The Boston Red Sox needed a shot in the arm after losing three out of four to the Detroit Tigers, and they got it in the form of left-handed starter Drew Pomeranz.
Pomeranz shut down the Baltimore Orioles during Boston’s 8-1 win on Tuesday night at Fenway Park.
Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia tallied four RBIs and catcher Christian Vazquez recorded four hits as the Red Sox’s offense finally broke out.
The Red Sox took the first game of the homestand to improve to 4-3, while the Orioles drop to 4-2.
Here’s how this one went down.
GAME IN A WORD
Unexpected.
The Red Sox weren’t sure what they would get out of Pomeranz, who was making his first start and had dealt with health issues during spring training. But Pomeranz made what could be his best start in a Red Sox uniform, and he picked up the first win of his career at Fenway Park.
Likewise, the Orioles didn’t expect their defense to come apart during the Red Sox seventh-inning rally that put the game out of reach.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy booted what should have been an inning-ending double play. Instead, the Red Sox scored three runs in the inning to take a commanding lead.
ON THE BUMP
— Pomeranz dazzled in his season debut, going six-plus innings while allowing one run on four hits. The powerful left-hander struck out six and walked only one.
He cruised through the first 5 1/3 innings before Adam Jones smoked a one-out double into the right-center field gap. But Pomeranz got Manny Machado to pop out to first baseman Mitch Moreland and Mark Trumbo to fly out to right field to end the frame.
The Red Sox left-hander gave up a leadoff single to Chris Davis in the seventh inning before being pulled.
— Heath Hembree relieved Pomeranz and surrendered a single to the first batter he faced, giving the Orioles runners at the corners with no outs. After striking out Trey Mancini, Hembree got Jonathan Schoop to bounce into a fielder’s choice that allowed Davis to score from third. The hard-throwing right-hander got out of the inning without allowing any further damage.
— Matt Barnes worked a perfect 1-2-3 eighth inning with two strikeouts.
— Joe Kelly pitched the ninth inning and allowed only a walk.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— The Red Sox’s first run came in the second inning when Pablo Sandoval hit a sacrifice fly to score Hanley Ramirez.
— Boston got a rally started in the bottom of the fifth inning when Chris Young laced a one-out single to center field. Vazquez followed with a wall-ball double to put runners on second and third with one out for Pedroia, who hit a sacrifice fly to center to give the Sox a 2-0 lead.
— After Sandoval walked with one out in the seventh inning, Young hit a routine grounder to Hardy that the normally sure-handed infielder booted, allowing both runners to be safe. Vazquez followed with a bloop single, which loaded the bases for Pedroia. The Red Sox second basemen grounded a single up the middle that glanced off Hardy’s glove to put the Sox up 4-1.
Andrew Benintendi followed by stroking an RBI single to right field to give Boston a four-run lead. He tallied three hits on the evening.
— Vazquez went 4-for-4, including a two-run triple in the eighth inning to stretch the lead to 7-1. He has yet to be retired on the season. Pedroia drove him in with an infield single to make it 8-1.
TWEET OF THE DAY
There’s a new No. 1 in Boston’s farm system.
Benintendi has reached 130 at bats tonight. He's graduated from prospect status. Rafael Devers the new Sox #1.
— Red Sox Stats (@redsoxstats) April 12, 2017
UP NEXT
The Red Sox wrap up their two-game series with the Orioles on Wednesday night. Ubaldo Jimenez is expected to start for the O’s, while Steven Wright will take the bump for Boston. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
