BALTIMORE — Rafael Devers and Hunter Renfroe homered, Nick Pivetta won his third consecutive start and the Boston Red Sox defeated the Baltimore Orioles 4-3 Sunday.
Boston has won five of six, and at 22-13 owns the best record in baseball. The Orioles fell to a majors-worst 4-13 at home, including 0-6 against the Red Sox.
Devers, who homered off Baltimore starter Dean Kremer in the second inning, hit a two-run double off reliever Adam Plutko in the sixth to give Boston a 3-2 lead.
Renfroe added a solo shot off Cole Sulser in the eighth.
Pivetta (5-0) allowed two runs and three hits in six innings to improve to 7-0 since being traded from Philadelphia to Boston last August. He is only the fourth starting pitcher in franchise history to win at least his first seven decisions with the team, joining George Winter (7-0 in 1901), Dave Ferriss (8-0 in 1945) and John Burkett (7-0 in 2002).
Matt Barnes earned his eighth save in as many tries with a perfect ninth.
Pivetta ran into his only serious trouble right away. After retiring his first two batters of the day, he issued consecutive walks and then gave up Ryan Mountcastle’s RBI single.
Baltimore’s Cedric Mullins belted a two-out solo homer in the fifth.
Kremer (0-3) surrendered three runs and five hits in five-plus innings and has not won in nine starts since beating the New York Yankees in his major league debut on Sept. 6.
Baltimore shortstop Freddy Galvis extended his hitting streak to 10 with a single in the fourth.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: Boston placed INF Christian Arroyo (left hand contusion) on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Friday, and recalled INF Jonathan Araúz from Triple-A Worcester. Arroyo was hit on the hand with a pitch Wednesday. … Boston has shut down RHP Tanner Houck after he was diagnosed with a sore flexor muscle at Worcester. “There’s no timetable, but this is something we feel will be short term,” manager Alex Cora said. “It’s not something where we are overly concerned.” Houck was 0-2 with a 4.35 ERA in three April appearances with the Red Sox.
Orioles: Baltimore placed RHP Dillon Tate (left hamstring strain) on the 10-day IL, retroactive to Friday. Tate is 0-1 with a 3.46 ERA in 11 games this season. The Orioles recalled OF Ryan McKenna from Triple-A Norfolk.
UP NEXT
Red Sox: LHP Martín Pérez (0-2, 4.40 ERA), who has a 2.53 ERA in two road starts this season, gets the ball for Boston.
Orioles: RHP Jorge López (1-3, 6.49), who allowed seven runs in four innings against Boston on April 11, takes the mound as the four-game series concludes.
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