BOSTON – The Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-1 on Tuesday night as Drew Pomeranz struck out six in his season debut and Dustin Pedroia drove in four runs.
Christian Vazquez added a two-run triple in the eighth, capping off a 4-for-4 game, as the Red Sox tagged Baltimore pitchers for 15 hits and had back-to-back three-run innings in the seventh and eighth to blow the game open.
Pomeranz, who opened the season on the disabled list with a strained left forearm, took a shutout into the seventh inning. He held Baltimore to four hits and one run in six innings and picked up his first win at Fenway Park.
Pablo Sandoval had a sacrifice fly in the second and Pedroia had one in the fifth off Dylan Bundy (1-1), who was strong through the first six innings. Bundy pitched 6 1-3 innings, allowing three runs and seven hits.
Bundy was pulled after walking Sandoval with one out and Boston up only 2-1. The Red Sox caught a break when shortstop J.J. Hardy botched a grounder that could have started a double play and get the Orioles out of the threat.
Instead, Chris Young reached and Vazquez followed with a single to load the bases. Pedroia blooped a single just out of Jonathan Schoop’s reach in shallow right to drive in two, then Andrew Benintendi added an RBI single to make it 5-1.
Chris Davis scored Baltimore’s only run, leading off the seventh with a single and scoring later on a fielder’s choice.
Adam Jones’ one-out double in sixth was just the third hit for the Orioles and ended a run of 12 straight outs for Pomeranz, who preserved the shutout by getting Manny Machado on a pop out to first and Mark Trumbo’s fly ball to right. Jones was the first baserunner for the Orioles since the second inning.
UP NEXT
RED SOX: RHP Steven Wright (0-0, 5.40) is coming off a no-decision in his season debut last week in Detroit. Wright allowed four runs and seven hits, striking out four and walking three over 6 2-3 innings Friday against the Tigers.
ORIOLES: Send RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (0-0, 10.38 ERA) out for his second start as Baltimore wraps up its two-day visit to Boston.
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