record and 9.37 ERA in three starts to drop him to 3-7 with a 5.45 in 12 career starts. Ryan Flaherty (5 for 9 with a home run), Manny Machado (7 for 18) and Chris Davis (8 for 26 with three home runs and a double) have had the most success.

The Orioles counter with Ubaldo Jimenez, who would gladly revert to last season's first two months. Jimenez (2-6, 6.36) was 3-3 with a 3.14 ERA in his first nine starts last year, and his ERA only jumped over three in the last of those outings.

This season, his ERA has mostly been over 5.00 since the start of May. The right-hander is coming off an embarrassing 11-4 loss in Cleveland on Saturday in which he made it just 1 2/3 innings and gave up six runs – three earned – and five hits with three walks.

After going seven innings without a walk in his first start, his control has been terrible with three or four walks in eight of nine since. His 5.16 walks per nine innings is high even by his standards – his career mark is 4.11 – and is one of four in baseball over 5.00.

"That's the thing about baseball," Jimenez told MLB's official website. "When things are going bad, everything falls apart. Whatever you do out there just doesn't go your way. But things change, and I have a feeling things are going to change."

Jimenez gave up four runs and six hits with four walks in five innings of a 4-2 loss in Boston on April 13 to fall to 2-5 with a 7.25 ERA in 12 career starts against the Red Sox.

The first three batters in Boston's lineup – Mookie Betts (7 for 15), Dustin Pedroia (10 for 26) and Xander Bogaerts (6 for 15) – have hit him best. David Ortiz, however, is 2 for 20 in their matchups.

The Orioles (29-22) are coming off Wednesday's 13-9 win in which they overcame five Boston home runs - two by Mookie Betts one night after he hit three - and Xander Bogaerts extending his hitting streak to 25 games.

The Red Sox (32-21) saw their three-game winning streak come to an end, though they're averaging 7.2 runs per game and batting .308 in their last five and have 12 homers in their previous three.

Ortiz is batting .472 with five homers, seven doubles and 14 RBIs in his last nine.