The Red Sox somewhat resembled the Bad News Bears throughout most of their nine-game losing streak.
Thursday night was different. Boston looked like a complete professional baseball team, and the result was one they thoroughly deserved.
Crisp pitching. Timely hitting. Error-free defense. It all added up to a 7-1 triumph over the Orioles at Camden Yards.
This is the kind of tone a quality start can set. There’s a calmness throughout the lineup and the [...]
The Red Sox somewhat resembled the Bad News Bears throughout most of their nine-game losing streak.
Thursday night was different. Boston looked like a complete professional baseball team, and the result was one they thoroughly deserved.
Crisp pitching. Timely hitting. Error-free defense. It all added up to a 7-1 triumph over the Orioles at Camden Yards.
This is the kind of tone a quality start can set. There’s a calmness throughout the lineup and the players in the field, an assurance the game will remain within striking distance until opportunities arise. Nathan Eovaldi filled that role nicely at Camden Yards, producing the best performance the Red Sox have received on the mound this year.
"Getting down and behind in runs every day wears on that offense," Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said. "It puts pressure on them to score right away. Then things usually don’t go as good."
Eovaldi faced a lone jam in the bottom of the first, as Baltimore loaded the bases with two outs in a scorelsss game. This is the kind of spot where things have gone awry for Boston through the majority of its first 25 contests. A grand slam, an extra-base hit, a broken-bat looper, an error – really, it could be anything for a club carrying a 7-18 record.
Instead, Pat Valaika sent a routine grounder to second base. Jose Peraza flipped to Mitch Moreland at first and the Red Sox were back in the dugout on level terms. They didn’t stay that way for long, as Peraza’s RBI single in the top of the second put Boston on top for good.
"I saw (Eovaldi) after the first inning down in the dugout," Xander Bogaerts said. "He was real mad – frustrated with himself. I could see it in his face.
"He wants to compete and he knows he wants to put up zeroes for us and put us in the game as long as possible. He went out there and he settled down and he went to being the Nate we all know."
Eovaldi allowed just two of the next 17 hitters he faced to reach safely, a pair of harmless singles as the Red Sox sailed into the seventh with a 3-0 lead. Eovaldi became the first Boston starter to throw a pitch in that frame this season and worked around a solo homer by Valaika to maintain a two-run cushion.
"Trying to give the bullpen some off time," Eovaldi said. "We were able to score more runs there toward the end of the ballgame as well. It’s a big win for us. We’re trying to keep the momentum rolling."
The only real stress point came in the bottom of the eighth. Matt Barnes was unavailable to set up Brandon Workman after throwing 38 pitches in Wednesday’s 6-3 win over the Phillies. Ryan Brasier got the call and turned in his third straight scoreless outing, striking out a pair.
"Velocity is up, but not just velocity – it’s got life to it," Roenicke said. "You could see it. You can see the swings that are being taken."
Boston made sure even Workman could watch the final three outs of this one thanks to a four-run ninth. Bogaerts grounded an RBI single through the left side and Moreland smashed a three-run homer to right center, doubling what was a three-run lead. The first baseman entered with a 1.455 OPS in his last 10 games and added to it with a single, a walk and the round-tripper in five plate appearances.
"Mitch is putting us on his back and it’s real nice and fun to see," Bogaerts said. "Why not? Just go out there and have fun and continue to put up wins together and see where this takes us.
"It’s never too late, bro. It’s never too late."
The season started with a 13-2 demolition of these same Orioles. That’s all well and good, but John Means was a late scratch that week leading into a Friday night game. This Baltimore team was one carrying some confidence after a relatively decent first few weeks, and it was Boston occupying the American League East basement.
Just based on these nine innings, you might have assumed the Red Sox were contending at the other end of the division.
bkoch@providencejournal.com
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On Twitter: @BillKoch25