Ryan McKenna stays in left field tonight as the Orioles continue their series with the Red Sox in the penultimate home game of 2021. Austin Hays is in right. Trey Mancini is the designated hitter. Pat Valaika is playing second base and Richie Martin is the shortstop. Catcher Pedro Severino has a seven-game hitting streak, one short of his career high in 2018. He's batting .385 (10-for-26) during the streak, with one double, one home run, five RBIs, three walks and two runs scored. Rookie...

Ryan McKenna stays in left field tonight as the Orioles continue their series with the Red Sox in the penultimate home game of 2021.

Austin Hays is in right. Trey Mancini is the designated hitter.

Pat Valaika is playing second base and Richie Martin is the shortstop.

Catcher Pedro Severino has a seven-game hitting streak, one short of his career high in 2018. He's batting .385 (10-for-26) during the streak, with one double, one home run, five RBIs, three walks and two runs scored.

Rookie left-hander Zac Lowther is making his final appearance tonight, and his sixth start, before venturing into the offseason. He's registered a 7.66 ERA and 1.662 WHIP in 24 2/3 innings.

Lowther is averaging 10.2 hits, 4.7 walks and 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings. He's started twice against the Red Sox and allowed 10 runs and 12 hits in 5 2/3 innings.

The Red Sox counter by sending All-Star Nathan Eovaldi to the mound. He's 10-9 with a 3.88 ERA and 1.202 WHIP in 31 starts and is averaging 1.7 walks, 9.6 strikeouts and 0.8 home runs per nine innings.

Eovaldi has made 14 career starts against the Orioles and gone 6-2 with a 4.06 ERA and 1.465 WHIP in 71 innings.

Hays is 5-for-13 against Eovaldi. Cedric Mullins, named Most Valuable Oriole earlier today, is 5-for-17 with seven strikeouts. Ryan Mountcastle is 4-for-7.

Mountcastle's 32 home runs this season lead all rookies. His 86 RBIs rank second and are tied with Ron Hansen (1960) for the fourth-most in a season by an Orioles rookie.

The Red Sox have lost four games in a row and are a half-game ahead of the Mariners for the second wild card. They're 39-37 on the road and 10-51 when scoring four runs or fewer.

Hunter Renfroe has a nine-game hitting streak.

For the Orioles
Cedric Mullins CF
Ryan Mountcastle 1B
Austin Hays RF
Trey Mancini DH
Pedro Severino C
Ryan McKenna LF
Pat Valaika 2B
Kelvin Gutiérrez 3B
Richie Martin SS

Zac Lowther LHP

For the Red Sox
Enrique Hernández CF
Hunter Renfroe RF
Rafael Devers 3B
Xander Bogaerts SS
J.D. Martinez DH
Bobby Dalbec 1B
Kevin Plawecki C
Alex Verdugo LF
José Iglesias 2B

Nathan Eovaldi RHP

The Orioles will go with a bullpen game Friday night in Toronto, perhaps with Thomas Eshelman taking the ball first.

Bruce Zimmermann is expected to start Sunday's season finale.