BALTIMORE (AP) — Brennan Bernardino worked out of a no-out, bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-3 Tuesday night.
Wilyer Abreu and Rob Refsnyder homered and Brayan Bello won for the fifth time in six starts for Boston, which beat the Orioles for the first time in five meetings this season.
Grayson Rodriguez struck out a career-high 10 for Baltimore, which had a season-best five-game winning streak halted.
Bernardino entered with a 4-3 lead and two on in relief of Bello (6-2) and promptly walked pinch hitter Ryan Mountcastle, loading the bases. But the left-hander struck out pinch-hitter Austin Hayes, induced a weak grounder from Jorge Mateo back to the mound for a force out and struck out Gunnar Henderson on three pitches to end the threat.
“That’s literally what my job is, I feel like, is to come into situations and help my starter or whatever pitcher pitches before me,” Bernardino said. “It felt great to do that.”
Bernardino struck out two more in a 1-2-3 seventh.
“He’s really good against lefties and righties,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “Obviously, there’s certain matchups we try to avoid. But today, he was amazing. We knew they were going to use their righties, but his stuff plays, regardless.”
Rafael Devers tripled to lead off the eighth and scored on Connor Wong’s single to make it 5-3. Boston added three runs in the ninth on pinch-hitter Romy Gonzalez’s sacrifice fly and Refsnyder’s two-run homer.
Rodriguez (5-2) gave up four runs in six innings, setting down 13 of the last 14 batters he faced. But he gave up Abreu’s one-out homer and Devers’ RBI single in the first to give the Red Sox a 2-0 lead.
Boston added two more runs in the second when Jarren Duran hit an RBI double with one out and scored on a Devers’ bloop single three batters later.
“Any time you give up four runs, you’re pretty disappointed about that,” Rodriguez said. “I was glad I was able to go six innings, but I should have done a better job of keeping my team in the game.”
The Orioles scored all three of their runs in the first. Colton Cowser had an RBI infield single, and Jordan Westburg poked a two-run, opposite-field single to right two batters later.
Bello allowed three runs and five hits while striking out seven.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: OF Tyler O’Neill traveled to Boston for imaging on his sore right knee. He has not played since Saturday.
Orioles: Manager Brandon Hyde said RHP Dean Kremer (triceps) is experiencing less soreness since going on the injured list Friday and should begin playing catch soon.
UP NEXT
Baltimore RHP Corbin Burnes (4-2, 2.60 ERA) faces Boston RHP Kutter Crawford (2-3, 2.89 ERA) as the three-game series concludes Wednesday.
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