BALTIMORE – (Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Trevor Story and Rob Refsnyder homered, and Romy’s Gonzalez’s tiebreaking single in the eighth inning lifted the Boston Red Sox to a 3-2 victory against the host Baltimore Orioles to complete a four-game series sweep Thursday afternoon.
Roman Anthony had two hits for the Red Sox, who went 7-1 on an eight-game road trip vs. American League East Division rivals. Refsnyder, who rejoined the roster from the IL earlier in the day, homered for the first time in more than a month and ended up with two hits.
Jordan Hicks (2-7) was the winning pitcher with a shutout inning in relief of Garrett Crochet. Steven Matz picked up his second save despite surrendering a double to Dylan Carlson to lead off the ninth.
Alex Jackson homered for the Orioles, who stranded nine runners on base and finished a 1-7 homestand. Jackson Holliday, Emmanuel Rivera and Jeremiah Jackson all had two hits.
Baltimore starter Cade Povich gave up two runs on seven hits in five innings. Shawn Dubin, claimed off waivers from the Astros, threw a shutout top of the ninth in his debut with the Orioles.
Crochet worked six innings, allowing two runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and no walks.
Three games in the series were decided by one run.
It was also the third time in the series that the Red Sox had a first-inning solo home run. Story homered for the second time this week and for the 22nd time this season.
Alex Jackson hit his fourth homer of the year in the third inning to tie the score.
Refsnyder, who had been out since Aug. 13 because of an oblique strain, regained the lead for Boston in the fourth with his seventh homer. Jeremiah Jackson tied it for Baltimore in the fifth on a double to left that scored Alex Jackson.
With two outs in the eighth, Gonzalez hit a full-count curveball to left to score Anthony from second.
The Red Sox were without first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, who went on the paternity list Thursday just 10 days after signing with Boston following his release from the Washington Nationals.
–Field Level Media