BOSTON — The Red Sox’s offense woke up way too late.
The Red Sox, who mustered up two runs through the first 26 innings of their three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park, exploded for five runs in the bottom of the ninth Wednesday before ultimately losing 10-6.
The Sox now head out on their final road trip of 2014. It’s a 10-game, three-city excursion that begins with four contests against the Kansas City Royals starting Thursday.
Let’s first break down Wednesday’s defeat.
— Brandon Workman surrendered six runs (five earned) in the third inning. Red Sox manager John Farrell turned to his bullpen after three frames, marking the shortest start of Workman’s major league career.
The Red Sox have lost each of Workman’s last 10 starts dating back to June 15.
“I still believe in myself 100 percent,” Workman said. “That doesn’t change after a bad outing or a couple bad outings or whatever. I know if I do what I need to do on the mound and execute my pitches that I’ll be fine. It just comes down to execution. I just haven’t been as sharp.”
One has to wonder if the Red Sox will consider giving Matt Barnes a start down the stretch. If so, it could be at the expense of Workman, who looks fatigued at this point.
— Orioles starter Wei-Yin Chen carried a perfect game into the sixth inning. It was broken up by a one-out double from catcher Dan Butler.
The icing on the cake? It was Butler’s first major league hit.
“To get the offense going and getting (my) first hit at the same time was a pretty fun experience,” Butler said.
Butler, who hadn’t started a game since Aug. 17, began his career 0-for-12. He then collected three straight hits, including two doubles.
The 27-year-old, who signed with the Red Sox as an undrafted free agent in 2009, spent parts of six seasons in the minors before finally earning his first major league call-up earlier this season.
— Carlos Rivero added another feel-good twist to Wednesday’s loss.
The 26-year-old hit his first career home run — a three-run shot into the Monster seats — in the ninth inning.
Rivero started at third base in place of Will Middlebrooks, who is sidelined with an illness. He, like Butler, made his major league debut earlier this season after spending parts of nine seasons in the minors.
“It’s something really special to me to be able to hit my first home run here at Fenway,” Rivero said through a translator. “It’s something that really meant a lot to me and something I’ll never forget.
“Thankfully, the Red Sox have given me the opportunity to come up here and play with the big league club. It’s something I’ve been preparing for a long time, obviously, and I’m ecstatic to be here.”
— Xander Bogaerts continued his hot streak. He produced two hits, including a solo homer in the seventh inning.
— David Ortiz’s 547th career double tied him with Manny Ramirez for 27th place on MLB’s all-time list.
— The Red Sox have been swept 10 times this season.
— Dustin Pedroia will undergo a procedure on his left hand/wrist Thursday in Boston.
