All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 6-4 win over the Orioles, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Red Sox play from ahead for a change: To date, the Red Sox' season has been marked by one of two scenarios: the team takes a lead early in the game, then watches as it's frittered away; or, the Sox scratch and claw and have to rely on ninth-inning heroics to pull out a rare win. But Friday night saw a change. The Sox got a 1-0 lead in the third, added to it in the fourth, and then, shockingly, never let it go, maintaining the lead the rest of the way. There were some scares, to be sure, especially when the Orioles used a two-run homer in the seventh, then put a baserunner on against Matt Barnes, representing the potential tying run. But again, the Sox held off any late charge and posted their first back-to-back victories of the season. "That was awesome,'' said Andrew Benintendi. "I think Eddie (Rodriguez) set the tone and was throwing with a good pace and was throwing the ball really well. I think that got us going. I think momentum starts on the mound.''
Bradley turns in another spectacular catch: Through the first two weeks of the season, Jackie Bradley Jr. has yet to turn in one of his patented highlight catches. That changed in the eighth inning, when Bradley, climbing the padded wall in center with one foot, planted himself and reached up to take extra bases away from Joey Rickard for the final out of the inning.
https://twitter.com/RedSox/status/1116878262741938176
"I just ran back and got a feel for where I was on the wall,'' said Bradley, "timed it up and made the catch.'' In retrospect, Bradley may have been a bit premature in timing his jump, but was still able to adjust and make the grab. "I'd rather jump too soon than jump too late in that situation,'' he said, "especially knowing that I can dig my foot into the wall and kind of push myself back up if I needed to. So that's what I did.'' Bradley, who typically plays down the difficulty of some of his most spectacular catches, shrugged this one off, too, calling it "an alright play.''
Benintendi ends homerless streak: Before Friday night, it had been a long time since Andrew Benintendi had homered -- last Aug. 31, in fact, in Chicago. Including the postseason, he had gone 194 at-bats without clearing the bases. But that changed in the third inning when he drove a pitch from Baltimore starter David Hess into the Monster Seats, giving the Red Sox a quick 1-0 lead. The fact that Benintendi did so by going the other way was a good sign, too, since he can use the dimensions of Fenway to his own advantage. "As a lefty, you can hit a ball off the wall and don't have it to necessarily hit it that well,'' he said. "I haven't been able to hit one over it that much, so that was nice to see it go over.'' Benintendi has been focused on getting the ball in the air, and when the situation calls for it, powering it the other way. "It feels nice,'' he said. Benintendi has five homers in his last 13 games against the O's.
https://twitter.com/RedSox/status/1116855809781182464
TURNING POINT
The Orioles used a two-run homer from Dwight Smith Jr. off Rodriguez in the top of the seventh to close to within a run of the Red Sox, but Boston responded with a run of its own in the bottom of the inning, taking advantage of two wild pitches to plate a cushion run.
TWO UP
Eduardo Nunez: Getting the start at second so Dustin Pedroia could rest, Nunez had two singles, including one of the infield variety, again demonstrating that his knee is healthy and he can run the way he once did.
J.D. Martinez: You wouldn't know it from the box score, but Martinez pasted the ball Friday night. In each of his first two at-bats, he was robbed of extra bases by plays by the Orioles' outfielders. Finally, he got a hustle double for himself in the eighth.
ONE DOWN
Tyler Thornburg: After a series of strong outings, Thornburg regressed, issuing a leadoff walk in the ninth followed by a two-run homer.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"We've been waiting for two weeks for that.'' Alex Cora on the start turned in by Rodriguez.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- The Red Sox recorded a season-high 12 strikeouts.
- The start by Rodriguez was the first of his career with more than eight strikeouts and no walks.
- Mitch Moreland has recorded at least one extra-base hit in each of his last five starts.
- Xander Bogaerts has reached base 10 times in the last four games.
- Ryan Brasier is 3-for-3 in save opportunities.