BALTIMORE — Instant reactions from the Red Sox’ 5-0 win against Baltimore at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Tuesday:
1) The Red Sox improved to 73-60 while the Orioles dropped to 60-72.
2) Red Sox starter Lucas Giolito dominated, throwing 8 shutout innings. He allowed four hits and one walk while striking out eight. He recorded 12 swings and misses: four with his four-seamer, five with his changeup and three with his slider.
He received a standing ovation from Red Sox fans behind the third base dugout after striking out Jeremiah Jackson swinging to end the eighth inning.
3) Before the game, manager Alex Cora said about Giolito, “I think it’s about fastball command with him. When he’s dotting that fastball up in the zone, he’s really good. It’s not about velo anymore with him. It’s about location. If he does that, he can go deeper into games.”
Giolito threw 51% fastballs and landed 69 of his 104 pitches for strikes. His 53 fastballs averaged 93.9 mph, slightly up from his 93.4 mph yearly average. He topped out at 96.4 mph.
4) It marks Giolito’s fourth career start of eight or more scoreless innings and the first time doing it since his no hitter on Aug. 25, 2020, with the White Sox vs. the Pirates.
5) Trevor Story belted his 200th career home run in the second inning. His 372-foot blast to left field put the Red Sox ahead 1-0. He connected on a slider from Orioles starter Kyle Bradish. It was his 21st home run.
6) David Hamilton has struggled this season, entering Tuesday with a .188 batting average (27-for-144). But he hit his fourth homer, connecting on a 93.1 mph sinker from Bradish, to put Boston ahead 2-0 in the third inning. He sent it 364 feet to right field.
Hamilton is 6-for-15 with a triple, homer, double, two walks, four strikeouts and one steal on the road trip.
7) Hamilton helped the Red Sox score an insurance run in the eighth inning. He laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Ceddanne Rafaela (who doubled to begin the inning) to third base. Rafaela scored on a fielder’s choice when Carlos Narváez hit a dribble in front of the plate. Reliever Yaramil Hiraldo fielded and tried to flip the ball home with his glove but it got past catcher Alex Jackson.
Hamilton also hit a two-run double in the ninth that should have been caught for the third out of the inning.
8) Bradish pitched well in his first start back from Tommy John surgery. He allowed two runs and struck out 10 in six innings.
9) The Red Sox and Orioles will play the third game of their four-game series Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. Brayan Bello (10-6, 3.07 ERA) will start for Boston. The O’s have not yet announced a starter.
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