Martinez, Sale stay hot as Red Sox top Orioles
J.D. Martinez homered for the fourth time in his last three games, and Chris Sale struck out 10 in six innings as the visiting Boston Red Sox defeated the Baltimore Orioles 7-2 on Saturday.
Boston has won four straight, taking the final two of a home series with the Texas Rangers before opening this three-game weekend series with two victories.
Sale (3-7) gave Boston six strong innings. He allowed two runs on six hits and gave the Red Sox his third straight solid start after struggling at times during the first part of the season.
Sale also now has won two straight decisions.
Baltimore starter Dylan Bundy blanked the Red Sox for the first five innings before Boston got to him for three runs in the sixth. Overall, Bundy (3-8) gave up three runs (two earned) on eight hits in five-plus innings.
He also struck out eight and walked just two.
Both teams wasted good early scoring threats before the Red Sox broke through for the three runs in the sixth. Rafael Devers led off with a single and scored from first when Xander Bogaerts lined a double into the left field corner.
Bogaerts advanced to third on the throw home and scored when Brock Holt (3-for-5, two RBIs) singled. Michael Chavis singled to end Bundy's day.
Richard Bleier came on in relief. One out later, with runners on second and third, third baseman Hanser Alberto booted a Sandy Leon grounder to give the Red Sox another run and a 3-0 lead.
But the Orioles answered with two off Sale in the bottom half. Renato Nunez drove in the first run with a double, and Jonathan Villar added a sacrifice fly that cut the lead to 3-2.
Martinez then added his third homer of the series in the seventh to make it 4-2. He homered twice in Friday's 13-2 victory.
Boston broke it open with three in the ninth. Bogaerts hit a sacrifice fly, and Holt added an RBI single. A throwing error then made it 7-2.
--Field Level Media
