Mancini, Orioles avoid four-game sweep, beat Red Sox 4-1

<p>BALTIMORE &mdash; Trey Mancini hit a go-ahead solo homer and later knocked in an insurance run, Jorge López and four relievers combined on a four-hitter and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Boston Red Sox 4-1 on Monday night.</p>
<p>The Orioles had dropped their first six games at Camden Yards this season against the Red Sox and avoided a four-game sweep. It was the first time the home team won in 10 games between the teams this season.</p>
<p>Boston still has the best record (22-14) and the best road record (12-5) in baseball. </p>
<p>Baltimore’s bullpen combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings, retiring all 10 batters it faced. Tanner Scott (2-2) struck out his only hitter to complete the sixth, Travis Lakins Sr. and Paul Fry both completed perfect innings, and César Valdez worked the ninth for his eighth save.</p>
<p>Mancini put the Orioles ahead 2-1 with a blast to center off reliever Matt Andriese (1-2) to lead off the sixth. </p>
<p>Andriese was still working when Cedric Mullins led off the eighth with a bloop triple to shallow left. His pop-up twice glanced off the glove off shifted shortstop Xander Bogaerts, and Mullins sneaked into third just ahead of catcher Christian Vázquez’s tag. </p>
<p>Two batters later, Mancini’s sharp single against Boston’s drawn-in infield made it 3-1, and Freddy Galvis’ sacrifice fly later in the inning supplied the Orioles’ final run.</p>
<p>López went a season-high 5 2/3 innings, scattering four hits while striking out five and maintaining control except for a brief sequence in the fourth after yielding J.D. Martinez’s one-out single. Over the course of three pitches, Martinez moved up a base on a hit batsman, a wild pitch and Rafael Devers’ sacrifice fly to tie it at 1.</p>
<p>Ryan Mountcastle lined his third homer down the left-field line off Boston’s Martin Pérez, who otherwise navigated five innings with little difficulty. He allowed four hits and one run and struck out four.</p>
<p>Mountcastle added a single, giving him consecutive multi-hit games for the first time this season. He has five multi-hit games in his last 10 outings after recording two in his first 25 games in 2021.</p>
<p>TRAINER’S ROOM</p>
<p>Red Sox: RHP Ryan Brasier (left calf strain) threw a 20-25 pitch bullpen Saturday, but manager Alex Cora said he is not close to joining a minor league team for a rehabilitation assignment.</p>
<p>Orioles: Manager Brandon Hyde said OF DJ Stewart (left hamstring strain) reported reduced soreness Monday. Stewart left in the sixth inning Sunday. … Baltimore recalled LHP Keegan Akin from Triple-A Norfolk and optioned LHP Zac Lowther to Norfolk. Lowther is 0-1 with an 18.90 ERA in two games with the Orioles.</p>
<p>MEANS HONORED</p>
<p>Baltimore LHP John Means was named the American League’s player of the week after no-hitting Seattle on Wednesday. Means is the first Orioles pitcher to earn the honor since Arthur Rhodes in August 1994.</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Red Sox: RHP Nathan Eovaldi (4-2, 4.62 ERA), whose 52 consecutive homerless innings is the longest active streak in the majors, draws the start as Boston begins a three-game series at Fenway Park against Oakland.</p>
<p>Orioles: Means (4-0, 1.37) makes his first since his no-hitter as Baltimore begins a two-game set against the New York Mets at Citi Field.</p>
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