After falling behind 1-0 in the bottom of the first, the Red Sox responded by scoring 13 unanswered runs, routing the Baltimore Orioles 13-2
The Red Sox belted six homers, one night after they hit five in the final game of their homestand. The two games marked the first time since July of 2002 that the Sox hit five or more homers in consecutive games.
J.D. Martinez hit two, with Jackie Bradley Jr., Michael Chavis and Christian Vazquez each had one.
Eduardo Rodriguez went seven innings and didn't allow another run after a solo homer to Trey Mancini in the first, improving to 7-4 this season. The victory was the third in a row for the Sox.
WHO: Red Sox at Baltimore Orioles
WHEN: 7:05 p.m.
WHERE: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
STARTING PITCHERS: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (6-2, 5.00) vs. RHP Luis Ortiz (debut)
SEASON SERIES TO DATE: Boston 4-3
TV/RADIO: NESN; WEEI 93. 7 FM
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
9:43 Everything's working for the Red Sox -- Santander flies to right, and Martinez uncorks a near-perfect throw to the plate to cut down Trey Mancini at the plate for an inning-ending double play.
9:28 You know it's your night when you get a hit like Benintendi just did -- fighting off a pitch a couple of inches off the ground, almost like a tennis player with an awkward backhand. Then, the ball lands fair by about two feet down the left field, scoring two more.
9:02 What. A. Beating. Martinez goes deep for the second time. That's (deep breath....) 11 homers in the last 13 innings for the Sox, six tonight, three this inning and five homers from the last 15 Red Sox hitters to have come to the plate.
8:58 After Eduardo Nunez snaps an 0-for-20 skid with a single, Chavis joins the homer parade, belting one to straightaway center. It should be noted that, for all the comfy dimensions of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, none of these shots tonight have been cheap.
8:55 The carnage continues -- Bradley leaves the ballpark, his seventh of the season, and for the Red Sox, their NINTH homer in the last 13 innings. This figures to be a long weekend for a bad Orioles pitching staff, in a small ballpark, with warm weather and a suddenly locked-in Red Sox lineup.
8:35 The power show continues as J.D. Martinez, who hadn't swung the bat in his first two plate appearances, makes up for it by launching a changeup from Dan Straily. That's two homers in the inning, three homers in the game.
8:29 Alert baserunning by Bradley as he plays it halfway on a sinking liner to left by Chavis, and when the catch isn't made by Anthony Santander, Bradley scores all the way from second.
8:25 Red Sox getting locked in against Ortiz, as Jackie Bradley Jr. lashes double down the right field line -- that's 15 extra-base hits in his last 24 games for Bradley.
8:19 Christian Vazquez crushes a pitch 0-1 four-seamer deep into the left field stands. Red Sox now have seven homers in the last 12 innings.
8:06 Luis Ortiz can't throw strikes and has walked five in just three innings. But the Red Sox keep letting him off the hook and have already stranded four and hit into an inning-ending double play.
7:51 Rodriguez does well to get out his own mess - with runners on second and third, overpowers Richie Martin, who goes down swinging, then gets Hanser Alberto on a pop-up to shallow CF.
7:32 Brock Holt gets a fastball that runs back out over the middle of the plate and hammers it over the scoreboard in right field. That's Holt's first homer of the season.
7:19 Eduardo Rodriguez misfires with a breaking pitch right into the swing path of Trey Mancini, who clubs it into the Red Sox bullpen.
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Chavis 1B
Benintendi LF
Martinez RF
Devers 3B
Bogaerts SS
Holt 2B
Vazquez C
Bradley CF
Nunez DH
ORIOLES
Alberto 3B
Mancini RF
Nunez DH
Severino C
Santander LF
Villar 2b
Davis 1B
Broxton CF
Martin SS
WHAT'S UP: The Red Sox have won their last two, both in dramatic fashion...On Wednesday, they blew an eighth-inning lead but finally posted a walkoff win in the bottom of the ninth....On Thursday, the Sox erased deficits of 4-0 and 6-1 to edge Texas, 7-6....Overall, however, the Sox are just 3-5 in their last eight...The 7.2 innings of scoreless relief thrown by seven different relievers Thursday night marked the longest scoreless relief stretch for the Boston bullpen since Sept. 24, 2003.....Through the first 25 games the Red Sox bullpen compiled a 4.99...But in the 45 games since then, the bullpen has pitched to a 3.82 ERA, tied for fifth-best in that span...The Sox bullpen has also held opponents to a .215 average in that stretch, the lowest in baseball.....Overall for the season, the Red Sox bullpen is eighth best in MLB at a 4.04 ERA....The five homers the Red Sox hits Thursday night were their most in a single game since last Sept. 26, against the Orioles....After going 3-8 on their first road trip this season, the Red Sox have posted winning records in each of the last four trips...The Sox have won four straight on the road and are 16-7 in their last 23 games....Dating back to September, 2017, the Sox are unbeaten over their last nine series with the Orioles, going 7-0-2...They've beaten Baltimore 23 times in the last 29 meetings, but are just 4-3 this season....Going back to May of 2016, the Sox have lost just one of their last 10 series in Baltimore, going 6-1-3 in that span...In Baltimore, the Sox are 15-2 in their last 17 games....The Sox have at least one double in the last 13 games...Mookie Betts, who is not in the lineup Friday night, has 14 homers at OPCY, the most by any active visiting player and second in Red Sox' history only to David Ortiz with 29....Over the last 23 games, Jackie Bradley Jr. is hitting .307 with a 1.056 OPS, scoring 14 runs and knocking in 14 while belting six homers...He's reached base safely over the last nine games....Xander Bogaerts leads or tied for the lead among all American League shortstops in runs (53), RBI (44), homers (14) and walks (37)...He's second in doubles (19), extra-base hits (33) and OBP (.379)…..Rafael Devers has 36 RBI since the beginning of May, most in the league....Michael Chavis has put together a three-game hitting streak...Among A.L. rookies, Chavis is second in homers (11), RBI (31), multi-hit games (15), runs (27) and hits (55)...Eduardo Nunez, who entered Thursday's game as a pinch-hitter and remained in the game at second, is hitless in his last 18 at-bats...Eduardo Rodriguez, who was signed as an amateur by the O's, is 4-0, 1..65 in six career appearances against them since the start of 2018...In eight career starts at OPCY, Rodriguez is 4-2, 2.80....The Red Sox are 9-2 in Rodriguez's last 11 starts....Chris Davis is 5-for-27 with 14 strikeouts lifetime against Rodriguez....Jonathan Villar is 1-for-7.....The Red Sox have never faced Luis Ortiz before.
PRE-GAME NOTES:
- The Red Sox made two roster moves Friday: they recalled LHP Brian Johnson from his rehab assignment and activated him. To make room for Johnson's activation, they optioned first baseman Sam Travis to Pawtucket.
- The Sox also placed RHP Heath Hembree on the 10-day IL with a right elbow extensor strain. Hembree warmed up Thursday night, but felt some discomfort in the elbow area and did not pitch. Hembree said late Thursday night, but the Sox are taking no chances and have placed him on the IL retroactive to June 11. To take Hembree's spot on the roster, the Red Sox recalled lefty Josh Taylor.