Rutschman homers twice in return to Baltimore, and the Red Sox rally for a 6-5 victory

BALTIMORE (AP) — Adley Rutschman homered twice in his return to Baltimore, and the Boston Red Sox rallied to beat the Orioles 6-5 on Thursday night.

Nick Sogard’s two-run shot in the eighth broke a 3-all tie. Baltimore led 3-1 after consecutive fourth-inning homers by Luis Robert Jr. and Pete Alonso, but the Orioles had just two hits after that.

Luis De León (0-2) took the loss. One of Baltimore’s top pitching prospects, he was called up earlier in the week, and both his appearances have been in the late innings with the game tied. He lost each time.

After a leadoff single by pinch-hitter Jahmai Jones, Rutschman hit a grounder to third. Jones slid hard into to second to break up a double play, and after De León struck out Wilyer Abreu, Yennier Cano came on.

Sogard hit a drive to right-center field for just his fourth homer of the year and only the second allowed by Cano in 61 appearances.

Roman Anthony added a solo homer in the ninth to make it 6-3.

Erik Miller (4-0) won in relief, and Aroldis Chapman held on for his 31st save in 33 chances despite allowing a two-run homer to Christian Encarnacion-Strand in the ninth.

A month after the Orioles traded the three-time All-Star catcher to Boston, Rutschman went deep in the first and sixth innings. He received a standing ovation from the Baltimore crowd before his first-inning drive to right gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead. Alonso tied it with a sacrifice fly in the bottom half.

Robert, who was picked up by the Orioles off waivers from the New York Mets, homered for the first time with Baltimore to put the Orioles ahead 2-1. Then Alonso sent a drive to right-center for his 33rd homer of the year. Center fielder Eli White had time to camp in front of the wall and reach up for the ball, but he couldn’t come up with the catch.

Alonso’s two RBIs moved him into a tie atop the AL at 94 with Triple Crown hopeful Yordan Alvarez of Houston.

Rutschman’s sixth-inning homer cut the deficit to one, and then Orioles starter Brandon Young gave up a double to White and an RBI single to Isiah Kiner-Falefa with two outs in the seventh, tying it at 3.

Up next

Boston sends Rangers Suarez (5-4) to the mound Friday night against Shane Baz (5-14) of the Orioles.

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here