Price earns 17th win as Red Sox beat Orioles 5-3 for sweep
BALTIMORE (AP) - David Price won his eighth straight decision, Hanley Ramirez homered and the Boston Red Sox completed a four-game sweep of the sinking Baltimore Orioles with a 5-3 victory on Thursday night.
Boston has won eight straight to open a 5ˆ½-game lead over idle Toronto in the AL East. With 13 victories in their last 16 games, the Red Sox have moved within one game of Texas for best record in the AL.
Baltimore fell seven games out and dropped 1ˆ½ games behind the Blue Jays for the top AL wild card. It was the first time since 2002 that the Orioles were swept at home by Boston in a four-game series.
Price (17-8) gave up three runs and six hits in seven inning, walking two and striking out five. The Red Sox have won each of the left-hander's last nine starts since Aug. 7.
Koji Uehara worked the eighth, and Craig Kimbrel got three straight outs for his 29th save in 31 chances.
Baltimore trailed 3-0 before Trey Mancini, starting his second major league game, hit a tying three-run homer in the third inning. It was his second home run in six at-bats.
Boston used a walk, a wild pitch and Andrew Benintendi's two-out RBI single off Vance Worley (2-2) to move back in front in the fifth.
Ramirez hit his 29th homer in the seventh to make it 5-3 and send the Red Sox to their eighth straight win over an AL East foe, their longest such run since 1990.
Orioles starter Chris Tillman gave up three runs, five hits and walked three in 1 2/3 innings, his shortest outing since June 2015.
Boston got a first-inning RBI single from Hanley Ramirez and added two runs in the second, the last on a bases-loaded walk to David Ortiz that ended Tillman's outing.
A here-we-go-again pall engulfed Orioles fans in the crowd of 26,788, but their spirits were rekindled when Mancini lined a 2-2 pitch into the left-field seats. The standing ovation continued until Price threw his next pitch.
ORTIZ FAREWELL
In a ceremony before his final regular-season game in Baltimore, Ortiz was given the phone he smashed inside the visitor's dugout during a tirade on July 27, 2013.
Wearing a huge grin, Baltimore center fielder Adam Jones handed Ortiz the shattered phone, which was mounted on a wooden frame.
Ortiz also received a $10,000 check, made out to a charity in his name. He took the check to the dugout but left the phone on the field.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Red Sox: RHP Steven Wright (shoulder) threw from 60 feet on Thursday and was scheduled to throw 120 feet on Friday. ... LHP Henry Owens threw five innings in the Instructional League to stay sharp and was set to rejoin the Red Sox on Friday.
Orioles: RHP Kevin Gausman will have his next start delayed after experiencing discomfort near his rib cage. Dylan Bundy will start Sunday against Arizona, and the Orioles hope Gausman can pitch Tuesday or Wednesday in Toronto. ... LHP Jayson Aquino was unavailable because of a viral infection.
UP NEXT
Red Sox: Winless in his last five starts, Drew Pomeranz (2-5, 4.91 ERA) faces the Rays in the start of a three-game series.
Orioles: Yovani Galardo (5-8, 5.77) starts Friday against Arizona, which hopes to play spoiler behind struggling right-hander Shelby Miller (2-12, 6.90).