BOSTON -- The Orioles staged an early-game home run derby against Steven Wright's knuckleball and rolled to a 12-5 victory over the Red Sox on Wednesday night at Fenway Park.
It was a swift barrage of four homers against Wright, who lasted 1 1/3 innings while giving up eight hits and eight runs. Baltimore clubbed five homers on the night. It was a bounceback night for the O's, who imploded in the late innings of an 8-1 loss in the opener of the two-game set on Tuesday.
"I could tell walking around the [clubhouse] today that our guys were frustrated about last night," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "They were looking to get back out there and getting back to playing the type of baseball we're capable of and have to play."
Trey Mancini (two homers, four RBIs) kicked off the long ball barrage with a three-run shot to center with two out in the first. Jonathan Schoop made it back-to-back homers to cap the scoring in the six-run first. Red Sox manager John Farrell gave Wright a chance to settle into the game, but the right-hander was taken deep in the second by Adam Jones and Chris Davis and was then removed from the game.

"I mean, the knuckleball is kind of a mysterious pitch sometimes," Wright said. "Some times you're throwing really good ones and give up a bunch of runs. Some times you don't have a good one at all and you don't give up any. Today was not a good knuckleball and I gave up a lot of runs."

Ubaldo Jimenez was the beneficiary of all that run support and seemed in line for a sure win, but he labored and couldn't make it out of the fifth inning. Baltimore's bullpen was able to stave off the Red Sox. Pablo Sandoval belted a two-run home run over the Green Monster for Boston.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Mancini wears out Red Sox: Of the O's No. 5 prospect's five career homers, four have come against Boston. His second long ball was a certified laser beam into the Green Monster seats. According to Statcast™, the drive had an exit velocity of 115.5 mph and narrowly missed being the fastest homer in MLB this season, trailing only Joey Gallo and Giancarlo Stanton, who have both hit 115.6-mph ropes. Stanton's blast came just hours after Mancini's. More >

Givens snuffs out rally: Remarkably, the Red Sox brought the potential tying run to the plate by the bottom of the fifth inning in a game they once trailed, 9-0. An RBI single by Xander Bogaerts made it 9-5 and loaded the bases. But reliever Mychal Givens buckled down, striking out Sandoval and getting Chris Young on a flyout to deep right.

QUOTABLES
"Let's face it. I was throwing a lot of strikes and that can not be a good thing if you don't have a good knuckleball, and you're throwing it too much over the plate. It becomes BP." -- Wright

"I've been watching this team the last few years, ever since I got drafted, and I know that if there's a couple of slow offensive games, there's one game where there's an outpouring of offense. Tonight was the night. It felt really good to be a part of that." -- Mancini
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Red Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland kept his doubles streak alive by ripping one to the opposite field in left in the seventh inning. It marked the sixth straight game Moreland has had at least one double, and it gave him a league-leading seven for the season. Moreland became the fourth Red Sox player in the last 100 years to double in at least six straight games, joining David Ortiz (2016), Jason Varitek (2004) and Bill Regan (1929).

UNDER REVIEW
When Welington Castillo clubbed a two-run double into the corner in right and went to third on the throw in the seventh, Farrell challenged that the batter was out at third. But after a review of two minutes and 15 seconds, the call was ruled to stand.

WHAT'S NEXT
Orioles: Baltimore will head north of the border for the first time this season to open a four-game series against Toronto on Thursday at 7:07 p.m. ET. The O's, who won both games in their opening series of the season against the Blue Jays, will give the ball to Kevin Gausman in the opener. The righty had a no-decision in his Opening Day start against the Blue Jays, giving up two runs on five hits with four walks over 5 1/3 innings.
Red Sox: The Pirates come to town for one day on Thursday -- to make up the postponement of a week ago. Fittingly, the two pitchers who were supposed to face off a week ago will do so in the rescheduled game. Eduardo Rodriguez takes the mound for Boston and he'll be opposed by right-hander Chad Kuhl. First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. ET.
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