G86: Red Sox 3, Orioles 2

Orioles - 002 000 000 - 2  5  1
Red Sox - 020 000 001 - 3  9  3

John Farrell's managerial moves worked to perfection in the bottom of the ninth. Jonny Gomes, pinch-hitting for Stephen Drew against lefty T.J. McFarland, reached on an infield single deep in the shortstop hole. Then David Ross bunted Gomes over to second, his first sacrifice in over a year. And a second pinch-hitter, Jonathan Herrera, batting for Jackie Bradley (who was 2-for-3), flared a broken-bat single to short right-center. Gomes tore around third, beating the throw easily with a long head-first slide, with the winning run.

Drew got the Red Sox on the board in the second with a solo home run. A second run scored on an infield error. Fielding miscues helped Baltimore tie the game in the third. A throwing error by Dustin Pedroia and a single put two Orioles on base. With two outs, and runners on second and third, Steve Pearce hit a ground ball to Xander Bogaerts at third. The ball skipped off his glove into left field, allowing both runners to score.

Both of the runs off Lester (8-5-2-0-7, 118) were unearned. Miguel Gonzalez (8-7-2-2-6, 113) nearly matched Lester pitch-for-pitch. Koji Uehara pitched the ninth for Boston.

Miguel Gonzalez / Jon Lester

Holt, RF
Nava, LF
Pedroia, 2B
Napoli, 1B
Pierzynski, DH
Bogaerts, 3B
Drew, SS
Ross, C
Bradley, CF

Game 1 of a day-night doubleheader against the first-place Orioles. Boston is 8 GB.