Field Level Media
Jun 11, 2018
Brock Holt and Jackie Bradley Jr. hit back-to-back sacrifice flies in the top of the 12th inning to give the visiting Boston Red Sox a 2-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night.
Xander Bogaerts started the winning rally with a single off of Mychal Givens (0-3), and Rafael Devers then lined a double to deep left-center. That moved Bogaerts to third, and Givens then hit Eduardo Nunez with a pitch to load the bases with no outs.
Bogaerts then scored when Holt sent a sacrifice fly to center. Bradley followed with his sacrifice fly to left.
Heath Hembree (3-1) got the win for the Red Sox by striking out all three batters he faced in the 11th inning. Craig Kimbrel closed it for his 21st save.
The Red Sox got some good news before the game when outfielder Mookie Betts returned from the 10-day disabled list. Betts had been sidelined due to a left abdominal strain.
He went right back into his old spot batting leadoff and finished 1-for-5 before leaving after the top of the 11th.
The Orioles, who now have dropped five straight, lost their top hitter before the game when Manny Machado was held out of the lineup because of an illness.
For Baltimore, closer Zach Britton, who has not appeared in the majors this year after undergoing surgery for a torn Achilles tendon in the offseason, came off the disabled list before the game.
The starting pitchers dominated the game. Boston knuckleballer Steven Wright, making his second start this season, kept the Baltimore bats quiet throughout.
Wright went 6 2/3 shutout innings, befuddling the Orioles with his dancing knuckleball. He allowed four hits and struck out five with three walks. The right-hander also stretched his scoreless innings streak to 22 2/3.
For the Orioles, starter Dylan Bundy more than matched Wright, tossing eight scoreless innings. Bundy gave up three hits with seven strikeouts and two walks in one of his best performances of the season.
Both teams had some good scoring chances but neither came through until Boston took the lead in the 12th. Baltimore stranded 13 runners while the Red Sox left eight on base.
--Field Level Media