Boston hits three homers to beat O's 7-2 in series opener

The Boston Red Sox beat the Orioles at their own game today. After the Orioles scored twice to produce a 2-2 tie, the Red Sox hit three homers to score the game's next five runs. The Red Sox went on to beat the Orioles 7-2 today in front of 43,926 at Camden Yards.

The Red Sox (31-20) open a two-game lead over the Orioles (28-21) in the American League East. They win the opener of this four-game series and an Orioles' 10-game homestand.

Knuckleballer Steven Wright pitched a complete-game four-hitter. The O's got three consecutive hits off him in one inning and one other hit the entire game. Wright thew 122 pitches and fanned seven to improve to 5-4 with an ERA of 2.45.

After Boston scored single runs in the first and third innings, the Orioles tied the game 2-2 in the fifth. They had just one hit entering that inning against Wright.

But Nolan Reimold tripled to right to start the frame and scored when Ryan Flaherty cued one down the third base line for an RBI groundball double. A line single to right by catcher Caleb Joseph put runners on first and third, and Adam Jones' first-pitch sac fly tied the game. Wright then got Manny Machado and Chris Davis with two men on to keep it a 2-2 game.

Boston went ahead 1-0 in the first. Mookie Betts led off with a single and advanced to second on a groundout. Batting third, Xander Bogaerts hit a dribbler in front of and to the left of home plate. Joseph threw him out but no one covered home and Betts came around third to score. The Orioles felt Bogaerts had fouled the ball off his foot and replays seemed to indicate that. But the play is apparently not reviewable. Two innings later, Bogaerts extended his hitting streak to 23 games with an RBI double and it was 2-0 in the third.

After the Orioles tied it in the last of the fifth, the Red Sox quickly went back ahead in the sixth. Jackie Bradley Jr., the first batter of the inning, homered to center. He hit No. 9 on a 1-1 pitch for a 3-2 lead. Blake Swihart tripled with one out, but Wilson stranded him there to keep the O's deficit at a run.

Ashur Tolliver came on to face David Ortiz with a man on first and two outs in the seventh. Joseph threw Bogaerts out stealing to end that inning. But that meant Ortiz led off the eighth and he homered on a 2-2 pitch from Tolliver for a 4-2 lead. It was his 14th this year and his seventh in his last 10 games at Camden Yards. Later that same inning, Red Sox third baseman Marco Hernandez, making just his third career start, hit a three-run homer off Mychal Givens. His first major league homer made the score 7-2.

Tyler Wilson pitched 6 2/3 innings to take the loss, allowing eight hits and three runs. He walked two, fanned four, threw 97 pitches and is 2-4 with an ERA of 3.83.

Boston had lost seven of its previous eight games at Camden Yards but improves to 23-11 since an 8-9 start. The Orioles have lost six of eight games and fall to 17-9 at home.

In the second game of this series on Tuesday night, Kevin Gausman (0-2, 3.24 ERA) faces former Oriole farmhand Eduardo Rodriguez, who will be making his season debut.