The Boston Red Sox couldn’t get out of their own way Monday night against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox’s offense was quiet for most of the night against Orioles starter Dylan Bundy, and the defense committed four errors as Boston fell 5-2 and wasted another strong start from Rick Porcello.
Porcello gave up two runs, including a home run to Manny Machado, but once again was given zero run support from the struggling Red Sox offense.
Boston fell to 13-12 with the loss, while Baltimore improved to 16-8.
Here’s how it all went down.
GAME IN A WORD
Sloppy.
The Red Sox committed four errors that led to three runs for the Orioles. They also committed a monumental base-running error in the eighth inning, when both Andrew Benintendi and Hanley Ramirez ended up at second base, leading to the second out of the frame and thwarting a Red Sox rally.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
The Red Sox committed three errors that led to three runs in the eighth inning. Boston entered the inning trailing by two runs, but fielding mishaps from Heath Hembree, Marco Hernandez and Benintendi led to three Baltimore runs.
ON THE BUMP
— Porcello continued trending upward as the right-hander gave up two runs on five hits over six strong innings of work. He struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter, but left the game in line for the loss.
The Red Sox ace was stellar through the first four innings, but the Orioles got to him in the fifth. Jonathan Schoop led off the inning with a single, and after Porcello got the next two batters with relative ease, catcher Caleb Joseph laced a double into the left-center field gap to give the Orioles a one-run lead.
The O’s tacked on another run in the sixth inning when Machado deposited a slider onto Lansdowne Street to stretch the lead to two.
— Hembree took the ball in the seventh inning and worked a perfect 1-2-3 inning. The eighth inning was a little shakier for Hembree, however, as he walked Seth Smith with one out in the inning. Adam Jones then chopped one back to the mound, but Hembree airmailed the throw into center field to give the Orioles runners at the corners with one out.
The Red Sox’s defense imploded again when Hernandez booted a ground ball off the bat of Machado, allowing a run to score to give the O’s a three-run lead. Mark Trumbo then smoked an RBI single to left field to make it a four-run game and end the night for Hembree.
— Fernando Abad came on for Hembree to try and escape further damage in the eighth. Chris Davis welcomed the Red Sox left-hander by lining a sacrifice fly to right field to increase the O’s lead to five.
— Joe Kelly worked a scoreless ninth inning.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— The Red Sox’s offense was baffled all night by Bundy. The hard-throwing right-hander locked up Boston’s bats through seven innings, allowing only two hits in the first seven frames.
— Boston finally struck in the eighth inning when Hernandez led off with a double to left field. Xander Bogaerts then hit a pop fly into no man’s land that dropped in front of left fielder Ryan Flaherty. Benintendi followed with a ringing single to center to plate Hernandez and end the night for Bundy.
Right-hander Darren O’Day came in to face Mookie Betts and induced a lazy fly ball to left field for the first out of the inning. Ramirez drove in the Red Sox’s second run with an RBIÂ single to left, but a base-running error led to the second out of the inning. O’Day got Mitch Moreland to line out to center field to end the threat.
TWEET OF THE DAY
The rivalry is intensifying.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox continue their four-game series against the Orioles on Tuesday night at Fenway Park. Chris Sale will get the ball for Boston and will be opposed by Alec Asher. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
