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Red Sox turn to Rodriguez in opener with Orioles

Jun 9, 2015 - 2:18 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Eduardo Rodriguez looks to continue his torrid start to his big league career on Tuesday night when the Boston Red Sox enter Camden Yards to begin a three-game set with the Baltimore Orioles.

Rodriguez has made two career starts and is 2-0 with a dazzling 0.61 ERA. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he is the first pitcher of MLB's modern era (since 1900) to pitch seven innings in each of his first two starts while allowing as few as three hits and one earned run.

"We have the vantage point of getting to know the person in addition to the pitcher, and he's got great aptitude, he's intelligent, in addition to the physical abilities that he demonstrates," Red Sox manager John Farrell said on Wednesday after Rodriguez silenced the Minnesota Twins' bats. "He's a special kid."

Of course, the Orioles are plenty familiar with Rodriguez. The club signed him as an amateur free agent in 2010 and then last year dealt him to Boston for Andrew Miller at the trade deadline.

The Red Sox were idle on Monday, a day after they plated seven runs in the eighth inning against Oakland to claim a 7-4 victory and sweep the three-game home set against the A's. The offense tallied eight hits in that decisive eighth frame, marking the first time this season the Red Sox overcame a deficit of more than three runs.

Miguel Gonzalez gets the nod for Baltimore. The right-hander gave up three home runs -- all of the solo variety -- in his last start at Houston to drop to 5-4. Gonzalez allowed only one other hit across his 6 2/3 innings of work, as he did manage to strike out eight batters while walking none. But his counterpart in that one, Houston's Lance McCullers, fanned 11 and went the distance.

"Miguel was good, he made three mistakes all night," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of Gonzalez. "Not much margin for error, and you can say that about a few nights."

The 31-year-old Gonzalez has faced the Red Sox twice already this season, including a win on April 19.

Baltimore is back home after wrapping up a 3-4 road trip that began in Houston and ended Sunday in Cleveland. The Orioles dropped the first three games of that trip but finished strong, winning three of their last four games.

They claimed a 7-3 victory over the Indians in Sunday's rubber match of that series. Starter Bud Norris was solid in his first start since May 10, as he worked five innings and allowed just one run on four hits with seven strikeouts. He had spent the past several weeks on the disabled list due to a bout with bronchitis.

Baltimore owns a slim 4-3 edge in the head-to-head series with Boston so far this season.