Red Sox squeak past Orioles to win first series

Apr 2, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Koji Uehara (19) throws in the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Red Sox defeated the Orioles 6-2. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

In Baltimore tonight, the Red Sox were cruising right along, putting up a run in almost every inning. Will Middlebrooks‘s ground out scored Xander Bogaerts in the second. David Ortiz hit a single which brought home Jackie Bradley Jr. in the third. In the fourth, David Ross singled to score Xander again.

But the trend would not continue in perpetuity. Felix Doubront ran into a little trouble in the bottom of the fourth. Matt Wieters doubled in Chris Davis and then Delmon Young singled to bring Wieters home. The Sox clung to a 3-2 lead. In the top of the sixth, the Sox extended their lead by a run when JBJ hit a single that scored Middlebrooks. Brandon Workman relieved Doubront in the sixth but he couldn’t escape the inning unscathed. Davis scored on a Workman wild pitch but, due to the quirks of the game, the run was charged to Doubront. Felix ended the game with 5 1/3 innings, six hits, and three earned runs.

The Sox couldn’t capitalize on a Xander single in the top of the seventh, but Chris Capuano was efficient and effective in the bottom of the frame. The lefty retired the O’s 1-2-3. David Ross drew a walk in the top of the 8th, but all scoring potential was zapped by JBJ grounding into a double play.

The rain started to get intense in the ninth inning. The few fans in the seats had their baseball devotion tested. Dustin Pedroia doubled, enlivening hope that the Sox could tack on an insurance run, but it was not to be. David Ortiz grounded out to move Pedey to third, but Mike Napoli grounded out to finish the Sox’ chance for more offense. The bottom of the ninth with a one-run lead can only mean one thing: Koji Uehara. The miraculous Sox closer promptly ended the game with a strike out and two pop outs. The ever efficient Koji used just seven pitches to secure a series win for the Sox!

The Sox will now ship up to Boston to host the Milwaukee Brewers and, more importantly, receive their World Series rings!