Red Sox Beat Orioles 7-3
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Stephen Drew hit two homers, drove in five runs and scored three times to power the Boston Red Sox past the Baltimore Orioles 7-3 on Saturday night.
Shane Victorino also connected for the Red Sox, who won for only the fourth time in 10 games to remain a half-game behind first-place Tampa Bay in the AL East. Boston stood atop the AL East for 60 straight days before falling into second on Friday night.
Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was ejected from the game in the seventh inning by home plate umpire Tim Timmons for arguing a called strike during an at-bat that ended in a strikeout.
Ortiz destroyed the covers of two dugout phones with his bat, then charged onto the field and had to be restrained by manager John Farrell and bench coach Torey Lovullo. Ortiz finally relented, but as a final gesture he threw an elbow pad in Timmons' direction.
The shattered pieces of plastic rained on teammate Dustin Pedroia, who finally yelled, `Stop!' at the enraged Ortiz.
Starting for the sixth time since coming off the disabled list with a strained hamstring, Drew hit a three-run shot in the fourth inning and connected with a man on in the sixth. It was his second career two-homer game, and the five RBIs tied a career high. He came in batting .223 with five homers and 32 RBIs in 71 games.
Ryan Dempster (6-8) gave up two runs in 5 1-3 innings to earn his first win in five starts since June 30. His previous four starts were no-decisions.
Both of Drew's homers came off Scott Feldman (2-2), making his fifth start since coming to the Orioles in a trade with the Chicago Cubs. Feldman allowed four runs and six hits in five innings.
Baltimore's Chris Davis went 1 for 3 with a walk and two strikeouts, the 21st consecutive game in which the major league home run leader has struck out. He has fanned eight times in his last three games and hasn't homered since hitting No. 37 on July 14.
Boston went up 1-0 in the third when Drew singled and came home on a single by Jacoby Ellsbury. That provided a note of optimism for a slumping team that had produced only one run in its previous two games and came in with a 42-9 record when scoring first.
Feldman got two outs in the fourth before Mike Carp and Jarrod Saltalamacchia singled. Drew followed with his first home run since June 4.
Baltimore closed to 4-1 in the fifth on an RBI single by Brian Roberts, but another homer by Drew provided the Red Sox with a five-run cushion in the sixth. The drive hit the top of the wall in right field, and although umpires initially ruled the ball in play, they adjourned for a replay and ultimately called it a home run.
After the Orioles got a sixth-inning run on a grounder by Matt Wieters, Victorino homered on Jairo Asencio's first pitch of the night to make it 7-2 in the seventh.
J.J. Hardy singled in a run in the eighth for Baltimore.
NOTES: The start of the game was delayed by rain for 27 minutes. ... Boston improved to 3-6 against Baltimore this season. The Red Sox lost nine of their previous 11 games at Camden Yards. ... Orioles right-hander Jason Hammel seeks his first win since May 27 in the finale of the three-game series Sunday. Jon Lester, 14-2 lifetime against Baltimore, starts for Boston. ... Baltimore 2B Ryan Flaherty turned 27 Saturday. He has not had an at-bat since the All-Star break. ... Hardy went 1 for 2 against Dempster and is 3 for 32 lifetime against the right-hander.
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
