BOSTON --- Just when Red Sox fans might have thought all hope was lost, along came the Orioles to provide them with perhaps a final glimmer.
Making up ground in the American League wild card chase is always a possibility when Baltimore comes to town. That’s exactly what Boston did thanks to this three-game sweep and some help from the Tigers against the Rays.
Not even a six-run deficit and a rocky return to the starting rotation from Nathan Eovaldi could slow the [...]
BOSTON --- Just when Red Sox fans might have thought all hope was lost, along came the Orioles to provide them with perhaps a final glimmer.
Making up ground in the American League wild card chase is always a possibility when Baltimore comes to town. That’s exactly what Boston did thanks to this three-game sweep and some help from the Tigers against the Rays.
Not even a six-run deficit and a rocky return to the starting rotation from Nathan Eovaldi could slow the Red Sox on Sunday afternoon. The Orioles proceeded to do what they do best – lose, and in spectacular fashion at that.
Boston finally pulled ahead thanks to a six-run bottom of the sixth inning filled with the sort of hi-jinks that would have made Abbott and Costello proud. But we’ve long since passed the point where the Red Sox can afford to worry about style points. Results are all that matter now, and Boston achieved the desired one thanks to a 13-7 victory.
Rafael Devers highlighted his latest dominant performance with the go-ahead double in the sixth, one of his three extra-base hits on the day. The Red Sox tacked on four more runs in the seventh to pull away, two on a Devers homer to the grandstand in deep right. Boston scored eight times against the Baltimore bullpen to win its fifth straight game and remain 6½ games behind Tampa Bay.
“Obviously today wasn’t great in the beginning, but we did a good job as a group – especially the bullpen,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “They’ve been outstanding for the last seven days.”
Christian Vazquez doubled to the corner in left to make it 6-4 in the sixth and the tying run came across on a bizarre play. Mitch Moreland looped an RBI single to short left and the throw to the plate went to the backstop, allowing Vazquez to race around all the way from second. Devers broke that 6-6 tie when he sliced a slider from Paul Fry off the Green Monster in left.
“That’s what’s most important to me right now – us continuing to play well and continuing to get wins,” Devers said through translator Bryan Almonte. “We know what’s at stake.”
Infield singles by Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez completed the Red Sox uprising, but there was more to come in the seventh. Mookie Betts sent a sacrifice fly to deep center before Devers laced a pitch from Shawn Armstrong down the line in deep right. Another Martinez RBI single through the right side completed the comeback in front of a sellout crowd of 36,350 fans.
“You’ve got to credit everybody for continuing to fight and giving ourselves an opportunity to win it,” Moreland said. “That was a big one for us.”
Two infield outs by Devers and Bogaerts put the Red Sox on the board in the second. Sam Travis smoked a solo home run to the bleachers in straightaway center in the third, halving the deficit to 6-3. Boston finally chased Ty Blach in the sixth and feasted against his replacements.
The Red Sox were in a 6-0 hole in the top of the third in large part due to Eovaldi’s ineffectiveness. His first start since April 17 went off track early, as Renato Nunez smashed a three-run homer off the light tower in left. Baltimore held a three-run lead after one and punished Eovaldi for all three of his walks, as each man ultimately came around to score.
“I felt fine physically,” Eovaldi said. “I just was all over the place. I wasn’t able to execute my pitches when I needed to.”
Darwinzon Hernandez allowed a lone run in the third on a Hanser Alberto double to left, and that was all the Orioles could manage against six Red Sox relievers until the ninth. Ryan Brasier, Josh Taylor, Marcus Walden, Andrew Cashner and Travis Lakins combined for 18 outs and surrendered just five hits. Lakins worked the final two innings and Walden was credited with the victory.
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On Twitter: @BillKoch25