Bosox Win Cuts Orioles Lead to a Mere 25.5 Games!
Sep 19, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles pinch hitter Delmon Young (27) slides into third base safely after hitting a triple in the seventh inning as Boston Red Sox third baseman Garin Cecchini (70) does not get the throw in time at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Red Sox won 5-3 in ten inning. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports
In a tremendous display of power, the Boston Red Sox totally crushed the Baltimore Orioles 5-3 in 10 innings, cutting the O’s lead over the Sox to a mere 25.5 games.
David Ortiz and Yeonis Cespedes hit back-to-back homers in the fourth inning off Kevin Gausman, while Ortiz hit the game-winning two-run shot off Darrin O’Day in the 10th. The three home runs elevates the Red Sox total for the season to 116, while the Orioles are languishing in this power statistic – stuck on a girly-man total of 199. Hans and Franz would be all over the O’s.
The home run off O’Day totally blows up his seasonal ERA, moving it to 1.64 – the highest of the year. He has been scored upon now in nine of his 65 outings, and this will raise the question of his fitness for a postseason roster.
The O’s came back from their day off with an especially power-packed lineup, benching Adam Jones, J.J. Hardy, and Nick Markakis in preference for David Lough, Jimmy Paredes, and Christian Walker. It is a wonder that the Red Sox were even able to remain in the game with such a stacked order.
The powerful Red Sox pitching held Nelson Cruz and Alejandro De Aza to a mere three hits each. And even though they allowed Delmon Young to improve his seasonal pinch-hitting average to 10-for-20, the Sox managed to prevent the speedster from stretching his triple into an inside-the-park home run.
With the win, the surging Boston Red Sox have the opportunity to eliminate the Orioles from any possibility of a 100-win season if they can sweep this final series between the teams. And this being the seventh Sox win over the O’s already this year, they now have two more than the entire season of 2012!
For the Orioles, the loss expands the O’s totals to two in the past 12 games and six in the past 25.
Chris Tillman will go to the mound on Saturday night to stop the bleeding.