Baltimore Orioles

BALTIMORE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) –  Boston’s Alex Bregman, Kristian Campbell and Triston Casas slugged two-run home runs and the Red Sox strung together back-to-back victories for the first time this season, defeating the host Baltimore Orioles 8-4 on Thursday afternoon in the finale of a three-game series.

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Bregman, who added a run-scoring double in the ninth, finished with three hits.

Cedric Mullins homered for the Orioles, who dropped back-to-back games for the first time this season.

Zack Kelly (1-0), the first of four relievers, was the winning pitcher with one inning of relief for the Red Sox. Boston starter Tanner Houck went four innings, giving up three runs on five hits with six strikeouts.

Baltimore starter Charlie Morton (0-2) took the loss, working five innings and allowing five runs on six hits with 10 strikeouts. He reached a double-figure strikeout total for the first time since August 2023, when he was pitching for the Atlanta Braves.

Morton struck out the side in the fifth, including two batters who had earlier homered off him. By then, much of the damage had been done.

Bregman smacked his first home run with the Red Sox in the first inning. Campbell connected for his second homer of the year in the second.

Baltimore trailed 4-2 through three innings, using Mullins’ second-inning homer and Jordan Westburg’s run-scoring single in the third. The blast from Mullins marked the first homer in three home games for the Orioles this season. Baltimore had gone three straight games without a home run.

After Jarren Duran’s sacrifice fly for Boston in the fourth was matched by Urias’ RBI single in the bottom of the inning, neither offense struck until Casas smacked his first home run this season in the seventh off reliever Keegan Akin for a 7-3 lead.

Campbell and Casas each had two hits and teammates Rafael Devers and Wilyer Abreu each scored two runs.

–Field Level Media

BALTIMORE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox worked through a few glitches in the opening week of the season, but there should be some good mindsets going into their Thursday afternoon game.

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The Red Sox, after snapping a four-game losing streak, will oppose the host Baltimore Orioles in the decisive contest of a three-game series.

Boston designated hitter Rafael Devers said there was no reason for alarm even after he began the season 0-for-19 through Tuesday. He went 0-for-2 to start the Wednesday game at Baltimore, then hit a run-scoring double in the fifth inning and added a single in the eighth during Boston’s 3-0 win.

“I knew it was going to come,” Devers said. “I also received a lot of texts from people worried about me, but I was OK.”

The breakout excited his teammates.

“It makes me happy seeing that reaction,” Dever said. “Because that makes me see they’re paying attention to my at-bat and they’re supporting me.”

Boston’s Trevor Story homered for the game’s first run, his first RBI of the season. He finished 3-for-4 to raise his average from .133 to .263.

“We know the type of players we have and the type of team we are,” Devers said. “We knew everything was going to change.”

Story said there are signs emerging that Boston possesses “a really deep lineup.”

The Orioles didn’t have an extra-base hit on Wednesday, just four singles and two walks. Red Sox starter Garrett Crochet tossed the first eight innings, and Aroldis Chapman handled the ninth.

“We just had a tough time putting pressure on them,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said.

It’s possible that the Orioles could have a significantly different lineup for the series finale. On Wednesday night, shortstop Gunnar Henderson (right intercostal strain) played his fourth game on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk, going 0-for-3 at Charlotte to leave him 5-for-19 (.263) with two homers and four RBIs.

There was a possibility he would be on Baltimore’s lineup card Thursday afternoon.

The Orioles should have Jackson Holliday back in the lineup after he had Wednesday night off. Hyde said the 21-year-old infielder might sit out against certain left-handers.

Boston will give the ball to Tanner Houck (0-1, 6.35 ERA) on Thursday. The right-hander worked 5 2/3 innings and allowed four runs — including a pair of homers — in his season debut at Texas on Friday.

Houck’s career record against the Orioles is 4-3 with a 3.50 ERA in nine outings, including five starts.

Baltimore right-hander Charlie Morton (0-1, 10.80 ERA) will try to bounce back from a rough opening outing in Toronto, where he lasted 3 1/3 innings in his Orioles debut on Friday.

Morton is 8-2 with a 4.21 ERA in 15 career starts against the Red Sox. He has struck out 88 Boston batters in 83 1/3 innings. The eight wins against the Red Sox are the second most he has against any team.

Baltimore has alternated wins and losses across its first six games of the season. The Orioles have scored 29 runs in their three victories, so they are capable of a big breakout despite the sluggish offense they displayed on Wednesday.

“Show up (Thursday) and win the series,” said Zach Eflin, who took the loss on Wednesday after yielding three runs in six innings.

The Thursday contest is the last of seven consecutive road games to begin the season for the Red Sox, who play their home opener on Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals.

–Field Level Media

BALTIMORE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Former Boston Red Sox outfielder Tyler O’Neill has agreed to a three-year, $49.5 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles, multiple media outlets reported Saturday.

The deal includes an opt-out clause after the first year, per the reports.

O’Neill heads to Baltimore after spending the 2024 campaign with the American League East rival Red Sox. In 2024, he hit .241 with 31 home runs and 61 RBIs in his lone season in Boston, a welcomed spark to an otherwise sluggish offense.

