Machado in center of bad blood as Red Sox beat Orioles 6-2
BALTIMORE (AP) - A tempestuous three-game series between the Red Sox and Baltimore wound up with Matt Barnes being ejected for throwing a fastball behind the head of Orioles star Manny Machado in Boston's 6-2 victory Sunday.
Barnes' ejection was the latest facet of this tense rivalry between AL East contenders. His high, very inside pitch came two days after Machado took out Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia with a spikes-high slide.
Pedroia watched from the dugout for a second straight day Sunday with knee and ankle injuries. Machado apologized with a text message on Friday night, but that evidently wasn't the end of it.
When Machado batted in the sixth inning, Eduardo Rodriguez threw three pitches down and in near the knees. He came up again in the eighth and Barnes' pitch whizzed behind Machado and hit his bat. The ball hit Machado and rolled foul, and plate umpire Andy Fletcher tossed Barnes.
Boston manager John Farrell immediately bolted from the dugout to complain. Farrell on Saturday called the league office to discuss about what he called "an illegal slide" by Machado.
Farrell insisted the wayward pitch was nothing more than an accident.
"He was trying to take a four-seamer in and above his hands and the pitch got away from him," Farrell said.
But Orioles first baseman Chris Davis thought the fastball was intentionally directed at Machado's head.
"I think it was completely obvious," Davis said. "I haven't seen a guy miss that bad in a while - behind a guy's head."
During Farrell's argument with Fletcher, Pedroia was standing on the top step in the dugout and caught Machado's attention. He mouthed the words "It's not me," evidently trying to show he was not seeking revenge.
"I had nothing to do with that. That's not how you do that, man," Pedroia said afterward. "I'm sorry to him and his team. If you're going to protect guys, you do it right away."
After the game resumed, Machado hit Joe Kelly's first pitch for an RBI double to make it 6-1.
Machado ended up making the last out, hitting a two-out popup on a pitch from Craig Kimbrel, who got his seventh save.
The Red Sox and Orioles will each other again soon. They meet May 1 at Fenway Park.
Mookie Betts and Hanley Ramirez homered on successive pitches in a four-run first inning, and Andrew Benintendi had a career-high five hits to help Boston avert a three-game sweep.
Mitch Moreland also homered for the Red Sox, who came in with a major-league low eight home runs. All the long balls were off Kevin Gausman (1-2), who found himself in a 4-0 hole after throwing only seven pitches.
Boston starter Eduardo Rodriguez (1-1) allowed one hit over six innings, walking five and striking out seven. Obtained in the 2014 trade that sent Andrew Miller to the Orioles, Rodriguez is 3-1 with a 1.37 ERA in six career starts at Camden Yards.
Not only did the Red Sox play a second straight game without Pedroia, but third baseman Pablo Sandoval left with a sprained right knee.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Red Sox: Farrell says because there's still some swelling in Pedroia's knee and ankle areas, he will "go through some imaging" Monday in Boston. "At this point, it warrants a further look," Farrell said. ... LHP David Price (elbow) participated in a long-toss session Sunday and will pitch a few simulated innings at Fenway Park on Monday.
Orioles: Closer Zach Britton (forearm strain) will start throwing Monday after having his hand examined. ... OF Joey Rickard (sprained finger) is taking batting practice and is nearing a rehabilitation assignment. ... RHP Chris Tillman (shoulder) showed increased velocity in his rehab outing Saturday and was "feeling good" Sunday, manager Buck Showalter said.
UP NEXT
Red Sox: After an off day Monday, Boston opens a season-high, 10-game homestand Tuesday night in a matchup with the Yankees.
Orioles: Ubaldo Jimenez (1-1, 5.51 ERA) goes up the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night in the opener of a three-game series. The Rays are 1-6 on the road.