BALTIMORE -- Xander Bogaerts is finishing the season on a tear, and it may result in a milestone achievement for the Red Sox's All-Star shortstop. 

Taken a peek at the American League batting race lately? If the season ended Friday night, the AL batting title would go to Bogaerts, who continued marching toward his first career batting crown in Boston’s 3-2 loss to the Orioles at Camden Yards. Back in the lineup after missing one game with back spasms, Bogaerts homered and singled twice in support of a strong, but front-loaded Brayan Bello start. He’s now hitting .318, thanks in large part to a sizzling September. 

“Now he's locked in,” manager Alex Cora said. “He's getting pitches to hit and he's not missing them.”

With the Red Sox not eliminated but realistically fading from the postseason picture, whether or not Bogaerts can claim his first career batting crown will be a prominent storyline down the stretch. The competition is steep, but Bogaerts has a real shot, building Friday on his slight edge over Twins infielder Luis Arraez (.313) and White Sox slugger Jose Abreu (.308) with 23 games to go. The 4-time All-Star has finished in the top-10 in the AL in hitting four times and as high as second back in 2015, when he hit a career-best .320.

If he can keep this up for a few more weeks, he can become Boston’s first batting champ since Mookie Betts in 2018. 

“The home run was a good swing, going the other way,” Cora said. “That's the difference between him now and when we were here the last time [in mid-August]. Last time, he wasn't able to stay on pitches to drive them to right field. He was just getting singles.”

To Cora’s point, the power has been more sporadic this year than in the past for Bogaerts, who is on pace for his lowest home run total in a full season since 2017. But he’s been a hit machine all season long. The super consistent Bogaerts ranked third among qualified AL hitters in average at the end of April, third through June and fourth at the All-Star break. Now he’s red-hot again after breaking out of that mid-August slump, having recorded multiple hits in 10 of his last 11 games and hitting .458 (27-for-59) over his past 15. 

Bogaerts has pulled his average up 21 points from .298 on Aug. 23 -- his lowest season average since April -- and is also knotted in a three-way tie with teammates Rafael Devers and J.D. Martinez for second in the AL in doubles (37). He’s been a bright spot in a Red Sox lineup weathering down years from Martinez, Trevor Story and Enrique Hernández.

Boston went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position Friday night coming off a shutout loss Wednesday in Tampa. The Red Sox have lost four straight, three in one-run games. 

“It's been frustrating from that aspect,” Cora said. “That's how I've been saying all along: I know where we are record-wise and we're far from all these teams, but if you look at the season … we've missed a lot of opportunities. That’s why we are where we are.” 

When the Red Sox look forward to 2023, one of the biggest questions is whether Bogaerts will be part of the team, since he is widely expected to opt out of the final three years remaining on his current deal. Until then, the longtime Red Sox player continues climbing significant franchise leaderboards. His third-inning two-run homer Friday pulled Bogaerts into a tie with George Scott (154) for 16th on the franchise’s all-time home run list. Next up are Carlton Fisk and Tony Conigliaro, with 162.  

Additionally, Martinez recorded his 1,500th career hit Friday before the Orioles rallied off Bello and Boston’s bullpen in the sixth. Through five innings, Bello (the club’s No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline) held the Orioles to three hits -- all to Cedric Mullins -- before unraveling in the sixth. The 23-year-old righty struck out seven but walked four of his last eight batters, and also benefited from an outstanding Alex Verdugo assist in the fourth.

The Red Sox have now lost six of Bello’s first seven starts. He’s allowed 22 earned runs in 32 1/3 innings (6.12 ERA) in those outings. His next start is set for next week against the Yankees at Fenway Park. 

“I was trying to throw strikes, but the ball wasn’t going where I wanted it to go, so it’s unfortunate,” Bello said through an interpreter.  “I’ve been working really hard to work on my pitches and be aggressive.”