The Red Sox demolished the Orioles in a 19-5 win in Game 1 of a doubleheader but lost their top player, third baseman Alex Bregman, to right quad tightness.
Bregman suffered the injury rounding first base after singling to left field in the bottom of the fifth inning. Bregman returned to first and motioned that he needed to come out of the game.
“Just tight. We’ll see how he comes in tomorrow, so he won’t play in the second one,” manager Alex Cora said. “He’ll get treatment. We’ll know more tomorrow.”
Cora said Bregman didn’t want to push the injury after he felt tightness. The manager didn’t have a definitive answer on whether Bregman would hit the IL, saying the team would know more about the ailment on Saturday.
Bregman was replaced by pinch-runner Abraham Toro, who moved to first base. Nick Sogard, who began the game at first base, took over for Bregman at third.
Bregman entered the game leading the Red Sox in WAR, runs, hits, doubles, home runs and OPS. He joined the Red Sox on a three-year, $120 million contract in free agency this offseason after nine seasons with the Astros.
He was 1-for-2 with a walk before leaving the game with the injury.
The Red Sox’s bats went nuclear on the Orioles even without Bregman. Designated hitter Rafael Devers led the way, going 4-of-6 with two home runs, 8 RBI and three runs.
“He’s having an outstanding season,” Cora said. “He keeps working at it. There was some flaws early on, spring training wasn’t perfect. We know that. And little by little, he’s been building the swing, and against lefties, he’s been amazing, doing damage against them.”
Entering the bottom of the sixth inning trailing 2-1, they scored five runs after Seranthony Domínguez relieved Orioles starter Cade Povich.
Sogard, who was 3-of-6, doubled to center field after catcher Carlos Narvaez, who was 3-of-5 with two doubles, grounded out to second. Second baseman Kristian Campbell walked before center fielder Cedanne Rafaela singled to center field, scoring Sogard and pushing Campbell to third base. The Orioles subbed in Gregory Soto for Dominguez, but the Red Sox’s bats weren’t finished. Left fielder Jarren Duran singled on a line drive to center field, scoring Campbell and moving Rafaela to third. Devers homered to right-center field in the next at-bat to make the score 6-2.
Toro reached first base on an error, but right fielder Rob Refsnyder struck out swinging, and shortstop Trevor Story flied out to center field to end the inning.
The Red Sox scored 13 more runs in the bottom of the eighth against Orioles reliever Cionel Perez. Duran doubled off of the Green Monster and advanced to third on the throw, scoring Rafaela, who had walked to start the inning. Devers then drove in Duran from third on a single to left field. Refsnyder homered two at-bats later, driving in Toro, who had singled to center field. Refsnyder, batting cleanup, went 3-of-5 with the home run, 4 RBI and two runs.
Position player Emmanuel Rivera then replaced Perez on the mound, and things got out of hand. Story grounded out before Narvaez doubled, Sogard singled and Campbell walked to load the bases. Rafaela flied out before Duran walked to make the score 12-3. Devers followed that up with a grand slam to put the Red Sox ahead 16-3.
The Red Sox weren’t finished. Toro doubled then scored on a single from Refsnyder. Story doubled, then Narvaez doubled to drive in Toro and Story to make the score 19-3. Sogard singled, pushing Narvaez to third before Campbell mercifully ended the inning with a lineout to right.
The Orioles got on the board first in the third inning when second baseman Jackson Holliday drove Heston Kjerstad home on a single off of Brayan Bello. Catcher Adley Rutschman grounded out on the next at-bat, driving in shortstop Jorge Mateo from third base.
Bello struck out seven but lasted just four innings before being pulled with 87 pitches. He walked one, allowed six hits and let in two earned runs before being replaced by Brennan Bernadino.
“It was the plan that we had, and I think it went well,” Bello said through a translator.
The Red Sox responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the fourth. Story walked to lead off the inning. Narvaez lined a single into center field, moving Story over to third base. Sogard then drove Story home on a groundout to third base. Campbell struck out looking on a curveball before Rafaela ended the inning with a groundout to third base.
The Orioles put another run on the board in the top of the eighth inning. Justin Wilson, who had replaced Garrett Whitlock out of the bullpen, loaded the bases before being relieved by Justin Slaten. Slaten allowed the Orioles to score on a single by third baseman Juan Urias before retiring the side.
Toro, moving from the infield to the mound, allowed two runs to cap off the contest, with Connor Wong coming off the bench to play first.
Before Toro took over, the Red Sox’s bullpen settled after some recent struggles, allowing one run in four innings.
Rafaela made a highlight play in the top of the second when Urias hit a deep drive into the triangle in center field. Rafaela made a running, sliding over-the-shoulder catch to rob Urias of an extra-base hit.
The Orioles robbed the Red Sox of extra bases at the top of the second, when Kjerstad reached over the bullpen wall in right-center field to nab a would-be home run off the bat of Narvaez.
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