Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Nick Markakis went 3-for-5 with a three-run homer as the Orioles held off a late Red Sox charge to snap a nine-game losing streak with a 9-8 victory in the opener of a three-game weekend series at Fenway Park.
Kurt Birkins (1-1) got the win in three innings of relief, allowing one run on three hits after spelling starter Radhames Liz. Liz lasted just three-plus innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits, striking out three and walking three.
Aubrey Huff was 2-for-4 with two runs scored, and Miguel Tejada knocked in a pair of runs for the O's, who had dropped a season-high nine straight.
Julian Tavarez, a fill-in for pregame scratch Tim Wakefield, took the loss for Boston. Tavarez (7-10) surrendered four earned runs on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings, walking one.
Dustin Pedroia banged out four hits and scored twice, and Mike Lowell went 3- for-5 to lead the Sox offense. Eric Hinske also had three hits, and Coco Crisp reached base four times.
Boston has now dropped four straight, but remains five games ahead of the Yankees in the American League East following New York's 9-1 loss to Tampa Bay Friday.
David Ortiz slammed his 26th home run of the year in the bottom of the first, giving the Red Sox a 1-0 lead. Lowell followed with a line drive that one-hopped the wall, but was thrown out at second by Orioles left fielder Jay Payton when he tried to stretch it into a double.
In the second, Hinske followed a Crisp walk with an RBI double to make it a 2-0 game.
Baltimore responded with four runs in the top of the fourth. Markakis banged a leadoff double, and Tejada followed with a two-run homer, his 17th of the season. Tavarez then walked Kevin Millar, and allowed a single to Huff. Melvin Mora singled home Millar, and Ramon Hernandez followed with an RBI single up the middle to score Huff.
The Red Sox chased Liz from the game in the fourth after he surrendered a pair of walks to Crisp and Hinske to begin the inning, but got nothing to show for it when Julio Lugo popped out and Kevin Cash grounded into a double play.
Boston did get a run back in the fifth against left-hander Birkins, as Pedroia led off with a single, and eventually came around to score after Ortiz was hit by a pitch and Lowell singled to left, making it 4-3.
The Orioles erupted again for five in the sixth to take a 9-3 lead. Huff led off with a single to center, and Javier Lopez was removed in favor of Mike Timlin. Timlin then allowed singles to Mora and Hernandez, and Payton's sacrifice fly brought home Huff. Brian Roberts walked, and Patterson plated Mora with a sac fly before Markakis smashed a three-run homer to right to open a six-run advantage. After Tejada doubled, Timlin was lifted for right-hander Kyle Snyder, who induced a popout from Millar for the third out.
Pedroia doubled to start the seventh, then scored on a single by Youkilis. Jon Leicester walked Ortiz and got Lowell to fly out before being replaced by Jamie Walker with two on and one out. Walker struck out Bobby Kielty, but then gave up a single to Crisp, loading the bases for Hinske. Hinske looped a single to short right, scoring two and prompting Baltimore to pull Walker for its third pitcher of the inning, Chad Bradford. Bradford got Lugo to ground to third to end the inning, the lead trimmed to 9-6.
Bradford allowed a pair of one-out base runners in the eighth, but started a 1-6-3 double play off the bat of Ortiz to escape the inning.
After Jonathan Papelbon escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the ninth when Crisp made a streaking catch of a ball hit deep to right-center by Corey Patterson, Boston rallied in the bottom half.
Lowell led off against right-hander Danys Baez with a single, his third hit of the game. Alex Cora, pinch-hitting for Kielty, then singled to right, moving Lowell to second, and Crisp followed with a sac fly to center that advanced Lowell to third. Hinske grounded a single through the right side to plate Lowell, and Lugo then hit a sharp ground ball that kicked off the glove of Mora at third, scoring Cora to make it 9-8.
But Jason Varitek rolled a tailor-made double play ball toward second, and Roberts and Tejada turned two to secure the win.
Game Notes
Wakefield was scratched with a sore lower back; he is expected to make his next scheduled start..Boston right fielder J.D. Drew left the game after the second inning, when he fouled a ball of his right foot, and suffered a bone contusion..Lowell extended his hitting streak to 13 games..Baltimore won for just the fourth time in their last 18 games at Fenway..Timlin, who entered the game in the fifth, made his 1,000th appearance of his career..Tejada's ten August home runs are the most he has hit in any one month of his career.