G13: Red Sox 7, Orioles 3

Orioles - 100 000 200 - 3  9  0
Red Sox - 411 001 00x - 7 11  0

Eduardo Nunez's three-run homer snapped a 1-1 tie in the first inning - and that was enough runs for the Red Sox to post another victory. Boston's 11-2 record ties the franchise record - set in 1918 - for best record after 13 games.

Orioles starter Chris Tillman came in with an 8.68 ERA and after allowing seven hits and two walks and six runs in 2+ innings (57 pitches) he he departed with a 11.91 ERA. After Baltimore had scored in the top of the first, Mookie Betts drew a five-pitch walk and went to second when Andrew benintendi grounded back to the mound. Mitch Moreland singled and J.D. Martinez brought Betts in with a sac fly to center. Rafael Devers (3-for-5, 2 runs) lined an opposite field double towards the left field corner, with Moreland stopping at third. Nunez then cracked a 1-1 pitch into the Monster Seats.

Tzu-Wei Lin and Betts had back-to-back doubles in the second, giving the Red Sox a 5-1 lead. Tillman loaded the bases with no outs in the third - surrendering singles to Devers and Nunez and hitting Jackie Bradley with a 2-1 pitch. Pedro Araujo's first pitch to Christian Vazquez eluded catcher Caleb Joseph and Devers scored on the passed ball. Vazquez worked a 10-pitch walk, reloading the bases, but it was a LOB-otomy as Lin, Betts, and Benintendi squandered the opportunity.

In the past week, the Red Sox have been scoring early and often:

0407 vs TBR: 4 runs in 1st, 4 runs in 2nd              - 8-2 after 2 innings - win 10-3
0410 vs NYY: 1 run in 1st, 3 runs in 2nd               - 4-0 after 2 innings - win 14-1
0412 vs NYY: 4 runs in 2nd, 2 runs in 3rd              - 6-0 after 3 innings - win  6-3
0413 vs BAL: 4 runs in 1st, 1 run in 2nd, 1 run in 3rd - 6-1 after 3 innings - win  7-3

Eduardo Rodriguez (6-5-1-2-8, 104) was solid, striking out the side in the second and two men in both the fourth and fifth. Manny Machado had a two-run double off Heath Hembree in the seventh. Joe Kelly got a rousing ovation (he said it was "freaking badass") and pitched a clean eighth on nine pitches. Matt Barnes gave up a two-out single in the ninth, but got the final out on Trey Mancini's fielder's choice to shortstop.

The 27 runs the Red Sox scored against the Yankees was the most in a three-game series against the MFY since August 21-23, 2009 (29 runs: 11-20, 14-1, 4-8).

The Red Sox have hit three grand slams this season. Actually, they were hit in a four-game span: Xander Bogaerts on April 7 (Rays), Betts on April 10 (Yankees), J.D. Martinez on April 11 (Yankees). The Red Sox say the last time the team hit three grand slams in a four-game period was in 1925. (Why can't the media department give the 1925 dates? They must know them. Anyway, I looked at the 1925 schedule at BRef, but I don't see where it could have happened.)

The Red Sox have won 18 of their last 21 extra-inning games, including the last nine.

Chris Tillman / Eduardo Rodriguez

Betts, RF
Benintendi, LF
Moreland, 1B
Martinez, DH
Devers, 3B
Nunez, 2B
Bradley, CF
Vazquez, C
Lin, SS

BOS  10  2  ---
TOR   8  5  2.5
NYY   6  7  4.5
BAL   5  8  5.5
TBR   3  9  7.0

The Orioles are 5-8, so the Red Sox will not be challenged by a competent team until next Tuesday in Anaheim.

The Red Sox (12 games) and the Yankees (13 games) have scored the same amount of runs this season (69), but the Red Sox have allowed 31 fewer runs (40-71).

The headline on Joel Sherman's column in the Post now reads: "This Painful Yankees Malaise Can't Last Much Longer". ... Why can't it? It might not, but it certainly could. And what constitutes "much longer"? Three games? 25? 149?

David Price will not miss his next scheduled start next Tuesday night. Price left Wednesday's game after one inning with a lack of feeling in his fingertips.

Bradford Doolittle, ESPN:

Ohtani has already done things we have never seen. Even Babe Ruth never had an eight-day stretch when he won two games as a starter and hit three home runs at the plate. Ohtani accomplished that within the first 10 games of his career. He has struck out 18 batters, walked two and leads the majors with a 0.462 WHIP. The WHIP figure ranks fourth all time among players with at least 13 innings pitched. At the plate, he has an OPS+ of 236. No one with a minimum of Ohtani's 29 plate appearances has a better career mark. No one! Chew on that combination of numbers for a minute.

7 games as DH: .346/.414/.769 (1.183 OPA, 3 home runs, 11 RBI)
2 games as Pitcher: 13 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 18 K (1.72 ERA, 0.462 WHIP)