BOSTON --- It’s been an even century since the Red Sox enjoyed their only other start like this.


That fateful 1918 campaign served as a painful benchmark for four generations of Boston fans, the last World Series winners in franchise history until a long-awaited breakthrough in 2004.


But here the Red Sox sit with 11 wins in their first 13 games yet again, this time courtesy of a 7-3 decision over the Orioles on Friday night at Fenway Park.


Eduardo [...]

Bill Koch

BOSTON --- It’s been an even century since the Red Sox enjoyed their only other start like this.

That fateful 1918 campaign served as a painful benchmark for four generations of Boston fans, the last World Series winners in franchise history until a long-awaited breakthrough in 2004.

But here the Red Sox sit with 11 wins in their first 13 games yet again, this time courtesy of a 7-3 decision over the Orioles on Friday night at Fenway Park.

Eduardo Nuņez opened things up with a three-run homer in the bottom of the first inning and starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez turned in six strong innings as Boston moved to 11-2 on the year. Rafael Devers added three hits and Tzu-Wei Lin reached base three times in his 2018 debut, as a Red Sox lineup without Hanley Ramirez (right wrist) and Xander Bogaerts (left ankle) still managed to score at least six runs for the sixth straight game.

“We have so many good players,” Nuņez said. “We have a deep lineup. It’s not just about one guy.”

Adam Jones lifted a sacrifice fly to left to give Baltimore a 1-0 edge in the top of the first, one that would last all of six batters in the bottom half. J.D. Martinez answered with a sacrifice fly of his own to center before Nuņez did the night’s real damage, driving a three-run homer to the Monster Seats that made it 4-1. Chris Tillman threw only half of his 24 pitches in the inning for strikes, a harbinger of the trouble to come for the Orioles starter.

“(Nuņez) was joking before the game – he hasn’t had a hit on a fastball the whole season,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “He was able to turn on one. That was good to see.”

Back-to-back doubles by Lin and Mookie Betts in the second and a passed ball that allowed Devers to score in the third gave Boston two more single runs, with Tillman on the wrong end of a 6-1 deficit and giving way to Pedro Araujo. Mike Wright Jr. gifted the Red Sox another run with a wild pitch in the sixth, and three Boston relievers managed to combine for the last nine outs.

“Our starters have been huge for us,” Nuņez said. “They just keep the game in line all the time. There’s a great opportunity for the offense to pick it up a little bit.”

Rodriguez improved considerably from his season debut against Tampa Bay on Sunday, recording seven more outs while using just a dozen more pitches. He became the first Boston starter to crack the 100-pitch mark, firing a cut-fastball on his 104th to freeze Chris Davis for a strikeout looking that ended the sixth. Rodriguez fanned eight against two walks and scattered five hits, lowering the earned-run average for Red Sox starters to a tidy 1.97.

“Everybody is always telling you something every time you start about who you’re facing,” Rodriguez said. “You just go ask them and they tell you all the time, especially these veteran guys over here. I take advantage every time I go out there and pitch.”

Rodriguez struck out the side in the second and worked a 1-2-3 fifth before sputtering a bit in the sixth. Baltimore put two on with two outs for Davis, the left-handed slugger against the lone left-handed pitcher Boston wanted to use on this particular night. Rodriguez exceeded the 99 pitches thrown by Rick Porcello the previous evening in a 6-3 win over the Yankees, eventually turning things over to Heath Hembree, Joe Kelly and Matt Barnes.

“It was where they were in the lineup,” Cora said. “Chris was his last hitter. We thought the matchup was good for us.”

“It depends on who we’re facing,” Rodriguez said. “They swing a lot. I was trying to stay around the plate.”

 

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On Twitter: @BillKoch25