Orioles Beat Red Sox 1-0
BOSTON -- Mark Trumbo's towering solo home run in the second inning proved to be the difference in the Baltimore Orioles' 1-0 win over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night at Fenway Park.
Trumbo's blast was his major-league-leading 42nd and his first since a Sept. 2 solo shot against the New York Yankees. His previous career high in homers before 2016 was 34.
Baltimore (80-65) moved within a game of first place in the American League East after the Toronto Blue Jays -- who began the day tied for second with the Orioles -- were blown out by the Tampa Bay Rays earlier in the day.
Despite the loss, Boston (81-64) still maintains a one-game lead in the AL East. The Red Sox have lost back-to-back games after clocking the O's 12-2 in the series opener on Monday.
Orioles starter Kevin Gausman (8-10) outdueled 20-game winner Rick Porcello, tossing eight scoreless innings while allowing four hits and one walk and striking out six.
Zach Britton shut down the Red Sox in the ninth to convert his 43rd straight save opportunity to start the year, a major league record for a left-handed pitcher.
Porcello (20-4) suffered his first loss at Fenway this season after going 13-0 in his first 14 starts at the ballpark. He was charged with one run and four hits and fanned six.
Porcello and Dave Ferriss are the only Red Sox pitchers to open a season 13-0 at home. Ferriss accomplished the feat in 1946. No Red Sox pitcher has ever gone 14-0 at home to begin a season.
Houston Astros starter and 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel remains the only major leaguer since 1900 to start a season 14-0 at home, opening 15-0 in 2015.
Boston failed to advance a runner past first base through the first six innings against Gausman, but Chris Young's two-out single to left-center field put runners on the corners with two outs in the seventh.
Gausman got out of the jam, however, striking out Sandy Leon with a splitter.
Ortiz led off the Boston ninth with a dribbler to first base. Mookie Betts flied out to left and Hanley Ramirez struck out swinging to end the game.
Trumbo blasted a first-pitch slider from Porcello an estimated 448 feet for a solo homer that easily cleared the Green Monster in left field to lead off the second inning.
It was his 100th RBI of 2016, tying a career high set during his 34-homer season with the Los Angeles Angels in 2013.
Porcello gave fans a scare two batters later as J.J. Hardy's line drive deflected off his left calf. Porcello immediately started limping but stayed in the game after being examined.
Gausman held the Red Sox without a hit for 3 2/3 innings before Mookie Betts hit a line-drive single to right.
NOTES: Baltimore OF Steve Pearce (right forearm) was examined by New York Mets orthopedist David Altchek on Wednesday in New York and received a platelet-rich plasma injection. "We'll let it run its course and see if he's going to be available to us at some point," manager Buck Showalter said. ... Former Red Sox GM Ben Cherington was hired as the vice president of baseball operations for the Toronto Blue Jays. "He's going to make a great contribution, no doubt," said Boston manager John Farrell, whom Cherington hired in 2013. ... Major League Baseball released its 2017 schedule. Baltimore hosts Toronto in its season opener, and Boston opens at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates, both on April 3. ... Orioles RHP Yovani Gallardo (5-7, 5.44 ERA) opposes Rays LHP Blake Snell (5-8, 3.62) on Thursday in Baltimore. Red Sox LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (2-7, 4.70) counters Yankees RHP Masahiro Tanaka (13-4, 3.04) on Thursday at Fenway.
