O’s bats finally break out
5 have multiple hits as O’s pound Porcello, snap 4-game slide
BOSTON — If hitting is contagious, kudos to the rest of the Orioles for finally having something for Chris Davis to catch.
The beleaguered first baseman notched his first hit of the season in the first inning and was one of five Orioles with a multihit game Saturday as they broke out against former Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello. The resulting 9-5 win over the Boston Red Sox on a beautiful Fenway Park afternoon snapped the Orioles’ four-game losing streak.
Davis’ first-inning single with the bases loaded gave the Orioles (6-9) a 2-0 lead and broke a 54-at-bat stretch without a hit dating to 2018. It ended a record-setting streak in a meaningful way for an offense that has struggled to get going early in games this week.
“Up and down the order, that’s a grind-an-at-bat mentality,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “It’s a pass-the-baton mentality. That’s what good teams have. It’s unselfish at-bats, it’s egoless, and you’re just trying to get the next guy up by seeing pitches and being able to move the ball with two strikes and situational hit — it’s contagious, so to see how our at-bats were today, it’s a really good sign. We’ve been grinding our at-bats.”
The Orioles loaded the bases again in the second but didn’t score. After Andrew Cashner allowed a two-run home run to No. 9 hitter Christian Vázquez in the third, the Orioles started scoring in bunches. Davis doubled with two on and nobody out in the fifth inning for his second hit of the game and his third RBI, then added a fourth RBI on a forceout to cap a four-run sixth.
With two more runs in the seventh, the Orioles made their margin comfortable for their bullpen. Their season high was 12 runs in Monday’s win over the Oakland Athletics, coincidentally the previous time Cashner pitched. That’s what happens when so many players contribute the way they did Saturday.
Jonathan Villar reached base four times on two walks and two singles, and scored twice. His single to open the ninth inning made it six straight innings in which the Orioles had the leadoff man on.
Trey Mancini had a double, a single and scored twice. Dwight Smith Jr. walked three times and scored twice.
Cashner cools down Boston