The Orioles, who went 91-71 this year, bring in O’Neill after electing to let Anthony Santander walk in free agency. Santander posted a .235 average while clubbing 44 homers and driving in 102 runs this season. He has yet to sign with another team.

In 590 games with the St. Louis Cardinals (2018-23) and Red Sox (2024), O’Neill, 29, has cracked 109 homers to go along with 278 RBIs. He is a career .246 hitter and has won two Gold Glove Awards.

–Field Level Media

BALTIMORE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Baltimore Orioles might have taken a big step toward establishing the momentum that has been lacking over the past few weeks.

The Boston Red Sox had a chance to do the same but were stymied.

Those Wednesday finishes set up the teams for a meeting Thursday in Baltimore, where the American League East rivals will start a four-game series.

Baltimore snapped a two-game skid by defeating the visiting Washington Nationals 4-1 on Wednesday. Since the All-Star break, the Orioles are 13-12, with a two-steps-forward, two-steps-backward vibe surrounding them.

“It felt like a normal baseball game,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said about the win Wednesday. “We haven’t played many of them. I felt like, where we pitched really well, we were solid defensively. … That was more of what I’d like to see.”

The Red Sox were going for a three-game sweep of the visiting Texas Rangers on Wednesday but fell 9-7 in 10 innings after leading 7-4 in the ninth.

“We are still learning,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “We’re still growing as a group. That’s not an excuse because we’re better than that.”

Boston pitchers allowed four home runs to the Rangers on Wednesday.

“You can talk about sloppiness,” Cora said. “We have to keep the ball in the ballpark. We haven’t done that since the All-Star break.”

The Red Sox are 10-14 since then.

There were notables for the Orioles on Wednesday. Gunnar Henderson smashed his 30th home run of the season, and Coby Mayo recorded his first big-league hit — a single.

It was only Henderson’s second home run since the All-Star break, but he sensed he might have been getting it together before that.

“Just had a weird little run there, but like I said, I’m starting to feel good in the box and starting to get going,” Henderson said.

Mayo ended a 0-for-16 stretch since arriving in the major leagues.

“I was never too stressed about the hit,” Mayo said. “But then, it gets to you a little bit and you want it. You want it so bad because you’re so competitive.”

The Orioles have won five of six meetings this year with the Red Sox, though the teams haven’t met since late May.

The Orioles have right-hander Zach Eflin (8-7, 3.83 ERA) lined up as their starting pitcher for the series opener. He’s 3-0 since he was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays last month.

Eflin’s most recent outing came Friday night, and he shut out his former team on four hits across seven innings to earn the win.

With the Rays, Eflin picked up a victory at Boston in May by limiting the Red Sox to three runs in five innings despite registering a season-low two strikeouts in that stint. He’s 2-0 with a 6.00 ERA in five career starts against Boston.

The Red Sox will turn to right-hander Nick Pivetta (5-7, 4.44), who has gotten through five innings in only one of his past three outings.

In 12 career starts vs. Baltimore, Pivetta is 8-2 with a 3.18 ERA. The eight wins match his most against any single opponent, with the Atlanta Braves the other team he’s topped that many times.

The Red Sox have won four of their past six road games, but they’re just 5-7 away from home since the All-Star break.

–Field Level Media

 

BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson and Colton Cowser each homered during the six-run 10th inning that lifted the Orioles to a 9-4 win over the host Boston Red Sox on Thursday night.

Cowser went 3-for-5 with two homers, a double, four RBIs and two runs scored. The Orioles hit four homers during their nine-hit attack. He drove in 10 runs in the three-game series sweep.

Henderson and Anthony Santander also drove in two runs apiece.

Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu each had two hits and an RBI for the Red Sox.

In the eighth inning with Boston clinging to a 2-1 lead, Red Sox shortstop David Hamilton missed touching second on a would-be double-play grounder by Adley Rutschman. The Orioles took advantage of the miscue as Santander hit a two-run, go-ahead homer down the right-field line.

Pinch-hitter Connor Wong hit a game-tying, two-out homer to deep left-center off Danny Coulombe in the bottom of the eighth.

Boston closer Kenley Jansen retired the final two batters in the ninth and Baltimore counterpart Craig Kimbrel (2-0) threw a scoreless ninth to force extra innings.

Henderson hit a two-run shot off Red Sox reliever Isaiah Campbell (0-1) to give the Orioles a 5-3 lead. Campbell retired the next two batters, but Ryan O’Hearn hit a double and Ryan Mountcastle walked. Cedric Mullins followed with an RBI single to center and Cowser cleared the bases with a three-run shot to center to give Baltimore a 9-3 lead.

Duran got Boston a run back on a leadoff double in the last of the 10th.

–Field Level Media

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jordan Westburg hit a 432-foot drive to center field to cap a four-run seventh inning and give the O’s a 7-5 come-from-behind victory over the Red Sox. Boston led 5-0 after the fifth inning but fell victim to a poor bullpen performances which cost the Red Sox the game.

