Jon Lester

The Red Sox will wind up their nine-game road trip in Baltimore on Thursday as they throw their ace, Jon Lester, against Brad Bergesen. After a very successful West Coast swing in Oakland and Anaheim, where the Sox won 5-of-6, they have struggled in dropping the first two games of the series to the Orioles. If anyone can break the two-game skid against the O’s, it’s Lester.

Lester has dominated Baltimore throughout his career, going 13-0 with a 2.33 ERA in 16 starts. He also has won his last 13 starts against Baltimore, which is the longest active wining streak for any pitcher against any club. Lester has 87 total strikeouts against the O’s — his second-highest strikeout total against any team — and is a very impressive 6-0 with a 2.50 ERA at Camden Yards.

With Lester’s command over the Orioles throughout his career, there have been few offensive bright spots for the Orioles in games which he has pitched. Nick Markakis, Brian Roberts and Adam Jones have the most experience against Lester but also have the most strikeouts with 22 combined. The most successful Oriole has been young catcher Matt Wieters. Hitting .381, he is the only Oriole with more than eight plate appearances to be hitting above .300 against Lester.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Bergesen is off to a rocky start in 2011. In his last outing Bergesen allowed six runs over six innings against the Yankees on Saturday as he suffered his third loss of the season. Bergesen is 0-3 with a 5.40 ERA and has failed to pitch past the sixth inning in any of his three starts. Look for the Red Sox to get into the bullpen early, as Bergesen’s pitch count tends to rise very quickly.

With Bergesen’s tendency to give up the long ball — he’s given up at least one in each of his starts this season — Boston’s power hitters will look to take advantage. J.D. Drew may be the most likely candidate to hit one deep, as he is hitting .368 off Bergesen with two home runs. Also keep an eye on Dustin Pedroia and Carl Crawford. While they both have limited at-bats against Bergesen, they’ve combined for three doubles, one home run and three RBI.

Red Sox vs. Bergesen

Marco Scutaro (21): .316/.333/.421, 2 doubles, 2 RBI, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts

J.D. Drew (19): .368/.368/.737, 1 double, 2 home runs, 4 RBI, 1 strikeout

David Ortiz (17):  .235/.235/.412, 1 home run, 3 RBI, 3 strikeouts

Kevin Youkilis (12): .182/.250/.182, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts

Dustin Pedroia (10): .444/.500/.556, 1 doule, 1 RBI, 1 walk

Carl Crawford (9): .500/.556/1.125, 2 doubles, 1 home run, 2 RBI, 1 walk

Jed Lowrie (9): .167/.333/.333, 1 double, 1 RBI, 2 walks, 1 strikeout

Jacoby Ellsbury (7): .286/.286/.429, 1 double

Jason Varitek (6): .167/.167/.167, 1 RBI, 2 strikeouts

Darnell McDonald (5): .200/.200/.200, 2 strikeouts

Jarrod Saltalamacchia (2): 1.000/1.000/1.000, 2 singles

Mike Cameron and Adrian Gonzalez have not faced Bergesen.

Orioles vs. Lester

Nick Markakis (48 carer plate appearances): .217 BA/.250 OBP/.326 SLG, 5 doubles, 1 RBI, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts

Brian Roberts (39): .257/.333/.514, 6 doubles, 1 home run, 1 RBI, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts

Adam Jones (34): .233/.324/.267, 1 double, 3 RBI, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts

Matt Wieters (21): .381/.381/.429, 1 double, 2 RBI, 6 strikeouts

Vladimir Guerrero (18): .250/.333/.313, 1 double, 1 RBI, 2 walks, 1 strikeout

Cesar Izturis (12): .273/.333/.273, 1 RBI, 2 strikeouts

Felix Pie (8): .375/.375/.625, 2 doubles, 1 RBI, 2 strikeouts

Luke Scott (8): .000/.000/.000, 3 strikeouts

Robert Andino (4): .750/.750/.750, 3 singles

Jake Fox (3): .000/.000/.000, 1 strikeout

Mark Reynolds (3): .000/.333/.000, 1 strikeout

Derek Lee has not faced Lester.