BOSTON — After another four-hit performance Sunday afternoon, Adam Jones still did not want to talk about himself.
That’s OK. The rest of baseball can carry on the conversation about Baltimore’s slugging center fielder.
Jones continued his torrid start to the season with his fifth homer and a career-high-tying five RBIs to lead the Orioles to an 8-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox.
Despite leading the American League with a .457 average and 16 RBIs, Jones deflected credit for his hot bat.
“All I know is that (starter Miguel Gonzalez) went out there, rough first inning, came back and had four quality innings. Our bullpen, four shut-down innings,” Jones said. “That’s the story that needs to be written. Our pitching staff and our defense, they give us the opportunities to do what we do as an offense.”
When Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis left Baltimore via free agency during the offseason, Jones was expected to shoulder the load for an offense that led all of baseball last season with 211 homers.
The 29-year-old is making it look easy.
“I think Adam welcomes the responsibility of being a guy that his teammates and his organization count on,” said Orioles manager Buck Showalter. “I don’t think that ever changes for him.”
The only thing that’s different is his pitch selection.
“I’m just trying to switch up some things,” Jones said. “Lay off off-speed and just sit on fastballs the entire time.”
That was the case early Sunday.
Jones put Baltimore on top in the first inning, crushing an 0-1 fastball from Red Sox starter Rick Porcello over the Green Monster in left field. Jones later smacked a three-run double to knock Porcello from the game. He also added a pair of singles as the Orioles pounded 15 hits to win for the fourth time in five games.
“When it’s going good, try and do whatever you’re doing,” he said. “When it’s going bad, try and figure out what you aren’t doing good.”
Second baseman Ryan Flaherty hit a solo homer and designated hitter Jimmy Paredes had three singles for Baltimore.
Left fielder Hanley Ramirez had a three-run homer for the Red Sox, losers of three of their last four.
Gonzalez (2-1) allowed three runs on five hits in five innings. He struck out five, walked four and yielded just three hits — all singles — after the first inning.
Ramirez’s fifth homer of the season in the bottom of the first staked Boston to a 3-2 lead, but Flaherty tied it with a two-out shot to straightaway center in the second.
Porcello (1-2) loaded the bases in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, escaping unharmed only once by inducing a 1-2-3 double play in the fourth.
He wasn’t as fortunate going forward.
Right fielder Travis Snider’s RBI single and third baseman Manny Machado’s sacrifice fly gave Baltimore a 5-3 edge in the fifth, and Jones’ bases-clearing double in the sixth made it 8-3, ending Porcello’s afternoon.
“Right now they probably got the hottest hitter in all of baseball going for them in Jones and we’ve got to slow them down,” said Boston manager John Farrell.
Porcello (1-2) labored through his worst start in a Red Sox uniform, surrendering eight runs on 12 hits in five-plus innings. He struck out six and walked three.
“I just didn’t execute, that was the bottom line,” Porcello said. “Made a lot of mistakes, fell behind in counts, walked three guys, gave up big hits with runners on base. Just not a good recipe.”
Boston designated hitter David Ortiz was ejected by home plate umpire John Tumpane in the bottom of the fifth for arguing a checked swing on a 1-1 pitch. Tumpane, who took over for Paul Emmel in the bottom of the fourth when Emmel left the game for undisclosed reasons, tossed the slugger from the game almost immediately.
“He’s a competitor,” Farrell said of Ortiz, “and given some of the calls over the last couple days, there’s some frustration there.”
Tillman shackles Sox on Saturday
Chris Tillman had more than only the Boston Red Sox lineup and chilly temperatures to deal with at Fenway Park on Saturday.
Tillman also had to handle the agonizingly deliberate pace of his pitching opponent, Clay Buchholz in a 4-1 win over the Red Sox.
Tillman gave way to fellow right-handers Brad Brach and Darren O’Day, who took the game through the eighth inning. Closer Zach Britton finished with a perfect ninth that included two strikeouts for his fourth save of the young season.
Buchholz allowed 11 hits and two runs in six innings but fell to 1-2.
Third baseman Manny Machado’s RBI groundout was followed by an RBI single by catcher Caleb Joseph as the Orioles (6-5) scored two runs on five hits in the fourth inning.
In the next inning, they wasted three hits and a walk.
Ortiz had three hits. He doubled to lead off the fifth inning for his third hit and later scored on an error