BOSTON — David Ortiz connected on a big swing early, then missed with a flurry of late ones.
Big Papi hit a three-run homer as the Boston Red Sox scored eight times in the first inning of a 10-3 win over Baltimore on Friday night. In the eighth, he whiffed on a few punches during a bench-clearing brawl with Orioles reliever Kevin Gregg.
Ortiz and Gregg exchanged several wild punches, both coming close but not quite connecting in what could have turned into an even uglier scene as the benches and bullpens cleared for the second time in the inning.
“I think you show them that we’re not backing down. We’re not scared of them — them and their $180 million payroll,” said Gregg, who angered Ortiz with back-to-back inside pitches. “We don’t care. We’re here to play the game. We have just as much right to play the game here and we’re going to do everything we can to win.”
Gregg said he yelled at Ortiz for not running toward first on a popout, which apparently enraged Ortiz. Gregg, whose team was about to lose its fifth straight in another blowout, was ready when Big Papi charged.
“I was actually watching the ball and then you look down and there’s two humongous guys going at it,” Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia. “In that situation you just try to support your teammates and you try to break it up. That’s pretty much it.”
Plate umpire Mike Estabrook immediately ejected Gregg when he started shouting — and Ortiz quickly changed course, charging toward the mound. Gregg and Ortiz each threw a few haymakers, but the heavyweight bout was swallowed up by the mass of players rushing onto the field.
“They’re going to whine and complain about it because they think they’re better than everybody else, but no, we have just as much right to pitch inside as they do. This is a team sport. I take offense to every run scored off every one of our pitchers. I take offense to every one of our hitters that’s hit every time I’m out there,” Gregg said. “You get tired of getting your butt kicked every night when you come in here and I’m going to stick up for what’s ours and try to get the plate back.”
It took more than 15 minutes to restore order and sort out the ejections. Gregg and Ortiz were tossed, as well as Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Baltimore reliever Jim Johnson.
Ortiz did not speak to reporters after the game.
Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said he didn’t want to talk about who said what that set off the melee.
“It’s a game played by passionate men that care about what they’re doing and we’re kind of wounded right now. I’m sure he took some exception to swinging 3-0 there and I’m sure (Ortiz) took some exception to trying to pitch him in,” Showalter said. “It’s part of the game.”
The Orioles, who allowed 10 or more runs for the fourth time in five games, were flustered after the Red Sox sent 13 batters to the plate in the opening inning and tagged starter Zach Britton for seven earned runs on six hits and two walks. Ortiz hit a three-run shot.
It was Boston’s fourth straight win, and it extended Baltimore’s losing streak to five.
Britton (6-7) didn’t even make it through the inning, getting pulled with two outs after Jacoby Ellsbury blooped an RBI single in his second at-bat.
“It was tremendous. Those things don’t happen very often,” Boston manager Terry Francona said.
The outburst of runs was plenty for Josh Beckett (8-3), who allowed three runs on seven hits over five innings. Beckett was having problems with the wet dirt on the mound after a steady rain fell early in the game and he didn’t return for the sixth. Having already lost another starter to the disabled list this week, the Red Sox were not risking Beckett’s health so close to the All-Star break.
The Red Sox said Beckett mildly hyperextended his left knee and removed him for precautionary reasons.
Beckett said he didn’t expect to miss the All-Star Game.
He was already in line for the win after Boston’s huge first inning, then Pedroia added a run in the sixth with a solo homer that was kept inside Fenway Park only by a sign above the left-field wall. Pedroia knocked one all the way out of the venue on Thursday in Boston’s 10-4 win.
Boston reached 10 runs again Friday on Josh Reddick’s RBI triple in the eighth.
Baltimore finally scored in the fifth on Derek Lee’s solo homer and RBI singles later in the inning from Nick Markakis and Adam Jones.
Brad Bergesen, who relieved Britton in the first, was knocked out of the game when he took a line drive from Ortiz off his pitching arm. The ball bounced hard off Bergesen’s right forearm and rolled quickly to the third base line.
Bergesen chased down the ball and walked back to the mound, but didn’t throw another pitch and headed back to the dugout with a trainer as right-hander Chris Jakubauskas was called in from the bullpen. The Orioles said Bergesen had a bruised right forearm.
It was that kind of night for the Orioles.
Boston already led 1-0 when Ortiz came to bat with two on and hit a shot well into the right-field seats on a 1-0 pitch.
