Boston Red Sox Fall to Orioles as Home Run Troubles Persist

BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox continue to struggle at Fenway Park, suffering a 4-2 defeat to the Baltimore Orioles in the first game of their series. With this loss, the Red Sox have dropped to 9-20 at home and 25-34 overall this season. The game was decided by the long ball, with Baltimore capitalizing on the pitching challenges faced by Boston's Connelly Early.

After starting his major league career without conceding a home run in his first seven outings, Early has faced difficulties lately, allowing nine homers in his last eight starts before this game. The Orioles took advantage of this weakness, scoring three of their four runs through home runs. In the second inning, with Boston up 1-0, Coby Mayo tied the game with a leadoff homer that barely cleared the Green Monster.

Things escalated in the third inning when, following a groundout by Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman hit a single. First baseman Pete Alonso then showcased his power by launching a 2-2 change-up deep into the Green Monster, giving the Orioles a 3-1 lead. “Execution was here and there today, it was a 50-50 night,” Early explained after the game. “Did really good executing in certain counts, and in certain innings, and then did a not-so-good job, and they capitalized on that.”

Though Early improved after the third inning, allowing only one run on a sacrifice fly, the damage had already been done. Baltimore's Shane Baz effectively kept Boston's bats quiet, securing the win for the Orioles. Following this outing, Early has now permitted 11 home runs over his last nine starts, ranking him among the highest rates in the league.

The Red Sox will aim to reverse their fortunes in the second game of the series on Wednesday night, with rookie left-hander Payton Tolle set to face Baltimore's veteran righty Chris Bassitt. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. ET from Fenway Park.