The Boston Red Sox salvaged the finale of a three-game series in emphatic fashion Wednesday, scoring three runs in the third and five more in the fourth en route to a 10-1 demolition of the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.
GAME IN A WORD
Double-barreled.
While they didn’t exactly require a masterful pitching performance on a night with so much offense, the Red Sox nonetheless received one from Henry Owens. The rookie left-hander turned in the best outing of his young career, tossing 7 2/3 scoreless innings to pick up his third major league win.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
The Red Sox plated five runs in the fourth inning — including three on Dustin Pedroia’s second home run of the night — to open up a commanding 9-0 lead.
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ON THE BUMP
— Facing the Orioles for the first time, Owens faced the minimum through the first three innings, allowing one hit but following it up with double play. His lone danger inning came in the sixth, when he worked around two singles to strand two runners in scoring position.
Owens allowed six hits, didn’t walk a batter, struck out four and exited with a runner on first and two men out in the eighth.
— Newly acquired right-hander Roman Mendez made his Red Sox debut in relief of Owens. He allowed a single on the first pitch he thew but got the next batter to ground out to end the inning.
— The Orioles plated their lone run in the bottom of the ninth. With Ryan Cook on to pitch, Junior Lake reached on an error by first baseman Travis Shaw and scored on an RBI groundout. Cook also allowed a single and walked a batter before recording the final out.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— David Ortiz got the Red Sox on the board in the second with a solo homer off O’s starter Mike Wright. It was Ortiz’s 501st career home run and his 35th this season, making him the first Boston hitter ever to hit 35 in a season six times.
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The veteran slugger also became just the fourth player in major league history to record a 35-home run season at age 39 or older, joining Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron and Steve Finley.
— The Red Sox tacked on three more in the third, with Pedroia depositing another Wright offering into the seats. Jackie Bradley Jr. walked to lead off the inning and scored on a Brock Holt single, and Pedroia followed with a two-run homer two batters later to make it 5-0 Sox.
— Deven Marrero and Brock Holt also notched RBI singles in the fourth to go along with Pedroia’s three-run bomb.
— Allen Craig smacked a pinch-hit, RBI double in the eighth, driving in Marrero with Boston’s 10th run. It was Craig’s first extra-base hit of the season and his first RBI since May 1.
Marrero, who started at shortstop for the first time in his major league career, went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.
TWEET OF THE GAME
UP NEXT
The Red Sox head north of the border to begin a three-game series with the American League East-leading Toronto Blue Jays. Rick Porcello and Marcus Stroman are the scheduled starters for Friday’s opener.
Thumbnail photo via Evan Habeeb/USA TODAY Sports Images
