Orioles - 050 000 001 - 6 9 1 Red Sox - 020 010 000 - 3 9 0Drew Pomeranz threw 45 pitches in a seemingly endless second inning that saw him surrender three hits, two walks, and two home runs, a three-run shot to J.J. Hardy and a two-run blast to Nolan Reimold. After Pomeranz gave up a single to start the third, manager John Farrell yanked him. His line: 2-4-5-2-3, 63.
Boston came right back in the bottom of the inning, as Travis Shaw doubled with one out, Chris Young walked, and Jackie Bradley singled. Dylan Bundy (5.1-6-3-4-4, 95) then walked Ryan Hanigan to force in a run and walked Dustin Pedroia to bring home a second run. The Red Sox then promptly squandered their chances to close the gap as Xander Bogaerts struck out and David Ortiz grounded to first.
Bogaerts led off the fifth with a solo home run, but the Red Sox would get no closer. After the X-rated dong, Ortiz reached second on a single and an error, but the next three batters could not advance him. Boston wasted Young's leadoff walk in the sixth and Pedroia's leadoff single in the seventh. Sandy Leon stranded runners at first and second in the eighth. Zach Britton set the Red Sox down in order in the ninth.
The Rays beat the Blue Jays, so Boston's lead over both Baltimore and Toronto is two games.
Pedroia, 2BBoston's magic number for winning the AL East is 18. ... In the East: Dodgers/Yankees and Rays/Blue Jays.
Bogaerts, SS
Ortiz, DH
Betts, RF
Ramirez, 1B
Shaw, 3B
Young, LF
Bradley, CF
Hanigan, C
BOS --- TOR 2.0 BAL 3.0 MFY 5.0
Speier: "The Sox have the best rotation ERA in the American League (3.51) since the All-Star break. Their starters likewise lead the AL in Fielding Independent Pitching (3.75) and Wins Above Replacement (7.1), as calculated by Fangraphs."
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