The Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles played a day-night doubleheader at Camden Yards on Saturday. The first game was a makeup of a rainout on July 25th, in which the Red Sox were up 5-0 when it was called in the second inning. Saturday behind David Price Boston took the first game 5-0. The Sox also took the second game 6-4.
In the day game, Price and Baltimore starter Jimmy Yacabonis were involved in a good pitchers duel until the fifth inning. In the top of the fifth, after a Xander Bogaerts leadoff single, Eduardo Nunez hooked one around the left field foul pole down the line for his seventh homer to make it 2-0. One out later, Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a solo shot to extend the lead to 3-0. Bogaerts tried stealing third in the sixth and the throw by catcher Austin Wynns couldn’t be caught by third baseman Renato Nunez and went into left field, allowing Bogaerts to score yet again making it 4-0. Bradley Jr added another solo homer in the ninth. Bogaerts had three hits, while Nunez and Bradley Jr had two RBI each to pace the offense.
Price (12-6), allowed no runs, five hits, no walks, with 10 strikeouts in 6.0 innings. Tyler Thornburg, Ryan Brasier, and Matt Barnes combined to allow no hits or runs in a combined 3.0 innings of work out of the Sox pen with an inning each. Yacabonis (0-1), worked 4.2 innings, allowing three runs, five hits, with a pair of strikeouts. Adam Jones had a pair of hits for the Orioles.
In the nightcap, Boston rallied from an early 2-0 deficit and went on to sweep the doubleheader with a 6-4 win over Baltimore.
A second inning RBI double by Nunez, and a third inning RBI single from Trey Mancini had staked the O’s to a 2-0 lead off Sox starter Hector Valazquez. JD Martinez hit a solo homer in the fourth to cut it to 2-1. Dan Butler, making his MLB debut for the Sox at catcher, got Boston back even with a sacrifice fly RBI in the fifth. A wild pitch in the sixth allowed Steve Pearce to score and give the Sox their first lead of the night, before Joey Rickard tied up back up for the Orioles with a solo homer off Heath Hembree in the bottom half of the sixth. Martinez won the game by smashing his MLB-leading 37th homer of the year to left field in the eighth, a two run bomb. Martinez now has 103 RBI, also an MLB best. Brock Holt added an insurance run in the ninth with a two out RBI single. Mancini hit a two out solo homer off Sox closer Craig Kimbrel in the bottom of the ninth to end the scoring. Martinez and Betts had two hits a piece. Boston is now 42-15 against the American League East this season, including a 13-2 record against the Orioles. The Red Sox also go to 61-10 when scoring five or more runs this season. Mancini lead Baltimore (35-83) with three hits.
Boston (84-35) used a total of seven pitchers. Valazquez started and allowed a pair of runs on two hits in his 2.2 innings. The bullpen allowed two runs on five hits the final 6.1 innings. Joe Kelly (4-0) was credited with the win. Kimbrel picked up his 34th save and his 100th as a member of the Red Sox, allowing the two out solo homer, but striking out the side in the ninth. Yefry Ramirez pitched well for Baltimore, allowing just two runs on three hits in 5.0 innings. Mike Wright Jr. (3-1) took the loss allowing the game winning Martinez homer in the eighth.
Boston goes for the four game sweep Sunday at 1:05. Chris Sale (11-4) takes to the hill for the Sox on his return from the DL, to be opposed by a struggling Alex Cobb (3-14) for the O’s.
