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 and improved the Orioles to 3-16 against the division champs this season, sending them to their final homestand against the defending World Series champion Houston Astros at 46-112. The 112th loss, a franchise record, came Wednesday afternoon in Game 1, a 19-3 defeat that was the club's most lopsided of the season. The 1939 St. Louis Browns went 43-111.
In season full of losses, Orioles suffer their worst, 19-3, to Red Sox to open doubleheader
The Orioles (46-112) 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 Nunez.
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 run-scoring single by Nunez, which stretched their lead to 6-3.
Scott got the game to that seventh inning, and Paul Fry retired nine straight 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 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.
