Orioles - 200 014 200 - 9 13 0 Red Sox - 002 001 200 - 5 6 2With two exciting wins (featuring a total of six late-inning runs) at their backs, the Red Sox did an about-face on Saturday afternoon, playing an extremely sloppy game and dropping their record to 5-10.
They handed out eight walks, including five from Rick Porcello (4-6-3-5-2, 90). They made two errors, and had several other balls go under/off gloves, or be bobbled or bounce away. They also tossed two wild pitches and had a caught stealing. And Chris Davis ended his record streak of futility at 54 at-bats on Boston's watch, hitting two doubles and a single and driving in four runs.
Six Boston pitchers faced 48 batters, a season-high, and combined to throw 189 pitches, the most of any game this year - although they did throw 187 in eight innings in the 12-4 Opening Day loss in Seattle - and 47 more than the Orioles threw. Baltimore collected 13 hits and eight walks and had a total of 25 baserunners. It's a minor miracle the Orioles scored only nine runs.
Porcello threw 24 pitches in the first inning, giving up a double and two walks before Davis lined a two-run single over the shift and into right field with two outs. After slapping his hands together in triumph, he motioned for the Red Sox to toss the ball into the third base dugout - a souvenir for the mantelpiece.
Porcello upped his pitch count to 51 through two innings, walking two more in the second and leaving the bases loaded. He retired the Orioles in order on only eight pitches in the third, but that was an extreme outlier.
Meanwhile, Andrew Cashner (5-3-3-3-2, 81) walked Rafael Devers on four pitches and watched a Christian Vazquez blasted his 3-1 pitch over the Wall for a two-run dong and a 2-2 tie.
Porcello stranded men at first and third in the fourth, but was pulled after giving up two singles to Renato Nunez and Rio Ruiz to start the fifth. Heath Hembree gave up a first-pitch double to Davis that scored one run and he appeared to hit Hanser Alberto with his next pitch. The Red Sox challenged the call and it was overturned, as replays showed the inside pitch had actually, despite Alberto's yelping and waving of his hand around, hit the bat knob. Hembree took advantage and retired Alberto and the following two hitters.
Colten Brewer took over in the sixth - and this is where the game turned. Jonathan Villar walked. Trey Mancini singled. Dwight Smith walked. Nunez singled (4-2). Ruiz singled (6-2). Marcus Walden then allowed an inherited runner to score, and Baltimore led 7-3.
But the Red Sox were not quite ready to give up. Andrew Benintendi led off the sixth with a double to left-center and went to third on Mookie Betts's single. Jimmy Yacabonis relieved Cashner and got Mitch Moreland to hit into a double play. A run scored, but there were now two outs and then J.D. Martinez ended the rally with a groundout to the catcher.
Boston made two errors in the seventh (an errant pick-off throw by Walden and a ball that Steve Pearce could not properly backhand at first) and the Orioles tacked on two more runs.
The Red Sox's last gasp came after the stretch. After two were out, Devers singled to center and Dustin Pedroia walked. Vazquez doubled off the wall, scoring both runners. Tanner Scott took over and had trouble finding the plate. He walked Benintendi on four pitches and went to 3-1 on Mookie Betts. It seemed somewhat far-fetched, but the potential tying run was on-deck.
However, Betts skied the ball to right-center. Mancini could not locate the ball with the sun in his eyes, but Cedric Mullins ran over and made the catch. Then the Red Sox gave up. ... Mychal Givens closed out the game, striking out four of his five batters, including Vazquez on a called strike three.
Benintendi, LF
Betts, CF
Moreland, DH
Martinez, RF
Bogaerts, SS
Pearce, 1B
Devers, 3B
Pedroia, 2B
Vázquez, C
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