Bassitt (4-3, 5.06) draws rookie lefty Payton Tolle (2-2, 2.61) in a matchup the numbers say should favor Boston but the standings say otherwise. Bassitt was actually sharp in his last outing — 6 innings, 1 earned run, only 80 pitches against Toronto — and the Orioles gave him an extra day of rest to set this one up.
Tolle is the more interesting arm here. The 23-year-old lefty announced himself with 11 strikeouts against the Yankees in his season debut and has held the ERA under 3.00 through his first handful of starts. His last time out he punched out 7 Braves in 4.2 innings but got chased early on 94 pitches, which is the recurring theme — strikeouts are easy, length is not.
Boston is 25-34 and dead last in the East, and longtime observers have started saying out loud what the box scores have been screaming: this might be the most punchless Red Sox lineup in nearly 50 years. The injury list explains a lot of it — Triston Casas, Trevor Story, Roman Anthony, and Garrett Crochet are all parked on the IL — but explanations don't score runs.
- Day-To-DayLevi Wells P — Wells underwent successful core-muscle surgery Thursday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
- Day-To-DayRichard Guasch SP — no
- Day-To-DayWill Robertson LF — The Orioles reassigned Robertson to minor-league camp Wednesday, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.
- Day-To-DayLuis Vazquez SS — Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said Monday that Vazquez has been diagnosed with a broken right thumb, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILDylan Beavers RF — Beavers (oblique) hit in the batting cage Wednesday, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.
- 15-Day-ILRyan Helsley RP — Helsley (elbow) said Sunday that he's scheduled to complete a few more bullpen sessions and will gradually ramp up the intensity of his throwing before he resumes facing hitters, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILCade Povich SP — Povich (elbow) met with Dr. Keith Meister on Tuesday and is without an official timetable for his return after receiving a cortisone injection, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.
- 60-Day-ILDean Kremer SP — The Orioles transferred Kremer (quadriceps) to the 60-day injured list Friday, MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayHobie Harris RP — Harris was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
- 10-Day-ILRoman Anthony LF — Anthony (finger) felt discomfort while hitting off a tee Thursday and has been shut down from swinging, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILTrevor Story SS — Story underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia Thursday and will be sidelined 6-10 weeks, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
- 15-Day-ILGarrett Crochet SP — Crochet (shoulder) was diagnosed with a low-grade lat strain Tuesday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILGarrett Whitlock RP — Whitlock (knee) "felt really good" while throwing a side session Tuesday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
- 60-Day-ILKutter Crawford SP — Interim manager Chad Tracy said Tuesday that Crawford (elbow) is dealing with moderate tightness in his right forearm, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILTriston Casas 1B — Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy told reporters Wednesday that Casas (abdomen/knee) is close to being cleared to swing a bat, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILPatrick Sandoval SP — Sandoval (biceps/elbow) threw a 30-pitch bullpen session Wednesday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
Baltimore isn't exactly the 1927 Yankees either at 29-32, but they've won 4 of their last 5 and just took the opener 4-2 with the offense doing enough against a thin Boston staff. The Orioles' own injury list is a horror show — Mountcastle, Westburg, Eflin, Kremer, Bautista — and they're still the team playing better baseball right now.
Pinnacle has Boston at -146 with a total of 8.5, which feels like a market that respects Tolle's stuff more than it respects the team behind him. If Bassitt throws the version of himself that showed up in Toronto, the Orioles have a real shot to grab the series and keep climbing back toward .500.