J.J. Hardy, Mark Trumbo power unbeaten Orioles past Red Sox

BOSTON – Deficits mean little to the Baltimore Orioles. For the second time in as many games at Fenway Park, the Orioles fell behind early. For the second time in as many games they gave the Red Sox a resounding thumping.

On Tuesday night they beat Boston, 9-5, to remain baseball's only undefeated team at 7-0. Baltimore got by Red Sox ace David Price on Monday and No. 2 pitcher Clay Buchholz on Tuesday.

“I’m sure it’s not going to happen every night, but if you can kind of keep that mindset, a lot of good things could happen,” said Mark Trumbo, who went 3 for 4 with three runs scored and two RBIs. “It’s a really tough team that we’re going up against and we’ve shown the ability to kind of answer, a few times at least.”

Mike Wright was the most recent beneficiary of the Orioles' offense. The right-hander gave up two first-inning runs on David Ortiz’s third home run of the season and 506th of his career.

J.J. Hardy – who entered the game looking for his first home run and RBI of the season -- erased the deficit in the fourth on the first of his two-run home runs in the game.

The Red Sox again took a two-run lead in the fifth, but the Orioles came back with three runs in the sixth and four in the seventh to put the game away.

“Oh, that’s amazing,” Wright said of the Baltimore offense. “I had so much fun after we tied it up and got the lead. That was amazing. This offense is fun to watch. I’m just like every other baseball fan. I like seeing home runs and I like seeing runs scored. It’s good when it’s your team."

Hardy, who was limited by injuries last season, went 2 for 4 with a pair of home runs, five RBIs and two runs scored. Although the Orioles are tied for the league lead with 13 home runs (Seattle entered its late game with 12), Hardy’s was the first multi-homer game for them this season.

“We feel confident,” Hardy said. “It’s a good mindset to feel like we know it’s going to happen, but everybody trusts one another. It really is a good lineup and it’s fun to be a part of.

“I feel like I’ve already hit balls harder this year than I did at any point last year. It’s good. My body feels good and I hope to keep it going like that.”

Trumbo entered the series on Monday looking for his first home run and RBI of the season. After a monstrous two-run blast off the top of a billboard in left-center to tie the score in the sixth, Trumbo, who joined the Orioles in offseason trade with the Seattle Mariners, now has two home runs and five RBIs this season.

“He’s great,” Hardy said. “He’s gotten off to a great start. He’s done it against us for a while. He’s got more pop than anybody I’ve ever seen. He’s got a good approach up there, so he’s definitely a good addition to our lineup."

The Orioles’ perfect record is proof enough that little – if any – weight should be given to spring training numbers. Baltimore was 0-10-2 before getting into the win column this spring.

“Yeah, what do you know?,” Trumbo said. “I think the fact that we didn’t panic when that happened is the same reason that we’re staying pretty calm and collected and focused while we’re enjoying some success, too. It’s kind of the mindset that’s built for the long haul.

“It’s a nice win for sure. The numbers, they are what they are, but we’re just happy to keep going.”

The Orioles are doing what many thought they would – bashing their way to wins as they remain baseball’s only undefeated team. It is the best start in team history, going back to 1954. They have won 12 in a row going back to last season.

They have recorded eight or more hits in each of their first seven games for the first time in team history. Rookie Joey Rickard has hit safely in all seven games, the first Oriole to do so since Frank Arft began his career with a 12-game hitting streak in 1948. Matt Wieters snapped an 0 for 11 skid with a two-run single in the seventh.

But, their pitching hasn’t been too shabby either. Although they’ve gotten more than five innings from a starter just once, their starters are 4-0 with a combined 3.74 ERA while the bullpen has posted a 1.84 ERA holding opponents to a .210 average.

Manager Buck Showalter, though, is taking it in stride.

“It’s seven games,” he said. “There’s a lot of road to cross. A win always beats the alternative. We know how hard it is to win here. We know how good they are, and how good they’re going to be this summer. That’s a given, so you better take it while you can.”

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2016/04/12/hardy-trumbo-homer-to-keep-orioles-perfect-beat-red-sox/82966104/