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April 14, 2019

G16: Red Sox 4, Orioles 0

Orioles - 000 000 000 - 0  5  1
Red Sox - 000 100 03x - 4  7  1
David Price (7-3-0-0-7, 92) was The Man on Sunday afternoon. He allowed only three Orioles past first base, and no one touched third while he was on the mound. Xander Bogaerts doubled his RBI total for the year, driving in all four Red Sox runs with a sacrifice fly and a three-run homer.

Baltimore put its leadoff batter on base in four of Price's seven innings, and three times the runner was on second base. It didn't matter. Every door was slammed shut.

Renato Nunez singled to start the second. He stayed put, watching as two batters flied out to right and Chris Davis grounded to first. Price started the third with two strikeouts.

Joey Rickard reached second on Rafael Devers's throwing error in the fourth. Trey Mancini struck out and, on Price's first pitch to Nunez, Rickard tried stealing third. Christian Vazquez made an absolutely perfect throw and Rickard found himself sliding right into Devers's tag. Price then fanned Nunez.

Boston had squandered a first-and-third-no-out situation in the second inning when Dustin Pedroia flied to right and Eduardo Nunez grounded into a double play. A two-out double by Andrew Benintendi in the third went for naught. Earlier in his at-bat, Benintendi fouled a pitch off his right foot. He was in considerable pain, but walked around for a while and stayed in the game to finish his at-bat. Blake Swihart replaced him in left field in the top of the fourth.

Steve Pearce singled to right and went to third on J.D. Martinez's double. Bogaerts's fly to center brought in Pearce, but that was it. Pedroia hit into a 1-2-5-1-2 fielder's choice that erased Martinez. Nunez walked, but Devers grounded out.

Richie Martin doubled to left-center in the sixth. Cedric Mullins struck out looking on a low cutter, Jonathan Villar went down swinging, and Rickard lined out to third. Mancicni opened the seventh with a double, but Nunez flied to center, Hanser Alberto grounded back to the mound, and Jesus Sucre popped to first.

Ryan Brasier walked pinch-hitter Rio Ruiz with one out in the eighth. Mullins crushed a pitch towards the triangle, but Mookie Betts (in center today because Jackie Bradley had the flu) ran back to the garage door and made the catch. Villar grounded a single into center, sending Ruiz to third, but Dwight Smith, hitting for Rickard, sent a routine fly ball to Betts for the third out.

Boston added some padding to their 1-0 lead in the eighth. Betts singled off Paul Fry. Josh Lucas struck out Pearce, but Martinez singled to left and Bogaerts drove a 1-1 pitch into the wind to dead center. It landed on the black tarp that serves as the hitters' background for his second dong of the year.

Matt Barnes walked his first batter in the ninth and gave up a one-out single to Alberto. The runners advanced to second and third on Sucre's groundout to third. Chris Davis's luck did not extend to a second day as he looked at strike three.

In New York, Tim Anderson hit a grand slam off Masahiro Tanaka (after Tanaka walked two men to load the bases) as the Yankees blew a 2-0 lead and lost to the White Sox 5-2.
John Means / David Price
Pedroia, DH Benintendi, LF
Betts, RF Betts, CF
Pearce, 1B
Martinez, LF Martinez, RF
Bogaerts, SS
Núñez, 2B Pedroia, DH
Devers, 3B Núñez, 2B
Vázquez, C Devers, 3B
Bradley, CF Vázquez, C
The lineup was changed because Jackie Bradley has the flu.

In both of his starts this year, David Price has pitched six innings and allowed four runs. The Red Sox have lost both games.

John Means, a 25-year-old lefty, made his debut last season in Boston's 19-3 rout of the Orioles on September 26. He has pitched a total of 12 innings (5.25 ERA) and will be making his second career start.

From the Dept. of Show Some Originality, Dammit: Alex Cora refers to "Pearcey" and "Waldy" in this article.

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