Bundy pitches Orioles past Red Sox
BOSTON -- Dylan Bundy turned in his sixth straight quality start of the season, allowing two runs in seven-plus innings and pitching the Baltimore Orioles to a 5-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Monday in the first game of a four-game series.
Manny Machado, the center of controversy after spiking Boston's Dustin Pedroia in Baltimore April 21, hit a long solo homer off Rick Porcello (1-4), drove in two runs and made four dazzling fielding plays.
The Orioles (16-8) broke a tie with the losing New York Yankees and moved back into sole possession of first place in the AL East.
Focus coming into this game revolved around potential aftershocks from the weekend in Baltimore that ended with Pedroia shouting at Machado, telling him he had nothing to do with the Matt Barnes pitch that sailed close to Machado's head. All was quiet until the sixth inning when Bundy (4-1) threw a pitch close to Mookie Betts and then hit him high on the left leg with a 94-mph pitch.
No warning was issued and that was it for the night. Bundy did walk four in the game so his control wasn't perfect.
Bundy beat the Red Sox for the second time in three starts already this season.
Light-hitting Caleb Joseph, a late starter when Welington Castillo was scratched with neck spasms, doubled home the game's first run in the fifth inning. Joseph, a .213 lifetime hitter coming in, collected his 12th hit in 42 Fenway Park at-bats and recorded his seventh Fenway RBI, more than he has in any road ballpark.
Machado drove in another run, Mark Trumbo (two hits) singled home a run and Chris Davis had a sacrifice fly in the eighth, when three Red Sox errors (four in the game, 10 in the last four games, 12 on a six-game homestand) led to three runs that turned out to be the difference.
Boston scored two runs with the help of a misplayed fly ball, but a Hanley Ramirez baserunning mistake cost Boston a chance at more runs.
Porcello, who worked six innings, has already matched last year's loss total. He was 22-4 while winning the Cy Young Award in 2016.
NOTES: Orioles LHP Zach Britton should be able to come off the 10-day disabled list Tuesday after a pair of rehab outings. ... Britton said Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia reached out "to a veteran member of our team" to try to clear the air over the problems in Baltimore -- while Orioles GM Dan Duquette, in a local radio interview, blamed Red Sox P Matt Barnes and manager John Farrell for the pitch thrown at Manny Machado's head. ... RHP Mike Wright was recalled by the Orioles and RHP Logan Verrett was optioned. ... Boston LHP Chris Sale, just 1-2 but with a 1.19 ERA and only four runs from his team in five starts, faces RHP Alec Asher Tuesday night. ... Red Sox RHPs Carson Smith (Tommy John) and Tyler Thornburg (shoulder impingement) were both set to start throwing off a mound for the first time -- Smith Tuesday and Thornburg not far behind.