Sox are two good
Benny, Devers blast O’s
BALTIMORE — Andrew Benintendi and Rafael Devers hit home runs last night to lead the Red Sox to a 6-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles.
The last-place O’s don’t typically offer much of a fight at the plate, but no wins are free and the Sox (46-22) needed this one to keep pace with the New York Yankees, who just won’t stop winning. The Yanks picked up a 3-0 win over the Washington Nationals last night and are second to only the Sox with 43 wins. And at 43-19 they’re the only team that has yet to lose 20 games.
The Sox shouldn’t be losing too many if they can keep their budding homegrown stars, Benintendi and Devers, going at the plate.
Devers’ homer was his first since May 22, a span of 17 games, and his 10th of the season. He’s been starting to show signs of life after a prolonged slump that sunk his average to .223 as of last Tuesday.
But he took a six-game hitting streak into last night’s matchup with the O’s, and after hitting a gamechanging double in the 12th inning the night before, Devers started off with a tworun shot to right-center off David Hess in his first at-bat of the game.
Benintendi has been hot for more than a month, though when hitting coach Tim Hyers told him he was hot last week, Benintendi responded, “I’m just warming up.”
The left-handed hitting outfielder entered the night with a .352 average and 1.128 OPS in his last 31 games. In the third inning, he got a low changeup and lifted it over the center-field wall for his 12th homer of the season. Benintendi began the day sixth among American League outfielders in the All-Star voting, though his .297 average is still on the climb.
Former Orioles lefty and current Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez continued his dominance over his former club with 52⁄3 innings of two-run ball. It wasn’t his best effort, as Joey Rickard took him deep on a juicy fastball to lead off the first inning, and the O’s spread around eight hits with two walks in total, but it was enough for Rodriguez to earn the win. He’s now 8-1 with a 3.64 ERA and is one of only 11 major leaguers with eight wins.
Baltimore loaded the bases in the seventh against Hector Velazquez, who then struck out Trey Mancini for the second out before Joe Kelly came on to get a weak grounder from Jonathan Schoop to end the threat.
Craig Kimbrel gave up two walks and a two-run single to Mark Trumbo in a non-save situation in the ninth before finishing off the O’s. He continues to struggle in such situations, entering the game with a .108 average against in save situations vs. a .304 average against in non-save situations.
The O’s out-hit the Sox, 11-9, but left 13 on base and went just 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
The Red Sox drew 10 walks, the most they’ve walked in one game since last June, when they walked 14 times against Toronto.