The Baltimore Orioles may be the second of eight sub-.500 teams the Red Sox are set to face in their next 11 series, but they had the upper hand all Monday night.
Despite a strong six-inning performance from Dustin May, the Red Sox, who had to contend with Trevor Rogers for the first seven innings, looked outmatched from the word ‘go’ and fell to their American League East rivals 6-3.
When the Red Sox acquired May from the Los Angeles Dodgers at last month’s trade deadline, he spoke about wanting to limit “blow-up” innings.
Despite a Baltimore lineup determined to make each frame frustrating, May managed to limit the damage: two earned runs on eight hits, two walks, and five strikeouts.
The O’s tallied at least one knock in five of his six innings, including a 414-foot solo home run by Gunnar Henderson in the third and a fourth inning with legitimate ‘blow-up’ potential. Catcher Samuel Basallo led off with his first career double, the first of three consecutive Orioles hits to begin the inning. But after Dylan Beavers’ RBI single increased the visitors’ lead to 2-0, May retired the next three batters and responded with a 1-2-3 fifth inning.
With his pitch count climbing, May finished his night on a high note. With one out in the sixth, Jeremiah Jackson decided to test Carlos Narváez, and came away with a failing grade; the Red Sox catcher threw the Orioles designated hitter out on the steal attempt. May walked No. 8 hitter Dylan Beavers. Then, with his 100th pitch, he struck out No. 9 hitter Dylan Carlson and roared in unison with the crowd as he walked back to the Red Sox dugout.
There was a sense of déjà vu as Rogers befuddled the Boston bats; the Orioles southpaw made his season debut against the Red Sox on May 24, a scoreless gem in which he yielded only two hits over 6.1 innings en route to a 2-1 O’s victory.
Second time wasn’t the charm for Boston, who tallied just one run on four hits and a walk against Rogers. Twice in the first three innings, Boston wasted a leadoff knock, from Nate Eaton in the first and Roman Anthony in the third. Trevor Story’s one-out single was similarly wasted in the second. Overall the Orioles out-hit Boston 12-6.
Rogers faced no more than four batters in any of the first six frames, and set the Red Sox down in order thrice between the third and sixth innings. He worked quickly and with precision; after the fifth, his pitch count was a mere 63.
No relief
Yet for the second day in a row, the Boston bullpen let a close game get out of hand. Jovani Moran yielded two runs on two hits and a walk in a seventh inning that saw Anthony give chase to a Henderson RBI triple on the warning track in right-field.
Moran’s struggles loomed large in the bottom of the inning. Alex Bregman worked a leadoff walk, Story doubled for the team’s first extra-base hit of the contest, and a Jarren Duran sacrifice fly that was nearly a wall-ball knock got Boston on the board.
Jordan Hicks put the game further out of reach in the ninth, giving up a leadoff double to Luis Vázquez, who had replaced the injured Jordan Westburg in the first inning. It was Vázquez’s first career extra-base hit. Hicks plunked Henderson on the first pitch, and after striking out Ryan Mountcastle and Colton Cowser, had a wild pitch and gave up a two-run single to Basallo.
Thus, when Duran came through again, with a two-run double in the bottom of the ninth, it was again too little too late.
Facts and figures
Monday was Fenway’s 15th consecutive sold-out game, adding on to what is already the ballpark’s longest such streak since 2018 (32).
The Red Sox are 68-58 overall, but 4-7 in their last 11 games.
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