Orioles Cruise to Home Opener Victory Over the Red Sox
After kicking off the season on the road against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Baltimore Orioles returned home on Monday afternoon to Camden Yards for their highly anticipated home opener against another AL East rival, the Boston Red Sox. The Orioles are coming off a split of their four-game series against the Blue Jays, showcasing promising moments in their victories but also raising concerns about their starting rotation, particularly with veteran offseason signing Charlie Morton allowing four earned runs and lasting just three and one-third innings in his debut on Friday night. Meanwhile, the Red Sox came into town following a sluggish start to the season, having dropped three out of four against the Texas Rangers, and were looking to right the ship. With a lively and excited home crowd, the Orioles made sure not to allow Boston to spoil their home opener festivities, as Baltimore secured an 8-5 victory over the Red Sox behind Cade Povich’s impressive outing on the mound in his first home opener start.
In the first inning, Povich got off to a great start for Baltimore on the mound, generating back-to-back strikeouts of Rob Refsnyder and Trevor Story, leaving traffic on the bases, and keeping the game scoreless as the Orioles went up to bat for the first time. In the bottom half, the Orioles’ offense quickly got on the scoreboard, collecting four straight base hits against Red Sox starter Sean Newcomb. Former Red Sox outfielder, now Orioles hitter, Tyler O’Neill drove in Jordan Westburg to give Baltimore an early 1-0 lead. The Orioles weren't done, as Ryan Mountcastle knocked a single to left field, driving in another run and extending the lead to 2-0. To top it off, longtime Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins came through in the clutch, capitalizing on a two-out double to the center-field gap, increasing the Orioles’ lead to 4-0.
In the second inning, the Red Sox cut the Orioles’ lead in half to 4-2 as outfielder Jarren Duran drove in two runs with a two-out triple to center field, marking Boston’s first runs of the game. The Red Sox narrowed their deficit further in the third inning as rookie second baseman Kristian Campbell grounded out to second, driving in Refsnyder to cut Baltimore’s lead to 4-3. The Orioles threatened in the bottom half, getting their first two hitters on base, but failed to extend their lead as outfielder Ramón Laureano grounded into a double play, ending the scoring opportunity. To start the top of the fifth inning, Povich capped off his first start of the season for the Orioles by striking out designated hitter Rafael Devers for his eighth and final strikeout, finishing with four and a third innings pitched.
As the Red Sox offense looked to complete a late-game comeback, the Orioles' bullpen held firm, with Matt Bowman, Seranthony Domínguez, Keegan Akin, and Yennier Cano all contributing scoreless relief outings heading into the ninth inning. In the bottom of the eighth, the Orioles added crucial insurance runs, with Heston Kjerstad, Cedric Mullins, and Jackson Holliday driving in four runs to extend Baltimore's lead to 8-3. In the ninth, Orioles closer Félix Bautista, making his second appearance of the season since returning from Tommy John surgery, sealed the win, finishing off the Red Sox in front of the sold-out crowd. Both teams will enjoy a day off on Tuesday before resuming the three-game series on Wednesday night.