RHP Chris Martin allowed the Westburg homer after walking a batter, throwing a wild pitch and falling victim to a catcher’s interference call on Connor Wong.

After providing Boston with the 5-0 lead, Baltimore cut down the lead by striking back with three runs in the visiting half of the six. Boston’s right-hander Isaiah Campbell relieved starter Kutter Crawford after Crawford pitched an impressive two-hitter with six strike-outs in five innings. Crawford left after throwing 86 pitches (50 strikes).

Boston made it 3-0 in the home half of the fourth inning when Wong stroked an opposite field base hit to right, scoring Tristan Casas from third and Romy Gonzalez from second base. Each player had singled to start the rally.

Crawford pitched himself into another jam in the fifth inning, hitting lead-off batter Westburg, walking Gunnar Henderson and allowing slugger Anthony Santander to reach base on an infield hit. Crawford retired DH Ryan O’Hearn on a ground out to first and the Orioles left three men on base for the second straight inning.

Casas had hit an opposite field two-run home run into the second row of the left field Green Monster seats at Fenway Park to open-up a five run lead for Boston in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Sox proceeded to let up seven unanswered runs in the sixth and seventh innings.

Earlier, Baltimore was able to load the bases  on two Crawford walks in the fourth inning, but a well thrown, off speed splitter to hot-hitting Baltimore LF Colton Cowser ended the fourth inning with the score 1-0, Boston.

Starting pitchers Cole Irvin of Baltimore and Crawford of Boston breezed through their first two innings, Irvin benefitting from two double plays executed nicely by the Orioles infield. The Red Sox, however, scratched out a run in the home half of the third inning when Tyler O’Neill’s bloop single landed safely over Baltimore rookie Jackson Holliday‘s outstretched glove in right-center field, scoring Sox speedy lead-off man  Jarren Duran all the way from first base.

Baltimore’s closer, former Red Sox bullpen star, Craig Kimbrel struck-out two Sox pinch hitters in the bottom of the ninth to secure the win for Baltimore with his second save of the young season.

The final game of the three-game of the series will be played Thursday night.

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – The usual joy of Opening Day at Fenway Park took on a somber mood this year as the club paid tribute to fan favorite Tim Wakefield and his wife, Stacy, along with longtime baseball man and former Red Sox team president and Chief Executive Officer Larry Lucchino – all who passed away in the MLB off-season.

Instead of upbeat music and crowd pleasing engagement to pay tribute to the 2004 “Reverse the Curse” World Champion Red Sox, the Sox opted for an well-edited video cut to the epically long Don MacLean hit of the 1971 song, “American Pie.”

Spirits were lifted when Wakefield’s 19 year old daughter, Brianna, threw out the ceremonial first pitch to 2004 catcher Jason Varitek, a close friend of her father.

There was barely a dry eye in the house, but it was time for baseball in Boston and the sellout crowd of 36,093 rallied on a 57-degree , sunny, gorgeous New England day. but one when the Red Sox bats could not be ignited.

Baltimore ace Corbin Burnes pitched 7.0 innings, allowing only one run on two hits. He struck out six Boston batters and walked only two, tossing 90 pitches and 58 strikes. Burnes earned his second win of the season against no losses.

The Red Sox moved the ancient Green Monster scoreboard keepers first when the second-most popular O’Neill in town, newly acquired Tyler, hit a 2-2 pitch 413-feet to record his sixth home run of the young MLB season and spot the home team a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Only former Speaker of the House, Tip O’Neill, had a better start to his career in Boston. (O’Neill won the Congressional seat vacated by John F. Kennedy upon his election to be President of the United States).

The baseball-playing O’Neill came into the day as the American League leader in Home Runs, On Base Percentage, Slugging, OPS, and Runs scored. He was third in the AL in Batting Average with a .357 mark.

Baltimore struck back in the top of the second inning when LF Colton Cowser doubled-in CF Cedric Mullins after Mullins reached on a Bello issued walk and then stole second base. Baltimore made it 3-1 in the visiting half of the fourth inning when 1B Ryan Mountcastle singled, Mullins reached second base on an error by Boston LF Jarren Duran (ball lost in the sun), and Cowser doubled to left-center field to score both runners on unearned runs.

Boston starter, Brayan Bello, was lifted in the sixth inning after his 5.1 innings of work, tossing 89 pitches and 58 strikes. He let up only four hits but they resulted in three runs with only one earned. Bello is (1-1) on the year.

The Orioles added an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning when SS Gunnar Henderson rifled a line drive down the right field line for a double. Henderson stole third base and scored on a C Adley Rutchman single up the middle off Boston reliever Josh Winckowski.

The score went to 5-1 in the top half of the eighth When Cowser hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Ryan O’Hearn. The O’s added two more in the top of the ninth when they had the bases loaded with no outs as they sent eight batters to the plate with Henderson and Rutschman scoring additional insurance runs.

The Sox went down in the ninth without an effort. Rafael Devers, hitless on the day fouled out to third, while O’Neill struck out swinging and Triston Casas grounded out to Jacob Webb who came in for relief in a non-save situation.