Opposite dugout: Red Sox take three-game lead into crucial series

Manager: John Farrell (4^th season)

Record: 85-64

Last 10 games: 7-3

Who to watch: 2B Dustin Pedroia (.324 average with 189 hits); DH David Ortiz (.317 average with 34 HR, 116 RBIs); RF Mookie Betts (.314 average with 30 HR, 106 RBIs); SS Hanley Ramirez (28 HR with 150 hits); RHP Rick Porcello (20-4, 3.12 ERA); RHP David Price (16-8, 3.91 ERA).

Season series vs. Orioles: 7-8

Pitching probables:

September 19: RHP Rick Porcello vs. RHP Dylan Bundy, 7:05 p.m., MASN
September 20: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez vs. RHP Kevin Gausman, 7:05 p.m., MASN
September 21: RHP Clay Buchholz vs. RHP Yovani Gallardo, 7 p.m., MASN
September 22: RHP David Price vs. RHP Ubaldo Jimenez, 7:05 p.m., MASN

Inside the Red Sox:

Four games between two teams separated by just three. Control of the American League East with less than 15 games to go. A future Hall of Famer's final stop in one of baseball's finest ballparks.

This series is going to be good.

For the final time in 2016 - at least during the regular season - the Orioles and Red Sox will face off with so much at stake. It's hard to imagine this matchup being bigger than their meeting just one week ago, but here we are with both teams vying for the division title and the Blue Jays not far behind. Last week's series in Boston saw the Orioles take two of three, but a sweep of the Yankees over the weekend has the Red Sox bringing a three-game cushion into tonight's series opener.

The pitching staff has been impressive, but as hard as it is to fathom, it's Boston's offense that continues to put up ridiculous numbers. Right fielder Mookie Betts has blossomed in his second full season in the majors, hitting .314 with 30 home runs and a team-high 197 hits, while veteran Dustin Pedroia leads the Red Sox with a .324 average to go along with 34 doubles and 98 runs scored. It was easy to write off shortstop Hanley Ramirez after a forgettable few seasons with the Marlins and Dodgers, but his return to the city where his major league career began has given Ramirez a sense of rejuvenation. The 32-year-old has 28 home runs on the season, including a pair of longballs in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Yankees. There's also David Ortiz, who will likely play his final games at Camden Yards after a career to which even the most anti-Boston fans have to tip their cap. Ortiz is making his final campaign one to remember with a .317 average and 34 home runs. There's been no word on whether the Orioles will have any parting gifts for Ortiz, similar to when Derek Jeter retired a few seasons ago, but it remains a possibility. How about a replica dugout phone in remembrance of the one that met the wrong end of Ortiz's bat in 2013? Just a thought.

American League Cy Young candidate Rick Porcello will start tonight's series opener, which could be in doubt due to a rainy forecast. Porcello, though, has had a marvelous season, amassing 20 wins with a 3.12 ERA. He's coming off of his first loss in eight starts, however, after being narrowly outdueled by Orioles pitcher Kevin Gausman. Still, Porcello allowed just one earned run in that start and is in the midst of a 10-game quality start streak. Eduardo Rodriguez faces his former team Tuesday night. Rodriguez hasn't won a start since July 16 against the Yankees, but is 1-1 in three starts against the O's this season. In those three starts, the left-hander has had mixed results, allowing two, five and zero earned runs respectively. It's been an up and down season for right-hander Clay Buchholz, who is 7-10 on the year. He spent much of the summer out of the Red Sox bullpen while battling an elbow injury, but has made a solid return to the starting rotation, going 2-0 with a 5.17 ERA. David Price hasn't lost since August 7 and has pitched at least six innings in each of those starts. He faced the Orioles on September 12 and allowed just two hits in a 12-2 romp, but eeked out a win in his last outing against the Yankees, issuing five earned runs, his highest total since July 23.

Craig Kimbrel is continuing to have a successful inaugural season in Boston, picking up his 27^th save Sunday night and lowering his ERA to 2.66. The bullpen also features former Oriole Koji Uehara, who after posting a 7.56 ERA in June, has yet to allow a run in six appearances in September.