Tyler Wells threw six solid innings, and the Baltimore Orioles hit two home runs in a 10-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Ryan Mountcastle and Ramón Urías also presented a good display.
In the ninth, Anthony Santander’s three-run became the final blow from the O’s, who won the series with their third straight victory. The Red Sox, who were coming off a four-game winning streak, managed only four hits.
Wells (2-4) allowed only two hits and struck out three in six innings. He did not allow a baserunner until the fifth, and he retired the final 16 batters he faced. Trevor Story had a single and a walk, but he did not allow another run to score.
The O’s had a season-high 17 hits, and they were able to take advantage of Wells’ solid performance.
“Wellsy set the tone for us, but we also swung the bat extremely well,” said Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde. “We haven’t had many games where we get a nice lead for a starter and allow him to kind of go for a while, and we did that tonight.”
According to Hyde, Wells had adapted well to his new role as a starting pitcher. He had a solid start against Kansas City on May 9, which was his first win as a starter.
Red Sox struggles to face Baltimore
The Red Sox did not get a hit until Christian Vázquez doubled in the eighth, but they would get no closer.
Right-hander Rich Hill had a rough start for the Red Sox, as he hit Austin Hays with the first pitch of the game and was then tagged by Trey Mancini for a triple-play by the O’s fielders.
Hill managed to get back home when Vázquez was at-bat. He dove for the plate and avoided being tagged by the catcher.
Mountcastle carries Baltimore
The play, at first, did not allow Mountcastle to score. As the ball sailed over the Green Monster, which looked like a home run, it turned into a solo shot that gave the O’s a two-run lead.
Mountcastle finished with a season-high four hits. He said he hoped that the team could carry on this success during the team’s upcoming homestand.
“It seems like that was sort of like the first time we really just put a team in the dirt a little bit early. It felt good to get out to a big lead and hopefully we can keep it going during the homestand,” said Mountcastle.
In the third, Mountcastle had a single and scored when Urías hit a home run to center. Hill was removed after walking and giving up a double to Mountcastle in the fifth. Right-hander Hirokazu Sawamura allowed two more runs, which gave the O’s a 6-0 lead.
Hill struggles with accuracy
Hill had been allowing fewer than four runs in his last 79 appearances before the game. However, he struggled during his start against the O’s, as he allowed six runs on seven hits and two walks in four innings.
According to Boston manager Alex Cora, Hill struggled with his command early in the game. He attributed his poor performance to the lack of control of his breaking ball.
“I think from the get-go fastball command wasn’t there and the breaking ball didn’t play today,” Cora said.
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball as a member club of the American League East division. (wikipedia)
Harry James
Harry James' love for sports began in his high school basketball days. Sadly, an injury meant he couldn't further his NBA dreams, but the hooper's loss is our gain as he then found journalism.