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Orioles pound Buchholz, Red Sox

Aug 21, 2008 - 4:13 AM By Sean Burns PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

BALTIMORE (Ticker) -- The hot-hitting Baltimore Orioles used home runs from Ramon Hernandez and Melvin Mora to rally from a four-run deficit and top the Boston Red Sox, 11-6, on Wednesday at Camden Yards.

Brian Roberts drove in a pair of runs and Jay Payton scored twice for the Orioles, who are averaging 6.4 runs per game since the All-Star break.

Hernandez gave Baltimore its first lead with a three-run homer in the third inning, greeting reliever David Aardsma (3-3) rudely after Boston pulled ineffective starter Clay Buchholz.

The homer, which gave Baltimore a 6-4 lead, was just over the left-center field fence in front of Boston's bullpen and center fielder Coco Crisp was just shy of hauling the ball back into the yard, landing in the bullpen himself after failing to make the grab.

"I don't know (how close Crisp was) and I don't care," Hernandez said. "Every day, it's a different guy - Melvin Mora, Aubrey Huff, (Kevin) Millar - we're just working hard (and) getting it done."

Boston manager Terry Francona said Buchholz, who is 2-9 and has failed to last into the fourth inning in his past two starts, will be optioned to Class AA Portland.

"It's been a struggle (for Buchholz)," Francona said. "It feels like we need to give him a new start. We all believe strongly that it will work out for him, but it's not right now."

Mora padded the Baltimore lead in the fourth with another three-run shot, this one off lefthander Javier Lopez. Mora, the reigning American League co-Player of the Week, added a sacrifice fly in the fifth to give him 47 RBI since the All-Star break.

"I think, against Boston, you have to hit with men on base, you have to score when you get opportunities to score, because you never know if you're going to get enough runs," Baltimore manager Dave Trembley said. "We got some big hits with guys on base and we made some very good plays in the field."

Orioles starter Chris Waters (2-0) posted his second major league win, allowing five runs and eight hits in five innings.

"I feel like I was able to locate my two-seamer and that helped a lot," Waters said. "It was great to be able to get ahead of them because our team put the bat on the ball."

In the first inning, five straight Red Sox batters reached base against Waters on two walks, two singles and a triple. But the rookie avoided a huge inning with a strikeout and a forceout at third as Boston took a 2-0 lead.

A frame later, Boston extended its lead to 4-0 against Waters, who also made a throwing error.

Baltimore battled back by tagging Buchholz for three runs in the second before Hernandez gave the Orioles the lead for good an inning later.

"(Early on, Waters) didn't have good command of anything and I thought he was basically pitching backwards. But then he established his fastball and got ahead," Trembley said.

Jason Bay homered for the Red Sox (73-54), who remained 4 1/2 games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays (77-49) in the AL East.