David Price (#10), seen here in an earlier game at Fenway Park against Texas was hit hard on Friday night at Baltimore in a loss to the Orioles. Photo courtesy of Delaney Gardner
The 2019 Boston Red Sox played their worst game of the season on Friday night. David Price was hammered in his start and only went four innings, and the Baltimore Orioles pounded out 14 hits en route to a 11-2 shellacking at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland.
Boston (53-45) was hoping to build some momentum after taking three of four games with Toronto at home, against last place Baltimore who entered the game with a 29-66 record. The Sox needed a good series this weekend before starting a total of 14 straight games in 14 days against the first place New York Yankees and second place Tampa Bay Rays. But Friday wasn’t a good start to that. Anthony Santander hit a three run homer in the first inning for the only offense the Birds would need in taking a quick 3-0 lead. Sam Travis responded for Boston with his first homerun of the season. The two run homer in the top of the second cut it to 3-2.
But Baltimore (30-66) kept piling on. Richie Martin hit an RBI triple in the bottom of the second to bring it back to a two run lead, and then Keon Broxton hit a two run shot in the fourth. Price was done after that frame on 88 pitches. Steve Wilkerson added a sacrifice fly RBI, and Martin added another with an RBI fielders choice groundout in the fifth to make it 8-2. Jonathan Villar hit a two run single in the seventh, and Hanser Alberto knocked in one last run in the inning as well on a fielders choice error to end the scoring.
Price (7-3) had a final pitching line of 4.0 innings allowing six runs on eight hits, with one walk and four strikeouts. Colten Brewer and Ryan Weber pitched the final 4.0 innings combined allowing five runs on six hits. Jackie Bradley Jr. and Sandy Leon had two hits each. Villar, Renato Nunez, Santander, and Broxton each had two hits a piece for the winners. John Means (8-5) picked up the win allowing two runs on four hits in 6.0 innings. Richard Bleier, Jimmy Yacabonis, and Miguel Castro each fired a scoreless inning out of the O’s pen allowing a total of three hits and striking out five.
Game two of the three game weekend set is Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. A pair of right handers with toe the rubber, as Rick Porcello goes for Boston against Tom Eschelman for Baltimore.
