September 19, 2016

G150: Red Sox 5, Orioles 2

Red Sox - 002 030 000 - 5  9  0
Orioles - 000 100 010 - 2  4  1
Rick Porcello (9-4-2-0-7, 89) pitched his third complete game of the season as the Red Sox won their fifth straight game. Mookie Betts and David Ortiz hit two-run homers as Boston opened up a four-game lead in the AL East. It was the 11th consecutive start Porcello has thrown seven innings or more while allowing three earned runs or fewer.

After stranding three men on base in the first two innings, Boston broke through against Dylan Bundy (5-6-5-2-3, 99) in the third. Xander Bogaerts lined a one-out single to right and Betts cracked a home run to left. It was his eighth dong at Camden Yards this season; he has only six homers in all other road parks combined. It's the most homers in a season by a visiting player since the Orioles moved to Baltimore in 1954.

Porcello retired the first 11 Orioles (on only 30 pitches!) and was in complete command throughout. Baltimore's first base runner of the night was Manny Machado, who was hit by a pitch with two outs in the fourth. He seemed to think the HBP was intentional, and he and Porcello traded words. (Why Porcello would hit a man on purpose to break up a perfect game bid and bring the majors' leading HR hitter to the plate as the tying run is something only Machado can answer.) Mark Trumbo followed with a double off the base of the right field wall and Machado scored easily.

Boston expanded their lead in the fifth. Andrew Benintendi doubled over Adam Jones's head in center and scored on Dustin Pedroia's single to left. After Bogaerts flied out, Ortiz golfed his 35th home run to deep right.

Jones homered in the eighth to close out the scoring.

NESN had a timely shot of Ortiz untucking his uniform shirt after Porcello recorded the second out in the ninth. Clearly, the third out was a mere formality and Flo had to get ready for the post-game celebration. ... In addition to his homer, Betts also walked twice. ... Pedroia and Jackie Bradley each had two hits.

Porcello's pitches by inning: 8-7-7 14-12-14 8-9-10. Of Porcello's 89 pitches, 65 were strikes. He went to a three-ball count only once: Trumbo in the sixth, Porcello's 22nd batter of the game. He went to two balls on only five other hitters.
Rick Porcello / Dylan Bundy
Pedroia, 2B
Bogaerts, SS
Ortiz, DH
Betts, RF
Ramirez, 1B
Leon, C
Holt, 3B
Bradley, CF
Benintendi, LF
The Red Sox, fresh off their decimation of the Yankees' postseason hopes and dreams, head to Baltimore to wreck the October aspirations of another hated rival.

It's the first stop on a three-city, 10-game road trip (four at Orioles, three at Rays, three at Yankees), after which the Red Sox end the regular season with three games against the Blue Jays.

In his last 19 games, Hanley Ramirez has a 1.355 OPS (.405/.463/.892) and 11 home runs.

Boston's magic number for winning the AL East is 11 with 13 games to play. ... Also: Blue Jays/Mariners.
BOS --- 
BAL 3.0
TOR 4.0

1 comment:

FenFan said...

If Boston goes .500 (6-6) between now and the end of the season, Baltimore or Toronto would need to finish 11-1 to win the division.

Magic number is nine for the division and six for a postseason spot.

Based on Pythagorean W-L theorem, Boston should be 91-59 (+5), Toronto 83-67 (+1), Baltimore 77-73 (-5), and New York 72-77 (-5).