The Red Sox began their final week of the 2020 season in a high note.
Boston defeated the Baltimore Orioles 8-3 on Tuesday night at Fenway Park.
Nick Pivetta dazzled in his first-ever start with the Red Sox, throwing five innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts.
Christian Vazquez broke the game open in the sixth with a three-run homer to essentially take the O's out of it.
With the win, the Red Sox moved to 21-34, while the Orioles fell to 23-32.
Here's how it all went down:
GAME IN A WORD
Complete.
Good pitching and the offense clicked to get the W.
ON THE BUMP
-- The O's struck first when Pivetta surrendered a pair of walks and a weak single, which made the game 1-0 in the first.
He did, however, pick up two strikeouts.
Pivetta bounced back by striking out the side in order during the second.
The right-hander tossed two more scoreless innings with two more strikeouts before his night came to a close.
-- Marcus Walden took over in the sixth and immediately ran into trouble.
The right-hander gave up a leadoff home run to Renato Nunez to cut into Boston's lead 4-2.
A single, error and a double made the game 4-3. Another single was enough to end his night.
-- Ryan Weber inherited runners on the corners with two outs and got Cedric Mullins to strikeout to end the inning.
-- The seventh belonged to Darwinzon Hernandez who tossed a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.
-- Domingo Tapia pitched a scoreless eighth.
-- Dylan Covey gave up two singles and a walk to load the bases in the ninth and could not complete the inning.
-- Matt Barnes got the third out to finish the game.
IN THE BATTER'S BOX
-- Boston took the lead in the second after Vazquez reached on an error, Jackie Bradley Jr. singled and Bobby Dalbec drove in Vazquez on a double to make it 1-1.
A Michael Chavis sacrifice fly gave the Red Sox a 2-1 lead. And what should have been out No. 3 turned into another error to make it 3-1 before the inning came to a close.
-- Dalbec drove in his second run of the game with a single to make it 4-1 in the third.
-- A four-run sixth put Boston up by five runs.
J.D. Martinez drove in Jonathan Araúz with a sharp single to make it 5-3.
Vazquez then upped Boston's lead to five in the sixth with a three-run shot into the Green Monster for the 8-3 edge.
-- Martinez led the way for Boston with three hits. Alex Verdugo, Bradley, Dalbec and Araúz had two.
TWEET OF THE GAME
Mic up the players year round, please.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox continue their series with the Orioles on Wednesday night. First pitch from Fenway Park is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
