Red Sox: Scenes from Fenway opener

Once the game got started it didn’t take the Red Sox long to get going against the Baltimore Orioles. Boston’s lineup recovered from Sunday’s shutout to put a three spot on the board in the first inning, while ace David Price set down 6 of the first 7 batters he faced. Everything was going Boston’s way in the early going, but it wouldn’t stay lopsided for long.

Price labored through the third inning, uncharacteristically bleeding runs as his pitch count soared. A three-run blast from Mark Trumbo capped off a five run inning for the Orioles before Price set down the next two batters to escape, but the damage had been done. While Price settled down to prevent any further damage after that, he was forced out of the game after only 5 innings with his pitch count sitting at 105.

Not exactly what Red Sox fans were hoping for from their new ace, especially after hearing all winter how successful Price has been pitching at Fenway. It figures that the worst start of his career in this ballpark happened to be the first one he made wearing the home team’s uniform.

At least his offense managed to come back with another couple of runs in the bottom of the fifth to ensure Price wouldn’t be tagged with the loss in his first home start at Fenway.

Baltimore starter Yovani Gallardo didn’t last any longer than Price did, so after five innings it became a battle of the bullpens. Boston invested heavily in revamping their bullpen over the offseason, while Baltimore already had one of the league’s best, yet the results were troubling for both sides.

Next: The 9th inning