BALTIMORE — The game was still in the third inning, and Wade Miley was already done pitching after another ineffective start.
On this day, Miley was merely one of several Boston Red Sox hurlers victimized by a seemingly endless barrage of hits by the Orioles.
Delmon Young drove in five runs, Chris Davis homered and Baltimore received a bounce-back pitching performance from Bud Norris in an 18-7 victory Sunday.
The Orioles took control with a six-run third inning and led 12-0 in the sixth. Baltimore finished with 20 hits in its most prolific offensive outing since 2006.
Five of Boston’s pitchers allowed at least one run, beginning with Miley (1-2), who gave up six earned runs and five hits in 2 1-3 innings. It was the second time in four starts this season the left-hander failed to go three innings.
“It’s embarrassing. I know I’m better than this,” Miley said. “I’m not even giving us … a chance at all.”
Afterward, manager John Farrell was asked if Miley’s spot in the rotation was in jeopardy.
“We just walked off the field,” he said. “We haven’t discussed that yet.”
Farrell said Miley’s biggest issue thus far has been allowing a bad situation to get worse.
“He’s been the victim of a big inning,” the manager said. “Being able to slow it down and minimize the damage in the inning, that’s been elusive right now.”
Norris (1-2) came in with a 17.42 ERA but didn’t allow a runner past second base until Pablo Sandoval hit a three-run drive in the seventh, his first home run with Boston since signing as a free agent in November.
Hanley Ramirez followed Sandoval’s long ball with a solo shot off Jason Garcia and added a three-run homer off Garcia in the ninth.
None of that mattered, because the Boston pitching staff had its worst outing since a 20-2 loss at Oakland in August 2012.
“I will say in general, we have to do better in all phases of the game,” Farrell said, “and it starts with how the game is controlled from the mound.”
Davis, Jimmy Paredes and Steve Pearce each contributed three RBIs to the Orioles’ second straight win following a five-game skid.
After scoring an unearned run in the second inning, Baltimore sent 10 batters to the plate in the third.
Miley issued two straight four-pitch walks to force in a run, then gave up an RBI single to Young before Davis hit a liner that glanced off the glove of center fielder Mookie Betts for a two-run double. Pearce chased Miley with a run-scoring bloop single and Paredes capped the uprising with an RBI grounder.
Young singled in two runs in the fourth to make it 9-0. Navarro had an RBI single in the fifth and Davis hit a two-run drive in the sixth.
Boston closed to 12-4 in the seventh, but Baltimore answered with six runs in the bottom half, the key hit a two-run double by Young.
ON DECK
Red Sox: Boston RHP Joe Kelly (1-0, 4.08 ERA) faces his fourth different AL East foe this season, at home against Toronto on Monday night.
Orioles: Baltimore plays its first game against a non-division opponent, sending Ubaldo Jimenez to the mound Monday night against the visiting Chicago White Sox.
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