De Aza homers twice, Jones hits his 25th as O's top Red Sox
Alejandro De Aza hit his first Orioles homer tonight. Then he hit his second. Then Adam Jones hit one so far it should have counted as two.
The Orioles used the longball and Chris Tillman's 18th straight start allowing three earned runs or fewer to beat Boston 4-1 at Fenway Park.
The Orioles improved to a season-high 26 games over .500 at 85-59, winning for the 10th time in 13 games and for the 30th time in 44 games.
The Orioles reduced their magic number to clinch the American League East for the first time since 1997 to nine.
De Aza hit two homers on opening day for the Chicago White Sox against Minnesota, so this was his second multi-homer game of the year. He hit a two-run shot in the first off Anthony Ranaudo on a 1-1 pitch and he delivered again leading off in the third on a 1-1 pitch.
Jones followed that homer with a massive blast to left over the Green Monster, the screen above it and out onto the street below. The blast was estimated to have traveled 429 feet. Jones hit No. 25 and De Aza and Jones gave the Orioles their sixth set of back-to-back blasts this year.
Jones became the first Orioles outfielder to ever hit 25 or more homers in four consecutive seasons.
Tillman had some struggles, but pitched out of a few jams to get the win. He needed 108 pitches to throw five innings, allowing six hits and one run. Tillman is now 12-5 with an ERA of 3.36.
He fanned David Ortiz with runners on second and third and two outs in the third, and got Ortiz to hit into a double play with the bases loaded to end the fifth.
In allowing three earned runs or fewer for the 18th straight start, Tillman ties Steve Barber for the fourth-longest such streak in club history. Barber did it from June 12, 1966 to May 14, 1967. Tillman is 7-3 with a 2.24 ERA during this stretch that began June 10.
Orioles pitchers have allowed just one run on 15 hits in this series at Fenway Park.
The Orioles are 9-6 on the season against Boston and 33-19 versus the Red Sox since 2012. Since Sept. 20, 2011, they are 20-9 at Fenway Park.
The Orioles have won this series, improving to 8-1-1 in AL East road series. They are 36-22 in division games, including a mark of 20-10 on the road.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Orioles will look for their first three-game sweep in Boston since May 4-6, 2012. Wei-Yin Chen (14-4, 3.69 ERA) gets the start for the Orioles against right-hander Brandon Workman (1-8, 4.90 ERA).
The Orioles reduced their magic number to clinch the American League East for the first time since 1997 to nine.
De Aza hit two homers on opening day for the Chicago White Sox against Minnesota, so this was his second multi-homer game of the year. He hit a two-run shot in the first off Anthony Ranaudo on a 1-1 pitch and he delivered again leading off in the third on a 1-1 pitch.
Jones followed that homer with a massive blast to left over the Green Monster, the screen above it and out onto the street below. The blast was estimated to have traveled 429 feet. Jones hit No. 25 and De Aza and Jones gave the Orioles their sixth set of back-to-back blasts this year.
Jones became the first Orioles outfielder to ever hit 25 or more homers in four consecutive seasons.
Tillman had some struggles, but pitched out of a few jams to get the win. He needed 108 pitches to throw five innings, allowing six hits and one run. Tillman is now 12-5 with an ERA of 3.36.
He fanned David Ortiz with runners on second and third and two outs in the third, and got Ortiz to hit into a double play with the bases loaded to end the fifth.
In allowing three earned runs or fewer for the 18th straight start, Tillman ties Steve Barber for the fourth-longest such streak in club history. Barber did it from June 12, 1966 to May 14, 1967. Tillman is 7-3 with a 2.24 ERA during this stretch that began June 10.
Orioles pitchers have allowed just one run on 15 hits in this series at Fenway Park.
The Orioles are 9-6 on the season against Boston and 33-19 versus the Red Sox since 2012. Since Sept. 20, 2011, they are 20-9 at Fenway Park.
The Orioles have won this series, improving to 8-1-1 in AL East road series. They are 36-22 in division games, including a mark of 20-10 on the road.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Orioles will look for their first three-game sweep in Boston since May 4-6, 2012. Wei-Yin Chen (14-4, 3.69 ERA) gets the start for the Orioles against right-hander Brandon Workman (1-8, 4.90 ERA).
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