4 takeaways as the Red Sox pass the Orioles, 9-3

The big picture

The Orioles’ sticks got off to a quick start, with Ruan Mountcastle hitting a two-run homer on the second pitch of the game.

But the Red Sox immediately responded with three runs late in the first. Rafael Devers hit in a run with a single and Bobby Dalbec scored two with a double.

Baltimore equalized in the second with the Austin Wynns solo homeroom.

After three scoreless innings, the Red Sox finally returned to the table in fifth. Xander Bogaerts hit an RBI single down the middle to make it 4-3 for the Red Sox. They added to their lead in the sixth with a Hunter Renfroe RBI brace and a three-point homerun from Bogaerts to give the Red Sox relievers some cushion.

Boston’s final point of the day in seventh on a defensive player pick when Christian Vázquez hit a double play. The Red Sox reliever box continued to keep the Orioles off the board, with Garrett Richards putting the finishing touches to the ninth with two strikeouts.

Game player

Xander Bogaerts: 3-for-5, one home run, 4 RBIs.

The Red Sox clean-up hitter practically played his role to perfection on Saturday. In the first, he hit a single to keep Boston’s inning going, preparing for Dalbec’s brace later in the period.

He displayed clutch shots in the middle of the sleeves. Bogaerts’ RBI single broke the tie in the fifth, using a five-pitch batting to score Devers in the second.

Bogaerts punctuated his afternoon with a three-point shot at the Green Monster in the sixth. Although it ultimately wasn’t necessary, Bogaerts didn’t take them out of the park as much in the second half. Saturday’s circuit was only his second of the month.

What this means

With this victory, the Red Sox continue to occupy the first place in the race of wild cards of the American League. Playing the now-lost Orioles at 101 certainly increases their chances of maintaining their lead. They will have another chance to increase their winning tally on Sunday against the Orioles and have three more games against them later in the month.

As for rivals the Red Sox, the Yankees were beaten 11-3 by the Indians, while the Blue Jays beat the Twins, 6-2. The Red Sox are now 1.5 games ahead of the Yankees and one game ahead of the Blue Jays.

Take away food

1. Bobby Dalbec has been successful with the Orioles in their last two series at Fenway.

In August, Dalbec went 5 for 12 with three homers and six RBIs in three games. He continued this weekend, hitting a solo homer Friday night and adding two RBIs on Saturday while going 2v3 that day.

Of course, the easy thing to say about Dalbec’s game against the Orioles is, “Yeah, it’s the Orioles. He should strike well against them. But it’s also a small sign of how well he’s played since August, when he won the AL Rookie of the Month. He hits 0.306 in September, which would be a second straight month for him hitting 0.300 or better if he holds.

2. Nick Pivetta continues to shake.

Saturday’s Red Sox starter was hit quickly, allowing two runs after his first two shots of the game. Pivetta allowed a single on his third pitch of the game and struck out the next batter, adding more trouble to an already bad inning.

Pivetta did manage to get the Orioles’ next three hitters out, however. But he ran into trouble for much of the afternoon, yielding a home run and a single in the second. Pivetta retired the team in sequence in the third, but gave up the back-to-back singles to start the fourth. He managed to force a double play in the next at-bat, but Pivetta’s day ended there. His last row: 3 2/3 innings pitched with three earned runs on seven hits, three strikeouts and one walk.

Saturday’s game was the fourth time in five starts that Pivetta has lasted less than five innings or allowed four earned runs.

3. Tanner Houck’s place in the starting rotation seems to be in doubt after his start on Wednesday, but he could have carved out a solid role for himself in the bullpen.

Houck pitched 2 2/3 innings on Saturday. He didn’t allow a run and allowed just one hit on his exit, striking out three Orioles on catches along the way.

This wasn’t the first time the Red Sox have used Houck for multiple innings out of the box in an appearance. In July, Houck pitched three scoreless innings against the Yankees out of the relieving box, allowing just one hit and one walk on that outing.

While Houck’s struggles to last long in the games he starts are well articulated, he doesn’t have to worry about facing the opposing team for the third time if he comes out of the bullpen.

4. Kiké Hernández has been in a bit of a crisis since his return from COVID-19. Entering Saturday, he was just 4 for 36 in nine games, including a no-hitting game on Friday.

Hernández might have had a changeable performance on Saturday, however. He opened the game with a double from the Monster, giving the Red Sox an early lead.

Hernández got his second hit of the day in the sixth, hitting a deep left single to pitch the inning. He scored from first to next batter when Hunter Renfroe netted a brace down center right, giving the Red Sox a 5-3 lead.

Marking the two times he entered base, Saturday was the first time since his return from COVID-19 that Hernández has scored twice in one game. Of course, that’s not all for him, but it’s hard to do when he’s only reached base in six of his 38 home plate appearances in his last nine games.

Thanks to his recent fights, manager Alex Cora has kept Hernández in the top spot. He rewarded Cora for staying with him there.