Red Sox  9    Orioles  3

Boston Red Sox (88-59) at Baltimore Orioles (60-88), 1:35 p.m.

Sports Network | September 20, 2009

(Sports Network) - Daisuke Matsuzaka tries to follow up a brilliant performance in his last trip to the hill this afternoon when the Boston Red Sox complete their three-game set with the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.

Matsuzaka made his first start in more than three months on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and scattered three hits over six scoreless innings to win for just the second time this season.

The 29-year-old right-hander, who had been sidelined since mid-June with "weakness in his shoulder", is 2-5 on the season with a 7.02 earned run average.

Matsuzaka is 2-1 in five starts versus the Orioles with a 4.72 ERA.

Boston continued to dominate the Orioles on Saturday, as J.D. Drew went 3- for-5 with a homer, drove in four runs and scored twice to lead the Red Sox to an 11-5 victory.

Jon Lester (14-7) won his fourth straight start and is unbeaten in his last 11 outings (6-0) after going six-plus frames and giving up three runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts.

David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis both had an RBI and scored twice for the Red Sox, who have won two in a row, nine of 10 overall and 15 of 17 from the O's this season. Mike Lowell and Josh Reddick each drove in a pair of runs, with Reddick and Brian Anderson both homering in the contest.

With the win, the Sox stayed six games behind the AL East-leading Yankees, who beat Seattle later Saturday, and dropped their magic number to nine games over Texas to clinch the AL wild card.

David Hernandez lasted six innings and gave up three runs on seven hits to get a no-decision.

"You're encouraged by how Hernandez threw," said Baltimore manager Dave Trembley. "Obviously, you're disappointed that you lost and you're disappointed that you lost in the fashion you did. The game got out of hand after he left."

Ty Wigginton had a pair of solo homers and Matt Wieters went 3-for-5 with an RBI for the Orioles, who have dropped three straight and five of seven overall. Melvin Mora and Felix Pie both stroked solo homers in the setback.

Today, Baltimore will pin its hopes on rookie right-hander Jason Berken, who has won his last three decisions and is unbeaten in his last five starts. Berken's most recent win came on Tuesday against Tampa Bay, as he allowed five runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 frames to improve to 5-11 to go along with a 6.08 ERA.

Berken is 0-2 in his three starts against the Red Sox this season and has surrendered 13 earned runs in 11 2/3 innings of those outings.

Boston has won seven of the eight matchups held in Camden Yards between these teams this season and over the last 28 meetings between the divisional foes, the Red Sox have won 24 times.