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Red Sox look to maintain AL East lead

Aug 10, 2007 - 1:34 PM Boston (69-45) at Baltimore (52-61) 7:05 pm EDT

BALTIMORE (Ticker) -- The Boston Red Sox may not be slumping, but their division lead is starting to vanish.

Mike Lowell looks to help the Red Sox hold their American League East advantage when they visit the Baltimore Orioles on Friday in the opener of a three-game series.

Boston had a nine-game advantage over the New York Yankees two weeks ago and have posted 5-5 record since then but have seen their lead in the AL East reduced to six games.

Lowell is currently on an eight-game hitting streak, going 12-for-32 (.375) with four RBI over that stretch. The 33-year-old Lowell is batting .311 with 15 home runs and 77 RBI this season.

Boston will send Daisuke Matsuzaka (13-8, 3.70) to the mound. The Japanese righthander hurled seven solid innings in a 4-3 triumph over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday, yielding two runs with a career-high 10 strikeouts.

Matsuzaka will be opposed by Orioles ace Erik Bedard (12-4, 3.09), who has been one of baseball's best pitchers over the last two months.

The major league leader with 192 strikeouts, Bedard has won each of his last six starts and is 8-0 over his last nine outings. The lefthander owns a 1.93 ERA since the All-Star break and a 2.53 ERA since June 1.

Bedard has faced the powerful Red Sox only once this season, when he logged six solid innings to lead Baltimore to a 5-3 victory in Boston on July 31.