Masataka Yoshida hit a home run and drove in four runs, helping the Boston Red Sox defeat the Baltimore Orioles 12-10 on Friday night.
All-Star pitcher Corbin Burnes had a tough game, allowing eight runs and 10 hits in four innings, both career highs. This performance was a stark contrast to his appearance in last month’s All-Star game and his 2021 Cy Young Award win.
Burnes gave up two home runs, walked three batters, and threw two wild pitches on a hot and humid night. His ERA rose from 2.71 to 3.10, the highest it’s been this season.
“Probably he was off a little bit,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “Just one of those nights. It wasn’t a good one for him, but he grinded with us. He’s a great pitcher, probably one of the top five in the league.”
Ramón Urías went 3 for 3 with a home run and five RBIs for the Orioles, who are now a game behind the first-place New York Yankees in the AL East. Rookie Jackson Holliday had his first four-hit game and scored three runs.
“Our offense kept fighting, but we came up short,” Holliday said. “But it’s pretty special to get four hits.”
Despite getting 17 hits and closing a five-run gap to 12-10, the Orioles left 12 runners on base and never took the lead after the fourth inning.
Rafael Devers doubled in a run in the first inning and hit a two-run home run in the third to give the Red Sox a 4-1 lead. After the Orioles tied the game in the bottom of the third, Yoshida hit a three-run home run in the fourth to make it 8-4.
“Just a smart hitter,” Cora said about Yoshida. “He’s in a good place physically and he’s putting good swings on the ball.”
The score was 8-6 before the Red Sox added three runs in the seventh inning against Craig Kimbrel, who is trying to regain his position as Baltimore’s closer.
The effort didn’t help him, as he was loudly booed by the home crowd after giving up a two-run home run to David Hamilton and a solo blast to Jarren Duran.
