They say hitting is contagious, and that surely was the case for the Red Sox on Friday.
Boston used 16 hits, including six home runs, to blowout the Baltimore Orioles 13-2 in the series opener at Camden Yards. Rafael Devers and J.D. Martinez each collected a team-high three hits.
Eduardo Rodriguez gave the Red Sox seven solid innings of one-run ball to collect his seventh win of the season.
With the win, Boston moved to 37-34, while Baltimore fell to 21-48.
Here’s how it all went down:
GAME IN A WORD
Homers.
This one speaks for itself.
ON THE BUMP
— The Orioles jumped on Rodriguez early, with Trey Mancini smoking a solo shot to left field for his 15th homer of the season.
Pedro Severino reached base with a two-out single in the inning, but the left-hander would strand him at first.
After escaping a bit of a jam in the second, Rodriguez settled down for a solid outing. He received some help in the sixth, with Jackie Bradley Jr. deflecting a home run back into the field of play. In the next at-bat, Martinez threw out Mancini at the plate to complete the inning-ending double play.
Rodriguez ultimately would allow six hits and one run with four strikeouts over seven innings of work.
— Travis Lakins retired the side in order in the eighth as the first reliever out of the ‘pen for Boston.
— Josh Smith came in the for the ninth and gave up a double and single to Anthony Santander and Chris Davis, respectively.
A high chopper from Keon Broxton scored Santander with two outs for the O’s second and final run of the night.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— Brock Holt jumped on the first pitch he saw Friday, roping a two-run bomb to right field to put the Red Sox on top 2-1 in the second inning.
— Boston was very patient with Luis Ortiz, drawing five walks through just 2 2/3 innings.
— Christian Vazquez pushed the Red Sox’s lead to 3-1 in the fourth by crushing a 443-foot solo shot to left. His eighth of the year was the longest home run of his career, according to MassLive’s Christopher Smith.
Bradley followed up Vazquez’s homer with a line drive double to extend his hit streak to five games. Eduardo Nunez lined out to center in the next at-bat, but that would be all for Ortiz after just 3 1/3 innings.
Michael Chavis singled to drive in Bradley, who scored on a great read off the first baseman’s hard-hit single to make it 4-1. Martinez collected Boston’s second homer of the inning with a two-out two-run shot, opening this one up 6-1.
— Bradley added to the home run parade in the fifth, picking up Boston’s fourth round-tripper of the night to make it 8-1, but they wouldn’t stop there.
Chavis picked up the Red Sox’s fifth homer of the evening, just 24 hours after Boston hit five against the Texas Rangers. This was a two-run shot to dead center for the club’s ninth and 10th runs.
But wait, there’s more!
Martinez added his second dinger of the night and the team’s third of the inning with a two-out solo shot to make it 11-1.
— The Sox loaded the bases in the sixth off singles from Holt and Vazquez, followed by a Chavis walk. Andrew Benintendi sawed off an inside pitch for a base hit down the left-field line, driving in two to make it 13-1.
— Every starter except Xander Bogaerts collected a hit in Friday’s win. Chavis, Benintendi, Martinez, Rafael Devers, Holt, Vazquez and Bradley all had multi-hit games.
TWEET OF THE GAME
This was a nice gesture from the Orioles.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox continue their series with the Orioles on Saturday at Camden Yards. First pitch is set for 4:05 p.m. ET.
