For all the platitudes the Orioles give about their mentality — how they never give up — Friday night at Fenway Park was real, tangible evidence to support those statements.
The Orioles trailed 6-0 after the second inning and 8-2 after the sixth inning. The Red Sox had jumped all over right-hander Kyle Bradish, scoring four runs before he had recorded an out. But as the evening grew later and Baltimore continued to hang around, simply hanging around turned into a whole lot more.
There was Anthony Santander’s blast to right field, the first breakthrough. Then came Jorge Mateo’s three-run shot, and Austin Hays’ two-run blast, and a Rafael Devers throwing error that scored Rougned Odor. In those fits and spurts, the Orioles turned a potential blowout into a barnburner, with the go-ahead run — and then some — crossing in the ninth.
