Well that didn’t work out too well.
The Boston Red Sox, who had just gotten back to .500 on Monday, tried to adjust their roster last night and frowned big time. After activating Kevin Youkilis from the DL, manager Bobby Valentine left Will Middlebrooks at third, shifted Youk to first and put Adrian Gonzalez in right field for the first time in his career. The result: two hits and a return to the sub-.500 club. It’s the third time this year Boston lost an attempt to get over .500.
It couldn’t have come at a worse time, either. The Baltimore Orioles, who lead the division, split the series with the 4-1 win on Tuesday with two more home runs and will try to take the series tonight in the rubber match. Baltimore swept the Red Sox earlier this year and continue to roll with a dependable pitching staff.
The Orioles, which lead the league in home runs, also got 12 strikeouts from its pitching staff and Jim Johnson got his league-leading 16th save.
Adam Jones drove his hitting streak to 14 games, but is a longshot to get more than 2 1/2 combined hits, runs and RBI according to Bovada’s Orioles vs. Red Sox Player Props.
“Every night is someone different,” reliever Steve Tolleson told the team’s official website after hitting his first homer with Baltimore. “… It’s a lot of fun to be in this clubhouse right now.”
Youkilis’ return to the lineup may have created some fielding problems but not offensive. In his first game since April 29, Youkilis scored his team’s only run with a solo home run, and Gonzalez had the other hit.
“That’s as good a swing as I’ve seen Youk have,” Valentine said. “Center field power. That was a good sight.”
The Red Sox will continue their Josh Bard experiment tonight, giving him the 
ball after losing three of his last four starts. He’s walked 13 batters in his last 18 innings, while striking out just six.
He will square off against Jake Arrieta, who has struggled against Boston, giving up just under six runs per meeting against them in three starts. Gonzalez and David Ortiz are a combined 7 for 12 against Arrieta.
Boston is favored by 1 1/2 runs, according to Bovada’s Orioles vs. Red Sox Betting Lines.