The Boston Red Sox have had no issue getting runs up on the board against the Baltimore Orioles.
In the series opener, four runs in three innings weren’t enough. But in the second of three on Tuesday night, seven runs in the first three innings propelled Boston to an 8-6 victory over the Orioles.
Boston’s lineup ran Orioles starter Kyle Bradish off the mound, getting the righty for seven earned runs through just 2 1/3 innings pitched. And while that alone was impressive to see, Red Sox manager Alex Cora was much more satisfied with the fact that the weight of Boston’s scoring production didn’t fall on the shoulders of its usual contributors.
“We put the ball in play, which is important,” Cora told reporters, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “After that, we didn’t do much until late. But (Triston) Casas put good at-bats, Reese (McGuire) put the ball in play, got a hit. (Masataka) Yoshida getting on base. It was a good, typical game for us. I’m glad that it wasn’t Alex (Verdugo) and Raffy (Devers). It was the other guys so that’s a good sign.”
Baltimore kept Red Sox hitters at bay through innings four to seven, yet the early rally benefited Boston heavily. In the bottom of the ninth, the Orioles threatened, scoring five runs, all charged to reliever Kaleb Ort, who entered the contest out of the bullpen with an 8-1 at that point.
“It just happened that Kaleb didn’t have good location,” Cora said, per NESN. “… We had to go to the big gun (Kenley Jansen).”
Here are more notes from Tuesday night’s Red Sox-Orioles game:
— Jarren Duran continues to swing a hot bat, falling a double shy of the cycle after going 3-for-4. The 26-year-old is now hitting .387 with five doubles and 10 RBIs in nine games since the Red Sox promoted him from Triple-A in the wake of Adam Duvall’s injury.
“Just trying to have quality at-bats for the team,” Duran said, per NESN. “
— Masataka Yoshida, who went 2-for-4, extended his hitting streak to six games. Through the stretch, Yoshida has totaled 12 base hits, including two home runs and a double with nine RBIs.
— Josh Wincowski has remained one of the most reliable bullpen options this season. He contributed two scoreless innings against the Orioles, recording his sixth scoreless appearance and improving his now 1.47 ERA after the win.
— Christian Arroyo was removed and replaced with Enmanuel Valdez at second base. The precautionary move was due to right hamstring tightness.
— The Red Sox will seek a series win in Wednesday afternoon’s rubber match with the Orioles. First pitch from Camden Yards is set for 1 p.m. ET, and you can watch the live action, plus a full hour of pregame coverage, live on NESN.
