Final
BoSox score in ninth to take opener from O's
Jul 5, 2014 - 8:39 PM Boston, MA (SportsNetwork.com) - Jonathan Herrera drove in the deciding run with a broken-bat pinch-hit single in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Boston Red Sox took game one of a doubleheader with the Baltimore Orioles by a 3-2 score.Herrera's one-out hit off T.J. McFarland (1-2) brought home Jonny Gomes, who opened Boston's half of the ninth with an infield single and was pushed to second on David Ross' sacrifice bunt.
Stephen Drew had a solo homer earlier for Boston, which began its current 11- game homestand with three straight losses to the NL Central cellar-dwelling Chicago Cubs. Jon Lester turned in eight excellent innings in a no-decision, permitting just two unearned runs on five hits and fanning seven without a walk.
Koji Uehara (4-2) struck out two in a 1-2-3 top of the ninth to record the win.
Miguel Gonzalez matched Lester throughout the afternoon, yielding two runs -- one earned -- and striking out six over a season-best eight innings of work.
Gonzalez gave up both of his runs in the second inning and Lester was reached for two in the third -- each coming on a two-out error by Red Sox third baseman Xander Bogaerts. The two starters were stellar from that point on, though, as neither team mounted much of a scoring threat until Boston's final at-bat.
Gomes greeted McFarland by legging out a bouncer to short before Ross moved him into scoring range to bring up Herrera, who fought off an inside pitch for a jam-shot that fell over the head of O's second baseman Jonathan Schoop and enabled Gomes to slide home safely.
Lester put Boston in position to end its skid -- and halt Baltimore's four- game win streak -- by not allowing an extra-base hit in a mostly dominant performance.
He was let down twice by his defense in the third inning, as the Orioles' Delmon Young reached on a throwing error by Dustin Pedroia to open the frame prior to advancing a base on a Caleb Joseph single. Lester set down the next two hitters, but Bogaerts botched Steve Pearce's grounder as both Young and Joseph crossed the plate to pull Baltimore even at 2-2.
An Orioles' error an inning earlier helped stake the Red Sox to a two-run advantage, after Drew put Boston in front with his first homer since re- signing with the club in May.
Jackie Bradley Jr. laced a double two batters following Drew's shot, then later came around when Schoop threw wildly to first after fielding Brock Holt's two-out infield hit.
Gonzalez allowed just two more hits over the remainder of his stint, retiring 14-of-16 batters between the third and seventh innings.
Game Notes
Lester has pitched to an 0.96 ERA over his last five starts, allowing just four earned runs in 37 2/3 innings during that stretch ... Bogaerts finished 0-for-4 and is now hitless in 27 consecutive at-bats ... Joseph had two of Baltimore's five hits ... Twelve of the 14 home runs Gonzalez has allowed this season have been solo shots.
- BALTIMORE: 2
BOSTON: 3
Final
Jul 5 3:54 PM - Pinch-Hitter Jonathan Herrera single to right scored Jonny Gomes with one out to end the game.
Orioles 2, Red Sox 3 Bot 9, 1 OutJul 5 3:50 PM - Jonathan Herrera singles to right center field. Jonny Gomes scores.
Orioles 2, Red Sox 3 Bot 9, 1 OutJul 5 3:49 PM - Steve Pearce reached first on Xander Bogaerts's fielding error scoring Delmon Young and Caleb Joseph. Runner on first with two outs and Nelson Cruz due up.
Orioles 2, Red Sox 2 Top 3, 2 OutsJul 5 2:00 PM - Steve Pearce reaches on error. Caleb Joseph scores. Delmon Young scores. Fielding error by Xander Bogaerts.
Orioles 2, Red Sox 2 Top 3, 2 OutsJul 5 1:59 PM - Brock Holt infield single to second. On the play, Jackie Bradley Jr.scores on Steve Pearce's fielding error. Runner on first with two outs and Daniel Nava due up.
Orioles 0, Red Sox 2 Bot 2, 2 OutsJul 5 1:46 PM - Brock Holt singles to second base. Jackie Bradley Jr. scores. Fielding error by Steven Pearce.
Orioles 0, Red Sox 2 Bot 2, 2 OutsJul 5 1:44 PM - Stephen Drew one-out, solo Home Run (1) to right. David Ross due up.
Orioles 0, Red Sox 1 Bot 2, 1 OutJul 5 1:38 PM - BALTIMORE: 0
BOSTON: 0
Top 1, 0 Outs
Jul 5 1:09 PM
Jul 5 1:09 PM
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