Red Sox vs. Orioles Friday probable pitchers, trends, odds: Baltimore lone team yet to win game this season when hitting home run

One great thing about baseball – or terrible thing depending on your perspective – is that it's so statistically driven. We know the home-run record or how many games Cal Ripken Jr. played in a row, etc. Tell me the NFL single-season passing record or NHL single-season goals record. Exactly. We have an interesting home-run statistic involving the Baltimore Orioles when they host Boston in a series opener on Friday. The Sox are -135 at Caesars Sportsbook.

The Birds lost their fourth straight game Thursday, 10-5 at the Yankees, blowing an early 2-0 lead. Baltimore did not hit a home run in the game. The team is now 6-6 in games in which is doesn't homer … compared to 0-7 when going yard at least once. That's bizarre. The Orioles are the only team in MLB to not win a game in which they hit a home run.

Baltimore's nine home runs are the second-fewest in the majors -- a total of five players on the team have gone yard with Anthony Santander leading with three. First baseman Ryan Mountcastle has one but may not play Friday. He has missed the past two with neck stiffness.

Boston comes off a hotly contested series in Toronto, losing three of four. All-Star shortstop Xander Bogaerts, second in the majors in batting at .397, didn't start but it was simply a maintenance day off and he'll be back in there Friday. DH JD Martinez may not be. He aggravated an adductor injury pulling into second base Wednesday and sat Thursday. Martinez previously missed a few games with that injury so he probably will not be in the Game 1 lineup.

Lefty Rich Hill (0-1, 4.85) gets the starts, but the 42-year-old is about a four-inning pitcher these days so he will be piggybacked by Tanner Houck (1-1, 2.87 ERA), who was unavailable in Toronto because he's not vaccinated for COVID.

Baltimore counters with rookie Kyle Bradish in his big-league debut. The team's No. 9 prospect was the key return piece the Orioles acquired in their four-player trade with the Angels for Dylan Bundy in 2019. Bradish had a 1.20 ERA in three Triple-A starts this year. The O's weren't planning to call him up yet but are dealing with several injuries in the rotation, including season-ending Tommy John surgery to ace John Means.

The Red Sox won 13 of 19 meetings vs. the Orioles last year and were 7-3 at Camden Yards, averaging nearly six runs per game there. 

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