Boston Red Sox

Price hopes to 'get better' as Red Sox, Orioles clash (Jun 03, 2017)

Published Jun. 3, 2017 1:03 a.m. ET

BALTIMORE -- David Price will make his second start of the season for the Boston Red Sox and the 250 of his career Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles, and the Red Sox are certainly happy to have one of their aces back.

Price (0-0, 5.40) missed most of the first two months of the season due to elbow issues. He made his first start of the season May 29 against the White Sox, lasting five innings and giving up three runs on two hits.

"Honestly, I don't think I threw a single pitch at 99 percent. Everything's 100 percent," Price said of his season debut. "I haven't gotten to that point in my career yet where I taper off of certain pitches. My health is not in my mind. I feel healthy. Just go out there and get better."

He will take on the Orioles' Dylan Bundy (6-3, 2.89) in the third game of a four-game series at Camden Yards -- a place that Price has fared well in. The left-hander is 6-0 with a 3.14 ERA in 10 career starts at the ballpark.

Price is 11-5 with a 2.88 ERA in his career against the Orioles.

Bundy, meanwhile, has been the Orioles' best pitcher this year. He earned a spot in the starting rotation in the second part of 2016 and has fared well since.

The right-hander has taken it to another level this year. He lost two in a row before beating the Yankees 3-2 in his last start. Bundy has given the Orioles quality starts in all but one of his outings this season.

Bundy is 3-3 with a 4.39 career ERA against the Red Sox. He has pitched in 10 games versus Boston, more than against any other team.

The Orioles (29-24) have won the first two games of this series and also are on a three-game winning streak. They benefited from strong performances from their starting pitchers both times.

Alec Asher gave them 6 1/3 good innings in a 3-2 victory over the Red Sox on Friday. Asher rebounded from a poor start at Houston last Sunday (six runs in two innings) and shut down Boston (29-25), giving up two runs on three hits.

In addition, the Orioles' pitchers have walked just one batter in each of the first two games of the series with Boston, something manager Buck Showalter is very happy with.

"It's a big factor, especially in the American League with the power," Showalter said. "If you don't walk anybody, and you catch the baseball, more times than not you look at that error column and there's not many walks in that ballgame."

The Red Sox placed starter Eduardo Rodriguez (right knee subluxation) on the disabled list Friday. Rodriguez started and was the losing pitcher in Baltimore's 7-5 victory over Boston on Thursday, and the left-hander apparently injured his knee when slipping and falling warming up prior to the game.

The Red Sox will not need another starting pitcher in that spot until next Saturday, and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said before the game that young lefty Brian Johnson might get the call.