Orioles’ Machado slams Angels, Pujols ties record
>> BALTIMORE: Manny Machado capped a three-homer night with a grand slam in the ninth inning, and the Baltimore Orioles rallied to beat the Los Angeles Angels 9-7 on Friday night in a game that featured 10 home runs.
Machado hit his seventh career slam off Keynan Middleton (4-1), who entered with two on and one out in the ninth. After Tim Beckham singled to load the bases, Machado hit a drive far over the center-field wall to give the Orioles their first lead.
Machado also hit a two-run homer in the third and a solo shot in the fifth to finish with seven RBIs.
Albert Pujols set the tone for the game in the first inning with a milestone homer off Jeremy Hellickson. There would be plenty more long balls on a steamy night at Camden Yards, five by each team.
Pujols’ two-run drive was 609th, tied with Sammy Sosa for eighth on the career. Pujols and Sosa now share the distinction of hitting more home runs that any other foreignborn player.
After Pujols and Kole Calhoun connected in succession in the first inning, CJ Cron and Kaleb Cowart homered in the second for a 5-0 lead. The Orioles used homers by Mark Trumbo, Machado and Caleb Joseph and cut the gap to a run before a tworun drive by Mike Trout made it 7-4 in the fifth.
All five LA home runs came off Hellickson, the first time the right-hander yielded more than three in a game. Darren O’Day (4-1) got the win with 1-1/3 innings of scoreless relief.
In Boston, pinch-hitter Mitch Moreland hit a two-run single in Boston’s four-run seventh inning and the Red Sox rallied to beat New York 9-6.
Boston won for the 13th time in 15 games to extend their lead in the AL East to five games over the secondplace Yankees. New York had won four straight.
In Detroit, Chris Taylor was 4 for 5 with two doubles, and the Los Angeles Dodgers welcomed back Adrian Gonzalez from the disabled list with an 8-5 victory over Detroit.
Gonzalez doubled in his first plate appearance since June 11, one of six two-base hits on the night for Los Angeles.