BOSTON — If Tuesday’s game was a disaster, then Wednesday’s series finale against the Baltimore Orioles was a breath of fresh air.
The Red Sox didn’t make as much noise offensively, but they still spread it throughout the lineup to chip away at the lead the Orioles gained on Chris Davis’ two-run home run in the third inning. Red Sox starter Joe Kelly had a few scares but kept Baltimore off the board from there on out and ultimately came through with a 4-2 win to break the Orioles’ seven-game streak.
Here’s how it all went down.
GAME IN A WORD
Shutdown.
Although Kelly was far from perfect, he still pitched himself out of jams and ultimately only allowed two runs. His bullpen took over from there, keeping the scoreboard clean through four innings.
IT WAS OVER WHEN …
Craig Kimbrel recorded the third out of the ninth inning.
A two-run deficit definitely is something Baltimore’s potent lineup can come back from, so this one really came down to the wire.
ON THE BUMP
— Joe Kelly didn’t have the best night, but it was considerably better than his first start. Kelly did get himself into some jams, but he was able to pitch himself out of them for the most part, and his secondary pitches looked a lot better. The only runs he surrendered came on Davis’ two-run homer, which is not an uncommon phenomenon in Major League Baseball.
However, the trouble Kelly got himself in meant he was up to 116 pitches after just five innings, so he finished his night there with two earned runs on seven hits with five walks and six strikeouts.
— Matt Barnes came on in the sixth and struck out Hyun-soo Kim and got Joey Rickard to fly out, but Manny Machado hit a double to the right field wall and ended Barnes’ night. Machado read a good 96-mph fastball, but lefty Tommy Layne ultimately was the better matchup against the left-handed Davis.
Layne didn’t have to finish the at-bat that inning, however, as Machado was caught stealing third. He got Davis on a flyout in the seventh instead.
— Junichi Tazawa finished the seventh inning, getting Mark Trumbo and J.J. Hardy to fly out and ground out, respectively.
— Koji Uehara’s only blemish in the eighth inning was a two-out single to Caleb Joseph. It was the first hit Uehara had allowed in five appearances.
— Craig Kimbrel bounced back from his last disastrous outing, striking out all three batters he faced.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
–Mookie Betts continued to swing a hot bat at Fenway. The right fielder went 2-for-4 with a run, an RBI and a stolen base.
— Dustin Pedroia went 1-for-3 with a run and a walk, while Xander Bogaerts went 2-for-4 with a two-RBI double and two stolen bases.
— David Ortiz didn’t have a hit, but he did reach base, going 0-for-2 with two walks.
— Hanley Ramirez ended his seven-game on-base streak, going 0-for-4. He was the only Red Sox not to reach base Wednesday.
— Travis Shaw went 1-for-4, and Brock Holt went 0-for-3 with a run and a walk.
— Ryan Hanigan and Jackie Bradley Jr. both went 1-for-3. JBJ added a run and an RBI triple.
TWEET OF THE NIGHT
Meanwhile, in Single-A Salem …
UP NEXT
The Red Sox get a day off Thursday before the Toronto Blue Jays come to town Friday for a three-game series. Rick Porcello will get the ball for Boston against Blue Jays knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
