BOSTON — Cedric Mullins hit two homers and drove in three runs, Albert Suárez gave up one run and struck out a career-best eight over six innings and the Baltimore Orioles held off the Boston Red Sox 5-3 on Tuesday night.
Adley Rutschman added a two-run single for the Orioles, who won for only the second time in six games as they attempt to catch the AL East-leading New York Yankees.
Triston Casas and Masataka Yoshida each had an RBI double for Boston, which has lost seven of its last 11 in its pursuit of Minnesota for the AL’s third wild-card spot.
Boston’s Tyler O’Neill went 0 for 3 with three strikeouts after hitting two homers in a victory on Monday.
With Gunnar Henderson on first after a walk in the third, Mullins hit a cutter from Kutter Crawford (8-14) deep into the right-field seats to make it 3-0. It was his fifth career multi-homer game, the last coming against Toronto on June 19, 2021.
Coming off his second-worst start of the season when he gave up six runs in 4 1/3 innings last Wednesday against the White Sox, the 34-year-old Suárez (8-5) allowed four hits and two walks.
Seranthony Domínguez got the final three outs for his 10th save.
Casas’ double off the Green Monster sliced it to 3-1 in the fourth. It was Boston’s first run off Suárez this season after he shut them out over six innings in Camden Yards on Aug. 18.
Yoshida doubled off Yennier Cano in the eighth and Cano balked in a run, making it 5-3.
Crawford lost his fifth straight start, giving up three runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings with six strikeouts and a walk. In the five starts, the Red Sox have scored two runs when he’s been in the game.
Mullins’ first homer hooked around the Pesky Pole in the first inning. Right fielder Wilyer Abreu looked like he was going to make an easy grab as he headed toward the wall, but he just kept drifting as the ball eventually settled into the seats, an estimated drive of just 334 feet.
Abreu made a nice running, inning-ending running catch before he fell to the ground in the sixth.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Orioles: INF Jordan Westburg (fractured right hand) thought he might be able to start taking batting practice “soon.” Speaking in the clubhouse before the game, he said: “I’m happy how it’s progressing. The past couple of days, I feel like I’ve turned a little bit of corner strength-wise. I’ve been able to grip some weights more.”
Red Sox: Casas was back in the lineup after manager Alex Cora had the left-handed hitter sit against a lefty starting pitcher.
UP NEXT
RHP Dean Kremer (7-9, 4.27 ERA) is slated to start the series finale for the Orioles against Red Sox RHP Nick Pivetta (5-10, 4.38).
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