The Boston Red Sox fell in gut-wrenching fashion to the Baltimore Orioles, 5-4, on Monday night at Camden Yards.
The Red Sox fell to 12-12 on the season while the Orioles improved to 15-7.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
An early offensive spark just wasn’t enough for the Red Sox to snag a second straight road win.
Triston Casas and Rafael Devers both went deep, giving Boston a quick 4-0 lead over the Orioles before the bottom of the third inning. The offense handed it off to starting pitcher Chris Sale, but he wasn’t able to hang on to the lead. Sale allowed five earned runs through five innings pitched, registering the 34-year-old’s first career start where he failed to record a single strikeout having pitched at least one inning on the mound.
That quick swap of momentum hindered the Red Sox, dooming them to a return to the loss column.
Boston recorded just two hits after the fifth, yet tried to even the score up. The Red Sox, however, just weren’t quick enough on the bases, as Justin Turner and Connor Wong were both gunned out trying to better position the lineup for a game-tying base knock.
Alex Cora’s bullpen did its part in keeping Boston’s hopes of retaking the lead alive, as relievers Ryan Brasier and Brennan Bernardino combined to toss three scoreless innings. But the Red Sox still weren’t able to find one final spark to put them over the edge.
No Red Sox pitcher recorded a single strikeout throughout the night.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Masataka Yoshida remains hot at the plate after blasting two home runs in one inning just 24 hours ago against the Milwaukee Brewers. Yoshida went 3-for-3 to lead the contest in hits, extending his hitting streak to five games.
— Bernardino, who was called up from Triple-A Worcester hours before the game, delivered two scoreless innings on the mound, allowing just four hits while walking none.
— Orioles outfielder Austin Hays drove in the game-deciding RBI, going 2-for-4 at the plate.
WAGER WATCH
Casas hadn’t gone deep in his last 35 at-bats entering the night. FanDuel Sportsbook set the odds of the 23-year-old being the first to hit a homer at +1300. In clearing those odds early, Casas broke out of his 1-for-16 slump in the previous five games. A $100 wager placed on Casas would’ve netted a $1,400 total payout.
UP NEXT ON NESN
The Red Sox will continue their series against the Orioles, playing the second of three Tuesday night. First pitch from Camden Yards is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET, and you can catch all the action, plus a full hour of pregame coverage, live on NESN.
