The Baltimore Orioles took a beating on Friday at the hands of the Boston Red Sox. The final score of the Opening Day affair was 13-2 in favor of Boston.
A pair of new additions impressed for the Red Sox as outfielder Kevin Pillar went three-for-five with three RBI and second baseman Jose Peraza went four-for-five with two RBI. Nathan Eovaldi also impressed as the de facto ace with just one run and one walk allowed over six innings. He also struck out four opponents.
For Baltimore, the bats were quiet outside of Rio Ruiz‘s home run and Renato Nunez‘s RBI single. On the mound, Tommy Milone was chased out of the game quickly after allowing four runs in three innings while notching five strikeouts. Cody Carroll replaced Milone and allowed another four runs without surrendering an out. Travis Lakins allowed two runs in two innings while David Hess allowed three runs in three frames.
One of the main storylines for the Red Sox was the production of extra-base hits as eight of their 17 hits were doubles. (The other nine were doubles). The team failed to hit a home run despite achieving the 13-run mark.
The Red Sox added four runs in the third inning and six in the fourth inning before a quick break in the scoring parade. They notched three more in the sixth.
Baltimore added one in the sixth and one in the seventh.
Although the Orioles are expected to be the best team in baseball, this was a critical win for the Red Sox, who saw flashes of potential from players who previously carried question marks.
The projected No. 4 starter entering this offseason, Eovaldi impressed in his first start out of the No. 1 slot following David Price‘s trade, Chris Sale‘s Tommy John surgery, and Eduardo Rodriguez‘s COVID-19 diagnosis.
The hot bats of the offseason additions were crucial, too, because it was unclear how much of an impact Peraza and Pillar would have. Also making their Red Sox debuts were Jonathan Lucroy and Jonathan Arauz, who came off the bench but went hitless. Pitchers Austin Brice and Phillips Valdez made their first Red Sox outings, too.
The Red Sox’ huge success against Baltimore coupled with Thursday’s news of a playoff expansion should spell optimism for Boston baseball fans ahead of a unique 60-game season. While the Orioles don’t pose the same challenge as a team like the Dodgers or Yankees, the fact that some of the quieter bats in the lineup could come alive in big ways was critical to the victory.
Boston and Baltimore meet again on Saturday at 1:35 p.m. at Fenway Park. Southpaw Martin Perez is expected to start for Boston as he makes his Red Sox debut. Opposite him will be Baltimore’s Alex Cobb, who is looking to prove himself after struggling in three outings last year prior to re-aggravating a lumbar strain.
