Shaky defense costly as Red Sox lose home opener, 7-1

Red Sox’s second baseman Enmanuel Valdez lies on the field as Baltimore’s’Colton Cowser is called safe on a two-run double in the fourth inning Tuesday at Fenway Park in Boston. The Red Sox lost their home opener, 7-1. Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

BOSTON — Colton Cowser drove in four runs, Corbin Burnes allowed two hits over seven innings and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Red Sox 7-1 on Tuesday in Boston’s home opener.

Cowser had a pair of RBI doubles, the second driving in two runs in the fourth to break a 1-1 tie. He added a sacrifice fly in the eighth to help the Orioles stop a two-game skid.

Burnes (2-0) struck out six and walked two, giving up Tyler O’Neill’s sixth homer of the season in the first inning. O’Neill began the season by homering for his fifth straight opening day, a major league record.

“He hung a breaking ball to O’Neill, but besides that – two hits through seven innings – total command in a tight game,” Orioles Manager Brandon Hyde said. “Punched out a bunch. That’s No. 1 starter stuff right there.”

Adley Rutschman, Anthony Santander and Cedric Mullins added RBI singles for the Orioles.

Baltimore finished with 13 hits and scored its first four runs with two outs. The Orioles were 8 for 15 with runners in scoring position and their pitchers retired Boston’s final 18 batters. Baltimore managed 10 hits in dropping the final two games of its prior series against Pittsburgh.

“We haven’t really been able to string a lot of quality at-bats in a row. Today we were able to kind of move that train a little bit,” Cowser said.

Brayan Bello (1-1) was charged with three runs – one earned – and four hits over 51/3 innings for Boston, which opened with a 7-3 West Coast trip. A poor defensive fourth inning gifted two runs to the Orioles and two more misplays in the eighth inning led to another run.

In the fourth, Bello retired the first two batters he faced before shoddy glovework put the Red Sox in peril. First, Ryan Mountcastle hit a grounder toward third, but Devers – trying to make a diving play – got tangled up as the ball ricocheted off his glove. The next batter, Mullins, lifted a fly ball to left field for what should have been an inning-ending flyout. But Duran, battling mid-afternoon shadows in front of the Green Monster, missed the ball, allowing Mullins to reach second. Cowser cashed in on the scoring chance with a two-run double to give the Orioles a two-run lead.

“If I make that play, we get out of the inning and then none of the other things happen,” Duran said.

In the eighth, after a Ryan O’Hearn leadoff single, Hamilton let a potential double play ball through his legs at short and then couldn’t corral a grounder on the next play. Cowser’s fourth RBI of the day came on a sacrifice fly that made it a four-run game.