The Orioles’ offense had been looking for a “get right game” all season; they finally found it Friday night agains the Red Sox, as they launched six long balls and collected 20 hits in a 10-3 win over the Red Sox.
The O’s had struggled all season to get off to hot starts, but you never would’ve known watching Friday’s first-inning firework show. It only took two pitches for Baltimore to get on the scoreboard against Red Sox righty Brayan Bello, as 26-year-old Dominican left an 0-1 cutter over the plate to Gunnar Henderson, who emphatically launched a high fly ball toward Eutaw Street.
The solo shot was Gunnar’s first leadoff home run since September 4th, 2024 and the first of three homers in the inning for the suddenly on fire Orioles’ offense. After Taylor Ward shot a single up the middle, Adley Rutschman decided to get in on the early-inning fun. Bello left a 2-2 sinker up and over the plate, and the Baltimore backstop did his best Ken Griffey Jr. impression, upper-cutting a ball into the right-center bleachers.
Adley follows up with the second home run of the inning! pic.twitter.com/BZJfbVgKZz
After a Pete Alonso groundout, the Red Sox starter made another mistake to Dylan Beavers. The rookie outfield jumped all over a first-pitch fastball from Bello, sending another towering home run onto the flag court to give Baltimore a 4-0 lead and send Birdland into a first-inning frenzy. Samuel Basallo tried to keep the rally going, hustling for a double a ball he grounded down the first base line and off the bag into right field. However, the big DH would get stranded at second after a Leody Taveras flyout and Coby Mayo strikeout.
Oh my, Dylan Beavers! The third homer of the first inning! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/vIvD8XcIja
And yet, while Bello escaped further damage in the first inning, the O’s weren’t done teeing off on the Red Sox’ suffering starter. Baltimore would manufacture a run in the third, thanks again to the resurgent top of their order. With one out, Henderson laced a single into right field, which probably would have gone for a double if not for its 111mph exit velocity. Then, with Gunnar trying to steal second, Taylor Ward bounced another single up the middle to give the Orioles runners at the corner. Rutschman then picked up his third RBI of the night, grounding into a fielder’s choice at third and beating out the double play to allow Gunnar to score.
The fireworks returned in the 3rd thanks to the big bat of Basallo. With one out and the O’s up 5-1, Bello left a cutter over the plate to his compatriot, and Basallo joined in on the home run derby, sending a laser over the right field fence for his fourth long ball of the season.
Sam Basallo said 'MY TURN' pic.twitter.com/fwIDnrYt4T
The O’s would finally chase Bello in the 4th after the second Rutsch-bomb of the night. Ward once again started the rally, collecting his third single of the night on a sharply hit ground ball to right. Then, in a deja vu moment for the right-hander, Bello left another cutter over the plate and Adley hooked a ball over the flag court fence for his second homer of the night, and the Orioles fifth home run off Bello. Boston left him in for two more batters, but after back-to-back singles from Pete Alonso and Dylan Beavers, manager Alex Cora finally pulled the plug on his starter. Bello came into Friday’s start with a strong track record in Camden Yards; he left having given up over 2,000 feet of home runs, while allowing eight runs and 13 hits.
ADLEY HAS HIS SECOND HOMER OF THE NIGHT 🔥 pic.twitter.com/9AosQfntmY
However, just because Bello left the game didn’t mean the ball stopped leaving the Yard. Coby Mayo led off the bottom of the 5th inning with his third long ball in as many games, digging out a low changeup from Boston lefty Jovani Morán and flipping the left field wall for the Orioles’ fourth solo shot of the night.
Might be time to add a fourth condiment to that Hot Dog Race pic.twitter.com/KgPIZV3Sp3
Rutschman would pick up his 6th RBI of the night in the 7th to push the Orioles to double-digit runs. With two outs, Henderson picked up his third hit of the night, before Ward added his fourth single of the evening to move Gunnar into scoring position. Not wanting to feel left out, Adley joined the three-hit club, slashing a single to left that allowed Gunnar to race home and make the score 10-3.
The barrage of long balls overshadowed a strong outing from Baltimore starter Brandon Young. After pitching five shutout innings against the White Sox in his only other major league start this season, Young once again looked sharp early against the Red Sox. He worked a quick 1-2-3 inning in the top of the 1st, thanks to a lineout to center and a pair of groundouts to short.
Young was especially sharp with his sinker and splitter early on, tunneling the pitches off each other and consistently hitting the outside with both pitches. He also showed a sharp slider to right-handers, using the breaking ball to punch out Willson Contreras to lead off the 2nd. The 27-year-old righty only made one big mistake on the night, leaving a four-seamer over the plate to Wilyer Abreu, who hit the Red Sox’ only homer of the night with a solo blast in the 2nd.
The right-hander worked around a one-out single in the 3rd to post another scoreless frame. Young then started the 4th with back-to-back Ks, punching out Contreras on a high fastball before getting Abreu to swing through a splitter that fell off the plate at the bottom of the zone.
Young started to fade as he got into the 5th and 6th innings. He allowed back-to-back singles to Caleb Durbin and Carlos Narváez to start the 5th. Durbin would come around to score after moving to third on a fly ball and scampering home on an RBI groundout.
Abreu would get Young again in the 6th, slashing a one-out double down the left field line for his second extra-base hit of the evening. Two batters later, Marcelo Mayer lined a double to the right-center gap to score Abreu and end Young’s evening. After Yennier Cano stranded Mayer at second, it closed Young’s final line at 5.2 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB and 5 K.
The bullpen combined to pitch 3.1 scoreless innings, while not allowing a hit until the 9th. The most notable outing came from the 36-year-old Andrew Kittredge, who pitched a 1-2-3 7th inning in his season debut.