BALTIMORE -- Limited to two runs or fewer in four of their previous five games, the Red Sox offense awoke Tuesday night and rode past the Baltimore Orioles, 6-4.
Eduardo Rodriguez earned his team-high eighth win by going 5.2 innings while the Red Sox got a two-run homer from Rafael Devers and a solo shot from Andrew Benintendi to race out to a 3-1 lead by the third inning.
The O's made things interesting with two runs in the ninth off closer Craig Kimbrel, while bringing the potential tying run to the plate before Kimbrel got striking out Pedro Alvarez.
Orioles pitchers issued 10 walks as the O's dropped their sixth straight.
WHO: Red Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles
WHEN: 7:05 p.m.
WHERE: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
WHAT'S UP: The Red Sox had to work extra Monday night to get their road trip off to a winning start before winning 2-0 in 12 innings. The offense continues to struggle, particularly with runners in scoring position where the Sox have just two hits in the last 42 at-bats. The Orioles, meanwhile, saw their losing stretch to five games as they continue to hold the worst record in baseball.
STARTING PITCHERS: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (7-1, 3.68) vs. RHP David Hess (2-2, 3.07)
TV/RADIO: NESN/WEEI 93.7 FM
LINEUPS
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
9:27 That's it for Rodriguez, who falls an out shy of going six complete innings with a two-out single to left by Craig Gentry. He threw 109 pitches, which doesn't exactly qualify as efficient. But in bigger picture, this marks the seventh straight start in which he's allowed three runs or fewer, and sixth time in the last seven that he's allowed two earned runs or fewer.
8:35 A bases-loaded walk to Benintendi forces in a run while chasing starter David Hess. Meanwhile, the four runs by the Red Sox exceeds their run total in four of their last five games and matches the runs scored in the fifth. The Sox, with the bases loaded and just one out, have a chance to bust this one open early.
7:50 Nice job by Rodriguez to work out of a first-and-third, no-out jam. He gets both Mark Trumbo and Craig Gentry to chase two-seamers out of the strike zone, then gets some help from Jackie Bradley Jr., who tracks down a ball in right-center hit by Austin Wynns.
7:31 Rafael Devers jumps on a fastball at the very top of the strike zone and hammers it to right-center, scoring Xander Bogaerts (walk). Devers has now hit in seven straight and has four extra-base hits in that span. But this was his first homer since May 22, dating back 58 at-bats.
7:18 Not much doubt as to how Joey Rickard hit that out to left field -- Eduardo Rodriguez left a fat two-seamer up and over the middle of plate and Rickard hammered it to give the Orioles their first run of the series just six pitches into this one.
RED SOX
Nunez DH
Benintendi LF
Martinez RF
Moreland 1B
Bogaerts SS
Devers 3B
Holt 2b
Vazquez C
Bradley CF
ORIOLES
Rickard LF
Jones CF
Machado SS
Valencia 3B
Mancini 1B
Schoop 2B
Trumbo DH
Gentry RF
Wynns C
NEWS AND NOTES:
- After Mookie Betts returned to the lineup Monday, Alex Cora decided to hold him out tonight, as a precaution. That plan was agreed upon a few days ago, even before Betts was activated. Betts reiterated that he felt "perfectly normal'' Tuesday, but didn't push back against Cora's decision. "Nah,'' said Betts. "He hasn't led us wrong yet.'' The plan is for Betts to play in the series finale Wednesday and he predicted it wouldn't be long before he was back to being in the lineup everyday.
- Reliever Carson Smith is set to undergo shoulder surgery in New York Wednesday. Smith injured himself last month when he threw his glove in frustration in the dugout. He's expected to miss the remainder of the season.
- The Red Sox obtained outfielder Eric Filia from Seattle to complete the deal which sent LHP Roenis Elias back to the Mariners last month. Filia, 25, is an outfielder who recently completed a 50-game suspension for a drug of abuse. He had been at Double A.
- Cora praised RHP Brandon Workman, who pitched a scoreless inning and a third Monday night while allowing a hit and striking out two. Workman had a poor spring training, costing him a spot on the Opening Day roster, but Cora sees better life on his fastball up in the zone and his breaking ball down in the zone.
- Cora hinted that he may start an informal platoon at second, with Brock Holt hitting against righties and Eduardo Nunez in against lefties. "I'm not saying it's a strict platoon,'' said Cora. "We'll make sure both of them are in the mix.''