Red Sox rally from early five-run deficit to down Orioles
BALTIMORE: Andrew Benintendi hit a tworun single in the 11th inning, Mookie Betts had four RBIs and the Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 10-8 on Monday night for their ninth win in 12 games.
Xander Bogaerts homered and scored three runs for the Red Sox, who maintained their three-game lead over the secondplace Yankees in the AL East and reduced to four their magic number for clinching a play-off berth.
Boston erased a five-run deficit with a six-run fifth inning and needed 10 pitchers to beat a skidding Orioles team that has now lost 10 of 12.
The Red Sox posted their major leagueleading 14th win in extra innings against three losses.
Matt Barnes (7-3) pitched the 10th and Carson Smith got his first save. Miguel Castro (3-2) took the loss.
Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia left in the fourth inning after being struck in the face by a foul ball he chopped off the plate. He bruised his nose and was listed as day to day. Earlier this year at Camden Yards, Pedroia’s knee was injured on a late slide by Manny Machado.
In New York, Aaron Judge hit his 44th home run and Aroldis Chapman pitched out of big trouble in the eighth inning as the Yankees edged Minnesota 2-1 to increase their AL wild-card lead.
New York won the opener of a threegame series that could serve as a preview to the AL wild-card matchup in two weeks.
The Yankees trail AL East-leading Boston by three games, and hold a five-game edge over the Twins for league’s top wild card with 12 to play.