BOSTON — Jonathan Schoop had recorded the first three-hit game of his young career by the seventh inning Friday night.
Two innings later, he added another hit to up the ante.
The Baltimore third baseman — getting playing time in the place of injured Manny Machado — went 4 for 5 with two doubles and two RBIs, and the Orioles pounded Red Sox starter John Lackey in an 8-4 victory over Boston.
“As intense as these games are at this level, you do step back and watch Jon,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of his rookie third baseman. “It’s fun to watch. (He’s got) a great look on his face, just a real sincere, earnest look. He’s not giddy. That’s what I like about him.”
Schoop’s four-hit night extended his hitting streak to seven games.
“It feels good, especially if you win and get a W,” Schoop said. “It feels really, really good.”
After Schoop’s first hit in the third inning, an infield hit to deep short, he scored on Nick Markakis’ double to put the Orioles up 2-0. In the sixth, he flared a ball between short and centre field, and then closed with hard-hit doubles in each of the seventh and ninth innings.
Every Orioles starter had at least one hit except for Chris Davis. The Orioles collected 10 of those hits off Lackey (2-2), who surrendered six earned runs over 5 1-3 innings. It was the second straight start in which Lackey gave up six runs and failed to make it out of the sixth inning.
Orioles starter Chris Tillman (2-1) laboured through five innings, throwing 122 pitches and giving up three earned runs on seven hits and four walks. He struck out five.
“These guys always fight until the very end,” Tillman said. “They’re fouling pitches off, they’re taking good pitches, taking tough pitches. When you make a mistake, they capitalize on it.”
Markakis led off the game with a double down the left-field line. Red Sox manager John Farrell challenged the call, but it was upheld and Markakis scored on Adam Jones’ first hit, a ball fielded by Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts on the outfield grass.
“It looked pretty foul to me,” Lackey said. “On the replay it looked like it landed foul and kicked some dirt on the line.”
Nelson Cruz had two RBIs for the Orioles.
Boston scored its first run on Brock Holt’s base hit in fourth and added two more in the fifth on RBI singles from Dustin Pedroia and A.J. Pierzynski, who snapped an 0-for-15 stretch with the hit.
“We had lots of chances. Unfortunately, we didn’t get that hit,” Pierzynski said. ” We got a couple of hits and we got him (Tillman) out of there early. (We) got in the bullpen and we had more chances. Unfortunately, every time we scored it seemed like they came back and scored. Just one of those nights where things didn’t work out.”
Tillman struck out Jackie Bradley with runners on first and second to end the Red Sox threat in the fifth.
“Tilly made a big pitch there on Bradley,” Showalter said. “It was a challenge for him. He deserved that.”
Baltimore scored two runs in the fifth on singles by Matt Wieters and J.J. Hardy, and added a run in the seventh and another in the ninth on the doubles by Schoop.
Darren O’Day recorded the last four outs for his first save of the year.
David Ortiz took a scheduled night off. Mike Carp took his place in the lineup and had two hits, as did Holt. Every Boston starter had at least one hit.
The Red Sox were beneficiaries of a replay in the seventh, when it showed that Holt beat out a throw from Orioles second baseman Steve Lombardozzi for a base hit. The next three Red Sox were retired on ground balls, squandering the scoring opportunity.
NOTES: Boston OF Shane Victorino will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Pawtucket on Saturday. Victorino has not played this season due to a strained right hamstring. … Holt was recalled from Pawtucket earlier in the day. The Red Sox designated IF Ryan Roberts for assignment. … RHP Bud Norris (0-1, 3.75) starts for the Orioles against LHP Felix Doubront (1-2, 6.75) on Saturday.
