Red Sox Hit 3 HRs, Finish First Half With Sweep Of Orioles
BOSTON (AP) -- Marco Scutaro, Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis homered in the second inning, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-6 on Sunday for their sixth consecutive victory.
The Red Sox completed a four-game sweep and stayed one game ahead of the New York Yankees in the AL East, the sixth time in seven seasons that Boston has led the division at the All-Star break.
Baltimore has lost seven straight and 12 of 13.
Managers Terry Francona of the Red Sox and Buck Showalter of the Orioles both were ejected after pitches hit or came close to their batters. Boston starter Kyle Weiland also was ejected in his major league debut.
Boston also had three homers in an inning in Thursday's 10-4 series-opening win, with David Ortiz, Josh Reddick and Jarrod Saltalamacchia hitting solo shots in consecutive at-bats.
The series, marred by a bench-clearing fracas on Friday night after Ortiz was nearly hit by two pitches before popping out, had more tight pitches on Sunday. Baltimore's Mark Reynolds and Vladimir Guerrero were plunked and departed with bruised hands, and Ortiz nearly was hit again.
Francona and Weiland were ejected after the right-hander hit Guerrero with no outs in the fifth. Then Showalter and Mike Gonzalez were tossed when the reliever threw a pitch that nearly hit Ortiz.
Alfredo Aceves (4-1) pitched three perfect innings after Weiland left, and Jonathan Papelbon got his 20th save in 21 opportunities.
All but one of the Orioles' eight hits came in a six-run second that gave them a 6-2 lead. The Red Sox tied it in the bottom half on Scutaro's fourth homer of the year, Pedroia's 11th and Youkilis' 13th, a two-run drive.
Jeremy Guthrie (3-12) then replaced Mitch Atkins and retired Ortiz to end the inning. But Guthrie walked Ortiz with the bases loaded in the fifth, forcing in the go-ahead run.
Jacoby Ellsbury added an RBI single in the seventh, making it 8-6 Boston.
The Red Sox grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first. Ortiz had an RBI single and Josh Reddick drove in Adrian Gonzalez with a sacrifice fly.
Weiland retired the side in order in the first, then struggled in the second. Derrek Lee hit a tying two-run shot for his ninth homer, and Robert Andino, Nick Markakis and Adam Jones each had an RBI single.
NOTES: Boston LHP Jon Lester was added to the AL All-Star team in place of Seattle LHP Felix Hernandez, who was ineligible because he pitched on Sunday. Lester, on the disabled list with a strained back muscle, then was replaced by Toronto LHP Ricky Romero. ... Andre Agassi attended the game with wife Steffi Graf. Agassi was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I., on Saturday. Graf also is a member. ... Pedroia extended his hitting streak to 12 games.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
