Red Sox 0 - 4 Orioles
Final
  for this game

Red Sox try to get momentum going vs. Orioles

Jun 9, 2014 - 2:55 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Boston Red Sox pay a visit to Camden Yards on Monday night to begin a three-game series with the Baltimore Orioles.

Boston ended a five-game slide with Sunday's 5-3 victory at Detroit.

With the Red Sox trailing 3-2 in the top of the ninth inning, David Ortiz stepped to the plate and delivered a three-run homer off Joba Chamberlain that proved to be the game-winner.

"We needed a win," Boston manager John Farrell said. "There was no doubt about it."

The presence of Mike Napoli behind Ortiz in the lineup may have played a role in Ortiz getting a good pitch to hit. Napoli was back in his cleanup spot for the first time since May 23 due to a sprained finger. He went 3-for-4 and hit his sixth home run of the season.

"They wouldn't have thrown one near the strike zone if that dude (Napoli) wasn't standing on deck," starter John Lackey said of Ortiz's at-bat.

Lackey went eight innings and allowed two earned runs.

The Red Sox entered Monday in fourth place in the AL East standings, nine games back of Toronto.

Meanwhile, second-place Baltimore trails the Blue Jays by 5 1/2 games as the team continues its 10-game homestand. The Orioles have lost three of their last four, including Sunday's 11-1 setback to Oakland.

Starter Ubaldo Jimenez was done in by a six-run third inning, which included a grand slam he served up to Brandon Moss.

"I started so good the first couple innings and then that inning I lost the ability to throw a strike," Jimenez said. "It's one of those days. It's a really tough game."

The Orioles offense was unable to solve Oakland's Scott Kazmir, who pitched seven shutout innings and yielded only four hits. Manny Machado was ejected for his role in a bench-clearing fracas in the eighth inning.

Bud Norris gets the start for Baltimore in Monday's opener. The right-hander earned the win at Texas his last time out despite giving up five runs in five innings. It was the first time in his last five starts that Norris failed to go six innings.

The Red Sox will turn to Jake Peavy, who has given up five earned runs or more in four of his last five starts with a 7.04 ERA in that span. Peavy is winless in his last seven starts, his longest drought since 2006.

Against Cleveland on Tuesday, the right-hander was charged with five runs on eight hits over 6 1/3 innings as Boston fell, 5-3.

"Just seems like it's been the story of my last month," he said. "It's awfully tough losing."

Peavy faced Baltimore on April 20 and did not factor into the decision despite giving up five runs on 10 hits to go along with four walks over 5 2/3 innings.

Baltimore has won four of seven head-to-head meetings so far this season.






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