NOTES: Yamaico Navarro, an infielder who played both in left and right field in Triple-A this year, made his major league outfield debut Friday, playing left field. Red Sox manager Terry Francona said he saw Navarro shagging fly balls during spring training and was impressed enough to know he’d be able to do it in the major leagues. … Baltimore OF Luke Scott, placed on the disabled lis t earlier this week with a right (non-throwing) shoulder strain, had an MRI that showed no extensive damage. Showalter said Scott will receive a cortisone injection Monday and be on target to retur n from the DL at the end of his 15 days. … Boston 3B Kevin Youkilis was picked to replace ailing Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez on the AL All-Star roster.
Tigers 6, Royals 4
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Magglio Ordonez’s two-run home run just six pitches into the game staked Rick Porcello to an early lead and got the Detroit Tigers rolling toward a 6-4 victory Friday night over Kyle Davies and the reeling Kansas City Royals.
Davies (1-8) lost his seventh straight decision and the Royals sank to 5-14 in their past 19 games.
Only one of the three runs the Royals scored off Porcello (8-6) was earned. The lanky right-hander went 5 1-3 innings and allowed six hits. He struck out five and walked just one — the 14th time in 17 outings he has allowed two or fewer walks.
Blue Jays 11, Indians 7
CLEVELAND — Travis Snider drove in five runs and Rajai Davis knocked in four as the Toronto Blue Jays rebounded a day after a stunning loss to beat the Cleveland Indians 11-7 on Friday night.
Jo-Jo Reyes (4-7) pitched 5 2-3 shaky innings for his first win in his last four starts. He gave up three unearned runs, eight hits and two walks without a strikeout as Cleveland left 12 men on base and couldn’t build momentum off its exciting win Thursday night on Travis Hafner’s walkoff grand slam.
Davis had a two-run single in the second and singled home a run in the fourth off Mitch Talbot (2-6). Snider’s two-run shot off Talbot in the sixth made it 7-2. He added a two-run double off the fence in center against Vinnie Pestano for an 11-6 lead.
Cleveland got within 9-6 in the eighth. Asdrubal Cabrera hit the fourth consecutive single off Shawn Camp to make it 9-4.
Jason Frasor came on to strike out Hafner on four pitches, dropping the slugger to 0 for 7 lifetime against the reliever. Travis Buck, however, lined a two-run double before Frasor got two outs to leave runners on second and third.
The AL Central-leading Indians went 6 for 22 with runners in scoring position. Edwin Encarnacion had four hits for the Blue Jays, who won for the fourth time in 12 games.
Talbot gave up 11 hits and eight runs over 5 1-3 innings. He is 0-5 in seven starts since winning in Toronto on May 31. The right-hander has been rocked for 27 runs in his last 24 2-3 innings, a 9.85 ERA.
Toronto took a 3-0 lead in the second, loading the bases on two singles around a walk.
One run scored on a groundout by Snider. Talbot struck out J.P. Arencibia, then yielded a two-run single to Davis.
Cleveland made it 3-2 in the bottom half after third baseman Jose Bautista’s throwing error opened the door. Jack Hannahan had an RBI single, the first of his three hits. Another run scored on a groundout by Michael Brantley, who had four hits.
Davis had an RBI single and scored from first on Yunel Escobar’s double to the wall in right in the fourth. In the sixth, Davis reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second. He also stole third and scored when third baseman Hannahan couldn’t handle the throw from catcher Lou Marson for an error.
Cleveland got within 8-3 in the sixth when first baseman Adam Lind misplayed a sharp grounder down the line by Hafner, scoring Brantley from second.
Octavio Dotel came on with runners on the corners and got out of it with a fine play by shortstop Escobar. Buck, pinch-hitting for Shelley Duncan, poked a ball between third and short. Escobar backhanded it as he skidded to a stop, then made a strong throw to first to end the brief rally.
Davis had an RBI double in the eighth for his second four-RBI game this season, one off his career best.
Notes: Snider had five RBIs on Sept. 13, 2008, at Boston. … Toronto manager John Farrell moved RHP Frank Francisco out of the closer’s role in favor of RHP Jon Rauch. Francisco allowed three runs without getting an out Thursday, then treated reporters rudely. He apologized Friday, saying: “I wasn’t happy with my results. I said things I wasn’t supposed to say. I was mad. That’s not an excuse.” … Cleveland recalled INF Luis Valbuena from Triple-A Columbus, where he hit .313 with 56 RBIs in 77 games. … RHP Zach McAllister, who made his major league debut Thursday, was sent b ack to Triple-A. … The Indians hope to have 3B Lonnie Chisenhall back soon. The rookie sustained a broken nasal bone when hit by a pitch near his right cheek Thursday. Trainer Lonnie Soloff said Chisenhall should be available when swelling subsides around his right eye. … Former Indians closer Michael Jackson, who had 94 saves for Cleveland in 1997-99, threw out the ceremonial first pitc h.