O’s salvage split after pummeling
BOSTON – With Boston’s stars left on the bench in the second game of a doubleheader Wednesday night to rest for the playoffs and count their stats from the matinee thumping, the visiting Orioles’ top players took their chance to shine in a 10-3 win at Fenway Park.
First baseman Trey Mancini had a pair of hits to score three runs, while designated hitter Adam Jones had three hits and an RBI to make the patchwork pitching performance led by right-hander Jimmy Yacabonis hold up.
The win prevented a Red Sox sweep after a 19-3 loss in Game 1 and improved the Orioles to 3-16 against the division champs this season, sending them to the final homestand
of the year against the defending champion Houston Astros at 46112.
The Orioles took advantage of a lineup without Red Sox stars Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez, and Xander Bogaerts and an uncharacteristic lack of control from Cy Young candidate Chris Sale to take an early 2-0 lead. Sale hit leadoff man Cedric Mullins, who scored on a run-scoring triple by Mancini, then plunked Jones, setting up a sacrifice fly by Renato Núñez.
Boston got a run back in a marathon first inning against Yacabonis, who allowed a pair of hits and issued a walk but looked to be out of the inning before a two-out error by Jonathan Villar let a run score.
Yacabonis lived on the edge and didn’t have his best command, but stuck around until the fourth inning, when Tzu-Wei Lin tripled to tie the game and Tanner Scott replaced him.
The teams traded runs in the fifth inning, when Jones doubled to score Caleb Joseph and Blake Swihart doubled to drive in Rafael Devers.
But the Orioles pulled away in the seventh inning with a two-run single by Mancini and a runscoring single by Núñez, which stretched their lead to 6-3.
Scott got the game to that seventh inning, where Paul Fry began a run of nine straight retired to close it out for his second career save. Over the two games of the doubleheader, spanning 17 innings, the Orioles didn’t use a single pitcher who was with the club on Opening Day.
The Orioles extended their lead with a four-run ninth inning, which began when Jonathan Villar walked, stole second, advanced to third on a fly ball by Mancini and scored on a wild pitch. Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel wasn't himself in a non-save situation.
He walked two and hit a batter, loading the bases for Massachusetts native John Andreoli to hit a two-run double off Robby Scott. Steve Wilkerson singled to score the 10th and final run.
GAME 1: Pressed into service as an emergency starter for an Orioles team experiencing an unprecedented September pitching shortage in the final week of the season, rookie Ryan Meisinger erased leadoff man Mookie Betts’ single on a fielder’s choice. Then he watched the next five batters reach base and score as Boston piled it on in a 19-3 win.
The 16-run margin is the Orioles’ most lopsided defeat of a club-worst season, topping a 14-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sept. 7.
“It didn’t go how I wanted it to, but you can’t use that as an excuse,” Meisinger said. “I haven’t made a start since college, but it’s still pitching. Once you’re out there, it’s relatively the same thing. I just didn’t get it done today.”
Meisinger was one of four actual pitchers used for the Orioles, including Donnie Hart, John Means and Cody Carroll.
None began the season in the majors and, after Wednesday, none boast an ERA below 5.00. Utility man Jace Peterson, instead of coming in from second base after the bottom of the seventh inning, jogged out to the bullpen to warm up and make his major league pitching debut to finish the eighth.
“It’s definitely a little difficult,” Meisinger said. “Guys are trying to pick up innings, and it’s unfortunate that we’ve had some injuries, but at the same time, everybody needs to pick up their share. I just didn’t do that today.”
By the time Peterson came in, things had gotten quite out of hand.