BALTIMORE — Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock smiled at pitching coach Andrew Bailey after escaping a major jam in the eighth inning Monday.
Whitlock allowed a leadoff double to Gunnar Henderson but then struck out the next three hitters to preserve Boston’s one-run lead. He helped the Red Sox secure a 4-3 win over the Orioles here at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
“That one really didn’t have to do with the moment,” Whitlock said about smiling at Bailey. “That was just me and him like smiling because he always jokes with me that I never show emotion. And he’s always kinda checking like, ‘Are you OK?’ Or ‘Why didn’t you show emotion?’ And so now it’s just more of an inside joke that like when I don’t show emotion, I’ll give him a little smile and he’s like, ‘Hey, there’s your emotion.’”
Whitlock struck out Ryan Mountcastle looking, then punched out Coby Mayo and Colton Cowser both swinging after Henderson’s leadoff double.
He has allowed just two earned runs in his past 20 ⅔ innings.
“It felt good. I feel like the last couple of times where the guys started on second with no outs, he’s ended up scoring,” Whitlock said. “So I’m kind of glad that finally had that where it sucks that I put him in that position, but at least this time I didn’t let him score.”
The Red Sox used four relievers after opener Brennan Bernardino threw a scoreless first inning. Richard Fitts allowed three runs in four innings but left with right biceps tightness.
Steven Matz pitched a scoreless sixth and seventh. Aroldis Chapman fired a perfect ninth inning after Whitlock’s scoreless eighth.
“I think we try and attack it the same way we normally would any other day,” Whitlock said. “Just kind of ready at all times. And so I think that’s kind of how everybody had the mindset today is knowing that like, ‘Hey, no traditional starter so we’re gonna be ready at all times.’”
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