When David Price takes the mound at Camden Yards, it’s almost always is a lock.
Well, almost.
Price was roped early and often, getting tagged for six runs as the Boston Red Sox fell to the Baltimore Orioles 11-2 on Friday. It was Price’s first career loss in Baltimore. He now is 8-1 all-time at Camden Yards.
Making matters worse, the O’s are one of the worst offensive teams in the league, ranking 27th in batting average and 28th in runs per game. A two-run homer from Keon Broxton (who is hitting .185 this season) was even more salt in the wound.
“A loss is a loss, it doesn’t matter if you’re successful in a certain ballpark or whatever the conditions may be,” Price told reporters after the game, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “Losing sucks and I look forward to getting back out there in five days.”
But Friday was the third in a string of starts where Price has labored and has not been able to get deep into a game.
NESN
And Price admitted after the game that it has been “a grind” to get early outs of late.
“Didn’t have very good fastball command. Didn’t have command of anything really,” Price said. “Made some mistakes early on in that first inning, (they) made me pay for it. Just wasn’t good enough. I went five (innings) in Detroit, it was a grind. Probably went five before that and it was a grind. It’s been tough to get early outs. … I feel like even 1-2-3 innings are 20-pitch innings right now. So, it’s just been a grind the past couple of starts.”
Price now is 7-3 with a 3.61 ERA this season.
Here are some other notes on Friday’s Red Sox-Orioles game:
— There wasn’t much to write home about offensively.
Sam Travis served as one of the only highlights, launching a two-run home run in the second inning. It was his first of the season and just the second of his career. Travis, who has played in 65 games for the Sox over the past three seasons, last homered on September 21.
— Mookie Betts pushed his hit streak to 11 games.
Slotted in the DH spot, Betts led the game off with a single in a 1-for-4 effort.
— Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts, who have been tearing the cover off the ball of late, both went hitless.
It’s the first time both of them have gone 0-for in the same game since June 8 in Game 2 of a doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Rays.
— John Means has been a very bright spot on an Orioles team that doesn’t have many.
And he has had a fair amount of success against the Red Sox.
The lefty now is 2-1 in four starts against the Red Sox with a 2.35 ERA in 23 innings, striking out 10 with five walks. He went six innings, allowing two runs on four hits with two walks and strikeout on Friday.
— Boston has not come out of the All-Star break the way they needed to.
The Sox are 4-4 since the break and are 11 games back in the American League East.
