Is that an Oriole?

Tonight’s game (weather permitting of course) will be a reall battle of the ages. The Orioles have 23-year-old Zach Britton starting, while the Red Sox will trot out the Ageless One, 44-year-old Timmy Wakefield.

Britton was tough on the Sox last month, going six and giving up just one run. But that was when the Sox were in “full suck” mode (also known as “I wonder what it feels like to be the Mariners” mode); I expect different results tonight. Timmy got mistreated a bit in his last start, giving up eight runs on nine hits and four walks, so hopefully he got that out of his system. With Lackey on the DL, Wakefield’s role as a starter is critical. Who better to step up and kick some ass?

What we need is for the recent offensive explosion to continue to take the pressure off of Wake. The Sox are 7-2 in their last nine and have pounded out 12 home runs while hitting at a .301 clip.

The Sox may be down another starter as Dice-K was shipped off for an MRI. Felix Doubrant has been preparing to return to the starting role in the minors, extending his innings steadily. I expect him to get the nod if Dice-K ends up on the DL.

A Sox win combined with a Yankee loss moves us up to second place and makes the Yankees a .500 team. Let’s make it happen.