Hardy drives in two, O's flash defense, beat Porcello and Boston 5-2

Rick Porcello pitched well against the Orioles - last year. This year, the Orioles have hit him hard three times. The latest was tonight, as they got five runs off the right-hander in a 5-2 win over the Boston Red Sox.

The Orioles (28-30) are 6-3 against Boston this year, scoring 49 runs. They are 17-11 versus Boston since the 2014 season and since July 19, 2011, they are 46-27 (.630).

The Orioles take the first two games of this series and have won three in a row and five of their last six.

Tonight, Porcello allowed 10 hits over over 5 1/3 innings, falling to 4-6 with an ERA of 5.26. This year, he has an ERA of 9.37 in three starts against the Orioles, and they have gotten to him for eight, four and five runs. He has allowed 28 hits and 17 runs in 16 1/3 innings.

The Red Sox signed Porcello in April to a four-year contract extension worth $82.5 million.

J.J. Hardy had an RBI double and scored on Ryan Flaherty's single in the second for a 2-0 lead which became 2-1 on Brock Holt's double in the third. In the O's third, they made it a 3-1 edge on an Adam Jones single that scored Manny Machado, who had doubled.

The O's added to their lead with two in the sixth. Chris Davis and Delmon Young singled, and then a single by Travis Snider drove in one and a Hardy sac fly drove in the inning's second run. Hardy drove in two, his first multi-RBI game since Sept. 4, 2014.

The Orioles flashed some major defense tonight. In the second, Jones and Snider threw out Red Sox runners back-to-back trying to stretch singles into doubles. Then the inning ended on a leaping catch by Jones in right-center field.

The Orioles lead the majors with 20 outfield assists.

In the fifth, Jones made a spectacular diving catch in right-center and the inning ending on nifty 5-4-3 double play. It wasn't a perfect night with the gloves, as a run scored in the sixth when Flaherty, trying to turn an inning-ending double play, threw a one-hopper past first base to plate a runner for the Red Sox.

On the mound, Wei-Yin Chen's pitch count mounted and he went just five innings plus two batters but got the win. He gave up seven hits and two runs, throwing 91 pitches and is 2-4 with an ERA of 3.21. His only previous win came May 9. Tommy Hunter and Darren O'Day combined for four scoreless innings to wrap up the win. O'Day struck out the side in the top of the ninth and picked up his second save.

The O's go for a three-game sweep here tomorrow night when Chris Tillman (3-7, 5.61 ERA) faces lefty Wade Miley (5-5, 4.67 ERA).