O's HR parade continues with 4 vs. Red Sox

March 26th, 2016

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Manny Machado and Chris Davis blasted back-to-back home runs in a six-run sixth inning Saturday to rally the Orioles to a 16-8 win against the Red Sox at Ed Smith Stadium. Machado, who also homered in Friday's win against the Yankees, lined a two-run home run over the left-field fence to break a 7-7 tie, and two pitches later, Davis went opposite field to stretch Baltimore's lead.
Shortstop J.J. Hardy hit a two-run homer in the third, his third homer in as many days, and catcher Audry Perez added a three-run shot later in the sixth to give the O's a total of four dingers in the game and 12 in their past three games. The Orioles' latest eruption let them overcome another poor start from their pitching staff.
 

Yovani Gallardo skirted through the first inning unscathed before issuing two walks and allowing a single in the second to load the bases for Boston with no outs. Mauricio Dubon drove in the first two runs with a single, Mookie Betts drove in the next with another single and outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. capped the frame with a two-run, opposite-field home run into the left-field bleachers.

Gallardo was chased after 3 2/3 innings in which he allowed seven earned runs on eight hits and three walks. Of his 78 pitches, only 37 were strikes. In eight Grapefruit League innings, Gallardo has a 16.88 ERA.
"You hear a lot of guys say Spring Training is a time to try different things," said Gallardo, who had a 10.13 ERA last spring and has only once been under 3.50 during Spring Training. "You can look at every Spring Training I've had throughout my career, and they've been bad. Good thing they don't count for your career."
The Orioles raced out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning with a two-run double by Mark Trumbo and an RBI single by Pedro Alvarez. Hardy's homer cut the Red Sox's lead to 6-5.

Justin Haley, who made his Grapefruit League debut as the Red Sox's starter, allowed five earned runs on six hits and two walks in three innings. Relief pitcher Carlos Marmol replaced Haley to start the fourth and was charged with two runs without recording an out to let Baltimore tie the score at 7. Roenis Elias entered the game in the sixth and allowed three homers in just two-thirds of an inning.
Adam Jones scored the tying run for the O's as part of a three-hit day and outfielder. Joey Rickard, a Rule 5 Draft selection, reached safely three times and scored twice.
Betts went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs to lead Boston's offense, and Bradley added two hits, a run and two RBIs to bring his batting average up to .378.

"I'm seeing the ball well, and I put some good swings on some balls today," Bradley said. "I'm focused on what I have to do and not really worrying about anything else right now. That's keeping me locked in, and I'm working hard. I just have a different mindset, and it's a good mindset."
Up next for the Red Sox:Steven Wright draws the start on Sunday when the Red Sox host the Phillies at JetBlue Park in a 1:05 p.m. ET matchup. The versatile knuckleballer, who has showcased impressive control this spring (101 pitches, 82 for strikes), will likely join Boston's starting rotation to open the regular season, with injured lefty Eduardo Rodriguez (right knee) beginning the year on the DL. Craig Kimbrel, Matt Barnes and Noe Ramirez are also scheduled to see action. The game will be shown on MLB.TV.
Up next for the Orioles:Ubaldo Jimenez will make his sixth start of Spring Training, but his first for the Major League team since March 12, when the Orioles play a 6:05 p.m. ET game against the Pirates on Sunday in Bradenton, Fla. on MLB.TV. Jimenez has been Baltimore's most reliable starting pitcher since allowing six earned runs in one-third of an inning in his first Grapefruit League outing. Including two Minor League appearances, Jimenez has given up just two earned runs across 17 innings in his past four appearances.