Orioles 7, Red Sox 4: Ruiz home runs, Santander give Series O victory

The Orioles are in first place in the American League East in late July. His lineup collected 10 hits, walked eight times, and secured a 7-4 series victory over division rival Red Sox at Fenway Park on Sunday afternoon. Baseball is back and it’s glorious!

José Iglesias recorded his first hit of the day in the top of the first inning, preparing the table for cleanup hitter Rio Ruiz to hit his second league-leading homer of the season in the Boston bullpen.

Orioles starter Wade LeBlanc started his afternoon with a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the first, but served a two-out homer to Red Sox receiver Christian Vázquez in the second, reducing the lead. of the road team in half.

It would not be long before the O’s regained the ground they lost. Anthony Santander opened the third inning with a walk before turning around to score on Iglesias’ second hit of the day, a double to the left center hole. Santander looked like it was going to stay in third place, but a deflected shot from left fielder Alex Verdugo to the cut man allowed the base runner to score from first place and give the Orioles a 3-1 lead.

That lead grew in the top of the fourth inning. DJ Stewart moved to move over Renato Núñez and Chance Sisco, who had singles and walked, respectively, in front of him. A long sacrifice fly to center field by Austin Hays would score Nunez and move Sisco to third. Moments later, Santander hit a home run in the Orioles bullpen to make it a 6-1 lead for the good guys.

The “Santander Show” continued at the bottom of the frame as he impressively taped the final exit, stealing a home run from Xander Bogarts near the Polo Pesky in right field.

Meanwhile, LeBlanc was browsing. Through his first four innings, the left-hander faced just 13 batters and recorded 12 outs, striking out three. Kevin Pillar messed things up a bit by starting the fifth inning with a solo shot. But LeBlanc recovered to retire the next three batters in order.

The 35-year-old returned to the rut for the sixth inning, but was unable to get out. Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a single to open the box and go to third with a Rafael Devers double, knocking LeBlanc out of the game.

Miguel Castro was the first to jog from the corral. He was ready to face Xander Bogaerts again, just as he had on Saturday, when he attacked the slugger to end a threat. Castro would not be so lucky on this day. Bogaerts hit the second pitch he saw of Castro in left field, scoring both running backs and closing the book on LeBlanc.

In 5.2 innings, LeBlanc allowed four runs on four hits, no bases, four strikeouts and two home runs. It’s not the prettiest line, but it felt like a much more impressive performance right now. He will certainly have another turn in the Orioles’ rotation, hungry for pitching.

The O’s added an insurance run at the top of the ninth inning. Hanser Alberto hit a single and then crossed the plate a few pitches later with a Chris Davis double (his first hit of the year!) On top of the Green Monster.

It is up to Cole Sulser to end the game, and he did exactly that. In two scoreless innings of work, Sulser struck out two and allowed just one hit en route to the first save of his career. The 30-year-old rookie appears ready to play a major role in Brandon Hyde’s bullpen going forward.

You can only get so much out of a game, but there was a lot to like about this performance. This was the second day in a row that pitching staff did not issue any hikes. At the same time, the lineup walked eight times.

On the contrary, there is room for improvement. For the second day in a row, an Orioles running back (Alberto on Saturday, Davis today) apparently forgot how many outs there were and doubled over it. Even in a rebuilding team, that’s an unacceptable mistake that rarely, if ever, should happen in a professional field.

The Orioles are now slated to face the Marlins for two games in Miami before heading to Camden Yards for the first time this year to play two more games against those same Marlins. That team is currently dealing with a minor COVID-19 outbreak at its clubhouse, but that doesn’t seem to affect the start of the series.

Asher Wojciechowski (4-8, 4.92 ERA in 2019) takes the mound for the O’s. He will be opposed by the right Pablo López (5-8, 5.09 ERA in 2019). The first launch is at 7:10 pm from Miami.