Rich Hill and three relievers tied up Anthony Santander and the Orioles on Wednesday as the Boston Red Sox beat Baltimore 3-1, whose chances of advancing to the playoffs with an American League wild-card berth were seriously undermined.
Robinson Chirinos had Baltimore’s only run with his fourth homer in the eighth. The Orioles (80-75) lost for the fourth time in five games.
They were 3 1/2 games behind Seattle in the hunt for the third and final wild-card spot going into the day.
Santander went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, one night after he hit a home run from each side of the plate in a game that Baltimore nevertheless lost 13-9 at Fenway Park. The Venezuelan slugger went 8-for-20 with six homers and nine RBIs in his previous four games.
Hill (8-7) struck out nine in six innings of five-hit ball. The 42-year-old left-hander also pitched five shutout innings on Sept. 11, during a 1-0 win at Baltimore.
For the Orioles, the Venezuelans Santander 4-0, Jesús Aguilar 4-1, Chirinos 3-1 with a run scored and an RBI. Dominican Jorge Mateo 3-0.
For the Red Sox, the Dominicans Rafael Devers 3-1 with a run scored, Abraham Almonte 3-1 with a run scored and one produced. Mexican Alex Verdugo 4-2 with one run scored and two produced. Puerto Rican Kiké Hernández 3-0.
