BOSTON — The Baltimore Orioles continue to own the Red Sox.
The Red Sox, who snapped a six-game losing streak against the Orioles on Wednesday night, stumbled back into the loss column in Thursday afternoon’s series finale. The O’s rode a 14-hit attack to an 8-6 win over the Sox, giving Baltimore two victories in the teams’ three-game set at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox racked up 12 hits and showed some fight after falling into a five-run hole. The end result wasn’t what Boston was hoping for, though, especially on the heels of Wednesday’s win and the pregame news that second baseman Dustin Pedroia had been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right hamstring strain.
GAME IN A WORD
Nosedive.
Eduardo Rodriguez began his afternoon with three perfect innings in which he struck out five. The rookie left-hander crashed and burned in the fourth inning, though. He allowed seven consecutive hits, including a two-run homer, as the Orioles opened a 6-1 lead, and he never made it out of the frame.
The Red Sox didn’t go quietly. Alejandro De Aza yanked a three-run homer around Pesky’s Pole in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Sox also scored two runs in the seventh inning after the O’s rebuilt a four-run advantage. But playing catch-up proved too much for Boston.
IT WAS OVER WHEN …
Chris Davis doubled home Nolan Reimold in the seventh inning to give the Orioles an 8-4 lead.
The Red Sox responded with two runs, as Xander Bogaerts plated Mookie Betts with an RBI double and scored on a wild pitch. The deficit proved too substantial, though, and the Orioles hung on for the victory by keeping the Sox’s bats in check over the final two innings.
ON THE BUMP
— Rodriguez offered a reminder he’s still 22 years old and developing. The fourth inning totally snowballed on him in a matter of minutes.
Chris Parmelee doubled with one out, giving the Orioles their first baserunner of the game. Reimold then dropped down a well-placed bunt that Rodriguez picked up and threw away, allowing Parmelee to score Baltimore’s first run.
Rodriguez immediately fell behind Matt Wieters 2-0 after the costly miscue. Wieters went the other way with Rodriguez’s third pitch for a go-ahead, two-run homer that compounded the southpaw’s issues.
Delmon Young, Davis, J.J. Hardy and Steve Pearce reached in sequence before Ryan Flaherty’s sacrifice fly knocked Rodriguez from the game with two outs in the fourth.
— Alexi Ogando yielded one hit over 1 1/3 innings. He hasn’t allowed a run over his last eight appearances, lowering his ERA to 3.13.
— Jonathan Aro, who was selected from Triple-A Pawtucket before the game, made his major league debut. The 24-year-old allowed one run on four hits while striking out two over 1 1/3 innings.
Manny Machado greeted Aro with an RBI single in the sixth inning, though the run was charged to Tommy Layne, who entered after Ogando. Aro allowed one run on two doubles in the seventh.
— Robbie Ross Jr. tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Jackie Bradley Jr. gunned down a runner at the plate in the ninth inning on a would-be sacrifice fly.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— De Aza’s fourth-inning home run was his first in a Red Sox uniform. The veteran outfielder, who was acquired from the Orioles earlier this month, had three with Baltimore this season before being traded.
— Mike Napoli reached base three times, which is extremely encouraging given how badly he has been struggling of late. The Red Sox need Napoli to heat up with Pedroia sidelined.
Napoli had a bloop double in the second inning, a single in the fourth and was hit by a pitch in the sixth. He also scored two runs.
— Betts extended his career-best hit streak to 12 games with a single in the seventh inning.
— Bogaerts had two hits, including an RBI double, while batting third. He drove a ball to the wall in left-center field in the seventh inning to plate Betts from first base.
— Blake Swihart had two hits in his return to the lineup after missing the last three games with a foot injury. The rookie catcher had an RBI single in his first at-bat back.
— Bradley, who was recalled from Pawtucket before the game, went 2-for-4. His fourth-inning single snapped an 0-for-30 stretch at the major league level dating to last season.
TWEET OF THE GAME
The kid’s still going to be good.
[tweet https://twitter.com/HighHeatStats/status/614168035411234819Â align=’center’%5D
UP NEXT
The Red Sox will travel to St. Petersburg for three games against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Rick Porcello, who has lost his last six starts for Boston, will face Alex Colome in the series opener.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
