O's overwhelmed as Sox pile on in G1 loss

BOSTON -- Ryan Meisinger recorded just one out on Wednesday afternoon. It didn't get better for the Orioles from there. Baltimore, scarce for arms and limping toward the season's end, fell into an early five-run hole that paved the way for a 19-3 loss in the first game of a doubleheader against the Red Sox.
The O's used five pitchers in Game 1, sending utility player Jace Peterson to the hill for the bottom for the eighth inning, as Boston recorded 22 hits, including homers from J.D. Martinez, Rafael Devers (2), Xander Bogaerts and Blake Swihart.
"There's some guys -- whether it's Meisinger, [John] Means or [Cody] Carroll -- the presentation is not what it's going to be. There's better days ahead," manager Buck Showalter said, following his club's 112th loss. "You may not think so now, but it's a tough learning curve. It's never as bad as it seems or as good as it seems. Rough spots [for them]."

Boston, which already locked up the best record in baseball with Monday's win over the Orioles, jumped on Meisinger in his first career start. The rookie -- one of 15 players to debut for a rebuilding Baltimore club this season -- surrendered five runs on four hits and one walk. Lefty Donnie Hart allowed three inherited runners to score on Devers' double.
Getting the nod out of necessity, with injuries to starters Andrew Cashner and Alex Cobb, Meisinger waited until the last minute to warm up and ran out of the bullpen to try to maintain his routine as much as possible.
"It's still pitching, and I wanted to get through two, three innings out there today. I have experience pitching multiple innings," Meisinger said after making his first start since his sophomore year of college. "Unfortunately, we've had injuries. Everybody picks up their share [to cover that], and I just didn't do that today."
Lefty John Means made his Major League debut and went 3 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on six hits, including Martinez's three-run homer in the fourth. Fellow rookie Cody Carroll -- acquired in the Zach Britton trade -- followed Means and surrendered five runs in 1 2/3 innings

"It's not [what I envisioned for a debut]. It's disappointing [with] the team not doing as well as they would have hoped," Means said. "But being here is all I care about, and I know going forward that it will be a lot better."
Peterson allowed Devers' second homer with two outs in the eighth, during which the Sox scored four runs on Baltimore's bad defense and missed coverage, including Peterson forgetting to run to the first-base bag.
Trey Mancini and Renato Núñez each homered for Baltimore off Sox lefty David Price, with Mancini's solo shot in the second tying him with former Oriole Manny Machado for the team lead. Price went five innings in his final regular-season start.

SOUND SMART
The Orioles' 112 losses pushes them past the 1939 St. Louis Browns for the most in franchise history. That team went 43-111.
YOU GOTTA SEE THIS
With the Orioles scrambling for pitching, Peterson made his first career appearance on the mound in the eighth inning. The versatile 28-year-old, who reached 90 mph on the stadium radar gun, allowed four runs on six hits with a strikeout. He became the second position player -- joining Danny Valencia, now a free agent -- to pitch for the O's this year.

HE SAID IT
"[Meisinger] had a guy picked off, didn't get an out there, a double-play ball that he didn't turn, so there's a lot more to the game than pitching. He had a chance to get out of the inning clean if he defends his position a little bit. That's the thing, it's a teaching point there." -- Showalter
UP NEXT
Jimmy Yacabonis will start Game 2 of the doubleheader against Boston on Wednesday, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET.