12-11-2019, 07:38 AM
BALTIMORE -- The Boston Red Sox opened the new baseball season the same way they finished the last one -- by combining solid pitching and a relentless offence to win a series. Although taking two of three from the Baltimore Orioles wasnt nearly as uplifting as winning the World Series, it still felt pretty darn good. Felix Doubront and four relievers combined kept Baltimores potent lineup in check, and David Ortiz had three of Bostons 12 hits off Wei-Yin Chen in a 4-3 victory Thursday night. Xander Bogaerts also had three hits for the defending champions. The 21-year-old shortstop has reached in eight of 12 plate appearances, collecting five hits and three walks. Boston finished with 14 hits, 12 of them singles. The Red Sox amassed 33 hits in the three games, including five by Ortiz, but even more impressive was that Boston limited the Orioles to seven runs over 27 innings. "Thats why they were the last team standing last year," Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said. "They pitched better than everybody else for the most part, and I dont think Im telling anybody anything they dont know. You pitch real well, youve got a chance to play extra games at the end of the year." Doubront (1-0) allowed two runs and six hits in 5 2-3 innings, and Bostons bullpen maintained its 0.00 ERA with 3 1-3 innings of three-hit relief. Chris Capuano got three straight outs in the seventh, Junichi Tazawa worked the eighth and Koji Uehara needed only seven pitches to retire the side in the ninth for his first save. Bostons bullpen allowed six hits over 7 1-3 innings in the series. "Thats going to be critical until we get to the point where we can push the starters a little bit more, or until their efficiency continues to climb," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. All told, there wasnt much to complain about. Bostons only loss in the series was in the opener, a 2-1 decision. "If you can start the season winning a series, thats what you want to do," third baseman Will Middlebrooks said. "Especially with a team like Baltimore, as good as they are and the staff they have. Were pretty happy with it." Bogaerts added, "Im really happy the way things are going so far. We lost the first one, but we came right back and won the next two." Matt Wieters had three hits for the Orioles and Chris Davis had two hits and scored twice, but it wasnt enough to win the deciding game of the series. "They threw well against us in three games, but you know, luckily its a long season," shortstop J.J. Hardy said. "Well see them again." Chen (0-1) gave up four runs in 5 2-3 innings. The left-hander yielded 11 singles, one double and did not issue a walk. He left in the sixth after Middlebrooks doubled and scored on a two-out single by Jackie Bradley Jr. to put Boston ahead 4-2. "I allowed a lot of hits. Thats what I have to work on," Chen said through an interpreter. "I didnt allow a big inning. Thats what Im happy about." Baltimore chased Doubront in the bottom of the sixth. Davis singled, took third on a single by Wieters and scored on a wild pitch by Brandon Workman. Chen gave up singles to four of the first six batters he faced but got a pair of double plays to avoid extensive damage. After Boston put runners on the corners and no outs in the second inning, Bogaerts scored on a double-play grounder. The Red Sox made it 2-0 in the third. With two outs, Bradley scored from first base when a bloop single by Ortiz eluded the grasp of a diving Nelson Cruz. Three singles, the last by David Ross, put Boston up 3-0 in the fourth. The Orioles scored two in the bottom half on doubles by Davis and Wieters, along with an RBI single by Delmon Young. NOTES: Ericka Brannock, who lost most of her left leg in last years Boston Marathon bombing, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Brannock is a preschool teacher in Towson, Md. ... The Red Sox will receive their World Series rings in a pregame ceremony Friday before opening the home portion of their schedule against Milwaukee. Boston has won a franchise-record nine straight home openers. ... Baltimore hits the road to face the Detroit Tigers on Friday afternoon. Miguel Gonzalez starts for the Orioles against Anibal Sanchez. ... Baltimores Ryan Flaherty went 0 for 4 and is hitless in 11 at-bats this season. ... After hitting a home run in each of his first two games with Baltimore, Cruz went 0 for 4 with a strikeout. Cheap Yeezy . But back-up Peter Budaj has put up two wins and an overtime loss while starting three games in four nights since Price went down with a suspected groin injury. Fake Yeezy . Luke Wileman and I stood in the corridor outside of the Vancouver Whitecaps dressing room at BC Place in Vancouver. https://www.wholesaleyeezyauthentic.com/ .Y. -- Cory Schneider has to make the most of his opportunities to guard the New Jersey Devils net to earn more playing time. Yeezy 700 Outlet . The Indians scored twice in the top of the ninth, getting the go-ahead run on a wild pitch by closer Matt Lindstrom. Axford (0-1) came in seeking his fifth save in as many chances. Wholesale Yeezy Authentic .S. military base for UFC: Fight for the Troops 3. This fight card, which takes place in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, has had a number of changes, including headliner Lyoto Machida replaced by fellow Brazilian Rafael Natal.Louisville, KY - The apprentice gave the master a scare, but Rick Pitinos fourth-ranked Louisville Cardinals pulled away down the stretch and came away with a 68-57 win over UNC-Wilmington on Sunday. Kevin Keatts, an assistant under Pitino for three years before taking over at UNCW this season, had the Seahawks within two points with under seven minutes to play before the undefeated Cardinals answered with a game-sealing 10-2 run. Montrezl Harrell and Terry Rozier each poured in 19 points for Louisville (9-0), which atoned for its 1-for-13 showing from 3-point range by outscoring the Seahawks in the paint by a wide 46-26 margin. Harrell also pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds, while Freddie Jackson and Jordan Talley led UNCW (3-3) with 16 and 13 points, respectively. Chris Jones layup off a steal gave the Cardinals what appeared to be a comfortable 46-28 lead with 13:47 left in regulation, but a surprising 15-0 run by the Seahawks gave the underdogs hope. I felt like our guys felt like we could win the game with five minutes left in the game, Keatts said. Jackson scored six points during the surge, and Cedrick Williams hit a mid- range jumper to pull UNCW within 52-50 with 6:55 to play. Rozier sttopped the run with a bucket inside, then added two free throws and a tip-in during the aforementioned 10-2 run.dddddddddddd Talley cut the deficit to 62-54 with a jumper, but UNCW missed its next five to come up short. Really happy for coach Keatts, Pitino said. His team played with unbelievable heart and purpose. Its not easy coming into this type of environment and play as well as they did. Our team didnt play well because they made us not play well. The Seahawks had 11 days to rest up following the most lopsided win in school history -- a 105-47 drubbing of St. Andrews on Dec. 3. They had fresh legs early while Louisville missed nine of its first 10 shots. UNCW was in front, 16-15, following a Craig Ponder 3-pointer just past the midway point of the first half. Baskets were not that easy to come by the rest of the half, however, as the Cardinals scored 12 of the next 14 points. A Rozier free throw and dunk in the closing seconds gave Louisville a 32-24 halftime lead. Game Notes Pitino collected win No. 350 as Louisvilles head coach ... The Cardinals have won 34 straight games at home against non-conference opponents ... This was the first-ever meeting between these two programs. ' ' '