Red Sox Snap Orioles' Winning Streak With 4-2 Victory
BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox snapped Baltimore's season-opening seven-game winning streak with a 4-2 victory over the Orioles on Wednesday night.
Red Sox starter Joe Kelly struggled through five innings but combined with five relievers as the Red Sox snapped a three-game losing streak to salvage the final game of their opening home series of the season and pull even at 4-4.
Kelly (1-0) threw 116 pitches and walked five in his second start of the season before Matt Barnes, Tommy Layne, Junichi Tazawa, Koji Uehara and Craig Kimbrel (second save) worked the final four innings, allowing two hits.
Kimbrel, appearing for the first time since allowing a game-losing three-run homer to the Orioles' Chris Davis in Monday's home opener, struck out the side on 14 pitches, getting Davis to end it.
After Davis had put the Orioles ahead 2-0 on Wednesday with his fourth homer of the season in the third inning, Xander Bogaerts tied the game with a two-run double in the bottom of the inning. Jackie Bradley Jr. untied it with an RBI triple off loser Ubaldo Jimenez (1-1) in the fourth. He then scored on a groundout.
Jimenez also worked five innings, falling to 2-5 lifetime against the Red Sox, including 1-3 at Fenway Park.
The Orioles set a Baltimore franchise record for victories at the start of a season and were heading for the St. Louis Browns' franchise record of a 9-0 start in 1944.
The Red Sox had two walks, a single and three stolen bases in their first inning yet managed to not score, with a strange double play damaging their chance. With runners at first and second and nobody out, Bogaerts hit a grounder to third baseman Manny Machado. Machado couldn't tag Mookie Betts, who hit the ground between second and third, so Machado threw to second to forced Dustin Pedroia. Second baseman Jonathan Schoop relayed the ball to shortstop J.J. Hardy covering third for the rare 5-4-6 double play.
Bogaerts stole second and third and David Ortiz walked, but Jimenez escaped.
Hardy, who hit two homers and drove in five runs on Tuesday night, led the Orioles' second with a shot off the center-field wall, the ball eluding Jackie Bradley Jr. before being retrieved by right fielder Betts. Betts missed the cutout, but second baseman Pedroia reached the ball and nailed Hardy at third with an off-balance throw.
The Orioles then loaded the bases with two out but Joey Rickard grounded out.
Machado doubled leading off the third and Davis then went the other way on a 3-0 pitch for his home run. But the Red Sox came right back on the Bogaerts double in the bottom of the inning. There might have been more but Bogaerts was doubled off second when Hardy grabbed Travis Shaw's soft liner up the middle.
The Red Sox went ahead on Bradley's triple and a groundout in the fourth.
NOTES: Boston placed 3B Pablo Sandoval on the 15-day disabled list with a shoulder injury and recalled INF Josh Rutledge. Sandoval, who had a terrible spring, is 0-for-6 with four strikeouts in the regular season. "It's been a real tough start. He's been an easy target," manager John Farrell said of the high-priced Sandoval. He added that he has spoken one-on-one with the troubled player. ... LF Hyun Soo Kim, who struggled in spring training, made his second major league start for the Orioles. ... The Orioles hope to have CF Adam Jones (ribs) back for Thursday night's series opener against the Rangers in Arlington. RHP Chris Tillman opens the four-game series. ... The Red Sox open a four-game home set with the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night. ... Injured Red Sox LHP Eduardo Rodriguez threw 50 pitches and injured RHP Carson Smith threw 35 without problems in sessions on Wednesday in Fort Myers, Fla.
