BALTIMORE _ The oft-maligned Orioles starting rotation continues to exceed the minimal expectations that followed it into this season, and right-hander Dylan Bundy continued to stack up quality starts on Friday night at Oriole Park.
Bundy (3-1) pitched seven scoreless innings and allowed just six hits on the way to his third victory of the year, a tense 2-0 triumph over the Boston Red Sox before an announced 34,442 that kept the Orioles atop of the AL East and maintained their grip on the best win-loss record in either league.
He has registered a quality start in each of his four appearances and has allowed more than one run in only one of those games. He came out for the eighth inning and allowed a leadoff single to Red Sox catcher Christian Vasquez before giving way to left-hander Donnie Hart and right-hander Mychal Givens.
Brad Brach, who saved both Orioles victories in Cincinnati, came on for the third straight night and converted another opportunity in place of injured closer Zach Britton.
Though Bundy had to work out of some early trouble, he cruised through the middle innings, retiring 14 of 16 batters before the hit that ended his evening.
Meanwhile, the offense continued to dole out support sparingly. Adam Jones gave the O's the lead with a single in the third inning that brought home Craig Gentry, who had doubled down the right-field line with one out. Manny Machado doubled that lead with a two-out, bases-empty homer off Red Sox starter Drew Pomeranz in the fifth.
Pomeranz, who had allowed just four hits over six innings in a victory over the Orioles in his first regular-season start, pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed two runs on five hits.
The Red Sox will send knuckleballer Steven Wright to the mound on Saturday night for his second start or the year against the O's. In his earlier start, he lasted just 11/3 innings and gave up eight earned runs in a 12-5 blowout at Fenway Park.
