The Monday, April 24, 2017

* The Boston Globe

Dustin Pedroia didn’t like the way things went down

Nick Cafardo

BALTIMORE — If the Red Sox were supposed to retaliate for getting spiked on a Friday, Pedroia didn’t like the way things went down Sunday.

Matt Barnes threw a at Machado’s head in the eighth that sailed behind the Orioles third baseman and off his bat. Barnes was ejected immediately.

Pedroia, who has not played since injuring his left leg on the slide, was then seen communicating with Machado from the . He texted him later.

“I just told him [Machado] I had nothing to do with that,” Pedroia said. “I just told him that’s not how you do that. I said sorry to him and his team. If you’re going to protect guys, you do it the right away. And he knows that and both teams know that, so it was definitely a mishandled situation.

“There was zero chance that [Machado] was trying to hurt me. He just made a bad slide and he did hurt me. That’s just baseball, man. I’m not mad at him. I love Manny Machado. I love playing against him. I love watching him. If I slid into third base and got Manny’s knee, I’d know I’m going to get drilled. It’s baseball. I get drilled, I go to first base. That’s it,” Pedroia said.

Pedroia was definitely standing up for what he perceived to be right.

“I apologized to him [Machado],” Pedroia said.

The rest of the verbiage from the Red Sox clubhouse was the usual stuff about not trying to throw at Machado’s head.

Pedroia said he didn’t have a chance to speak to Barnes about it, but added, “He’s not trying to hit Manny in the head. It’s just a bad situation, man. That’s it. It’s not baseball.”

Barnes said he understood why Machado and the Orioles would be mad at him. The Orioles, meanwhile, were praised by their manager, Buck Showalter, for showing restraint.

“I was impressed with the courage we showed not to retaliate because they all wanted to do something,” Showalter said.

Barnes reiterated that he would never try to hit anyone in the head.

“Yeah I was trying to go in on him,” Barnes said. “The scouting report is all blue inside. If he gets extension he can drive the ball to right field. I’m trying to get in and it got away from me. I would never intentionally throw at somebody’s head. That’s a line you don’t cross.

“I’m sorry it ended up that high and fortunately it didn’t hit him and he has every right to be mad.”

Red Sox manager John Farrell said his argument with the umpires was that once the ball hit the bat, he thought the ball went into fair territory. He said he never disputed home plate Andy Fletcher’s decision to throw Barnes of the game.

“He’s trying to throw a four-seamer above [Machado’s] hands and the pitch got away from him,” said Farrell. “Any time you see a pitch around the head it’s a dangerous pitch. There’s an area above the hands you’re trying to go to. What I saw when [Machado] ducked out of the way, the ball is in fair territory. They called immediately, but to me it looked like it was in fair territory.”

Both managers tried to downplay the notion that there was bad blood. Showalter said that only "Barnes and the Lord” knew if he meant to throw at him.

“I would say when you’re facing one of the best hitters in the major leagues you have to make it a little uncomfortable in the box, kind of get it up a little bit,” said Barnes. “People are going to think what they want. I was trying to go up and in and get weak contact. I would never throw at somebody’s head. That’s potentially life-changing.

“I can see why they’d be upset. Anytime it comes up above the letters to anybody it’s dangerous. I’ll tell Manny I’m sorry. For that, I’m sorry I get up that high on him.”

Machado, who has often come out the villain in these situations, took the high road.

“You never want to get hit in the head intentionally or not,” said Machado, who when asked if he was expecting retaliation said, “I wasn’t expecting anything, no. I thought I did a good slide. That’s on them whatever happened today.”

Machado said his chat with Pedroia would stay private.

“Those thing stay between us,” he said. “We don’t really like to talk about it. We know what happened on the field stays between the lines.”

It also appeared Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez was flirting with hitting Machado when he threw consecutive pitches inside at Machado’s legs in the sixth inning. Machado eventually drew a walk. Two later, following Barnes’s , Machado doubled off .

While the benches didn’t clear, Showalter stood on the field next to Machado until Barnes had exited and Kelly was warming up.

Farrell said the umpires did not forewarn of possible ejections if someone got hit after Machado’s slide Friday night.

We’ll see if there’s “no bad blood” when these teams face one another again May 1 at Fenway.

“There’s a right way and wrong way to do things,” Orioles Kevin Gausman said. “That’s the wrong way to do it. You can kill a guy doing that.”

Matt Barnes ejected for throwing at Manny Machado in Red Sox win

Peter Abraham

BALTIMORE — The Red Sox beat the , 6-2, on Sunday, getting a strong start from Eduardo Rodriguez and a long-awaited show of power with three home runs.

Salvaging the final game of the and ending their road trip successfully before a day off should have been enough during a sunny day at Camden Yards. But the eighth inning changed all that.

In what appeared to be a poorly handled attempt at retaliation, reliever Matt Barnes threw a pitch behind the head of Baltimore star Manny Machado and was ejected.

The Orioles were angry. Red Sox teammate Dustin Pedroia didn’t much like it, either.

Machado slid hard into Pedroia on Friday night, injuring the second baseman’s leg to a point where he has not played since. Pedroia was angry about the slide but did not want to see a dangerous pitch thrown to Machado.

“It’s definitely a mishandled situation,” Pedroia said. “There was zero intention of him trying to hurt me. He just made a bad slide. He did hurt me. It’s baseball, man,” Pedroia said. “I’m not mad at him.”

With the Sox up, 6-0, Barnes threw a pitch near the brim of Machado’s helmet that veered into his bat for a . Plate umpire Andy Fletcher ejected Barnes for what he deemed was intent to hit Machado.

Barnes denied any malice.

“I would never, ever intentionally throw at somebody’s head,” the righthander said. “That’s kind of a line that you don’t cross. I’m sorry that it kind of ended up that high. Fortunately it did not hit him. I think he probably has every right to be mad that one got loose.”

Manager John Farrell claimed Barnes was trying to throw a pitch up and in.

“He’s trying to go up and in and make no mistake, the ball got away from him. My comments are what they are. It’s a dangerous pitch when you get up and in there. Thankfully he didn’t get hit up in there,” Farrell said.

Replays showed Christian Vazquez was set up on the outside corner of the plate, not where a catcher would be to a pitch inside.

Major League Baseball could suspend Barnes for his actions.

“People are going to think what they want. All I know is that I was trying to go up and in,” Barnes said. “Unfortunately one got away from me. I would never intentionally throw at somebody’s head. That’s potentially life-changing.”

Television cameras caught Pedroia telling Machado from across the field that it wasn’t his idea.

“That’s not me, that’s them,” Pedroia said.

Typically in such situations, a pitcher trying to even the score would have hit Machado in the back or side the next day.

Machado doubled in a off Joe Kelly when his at-bat continued.

The ruckus took attention away from Rodriguez, who threw six shutout innings. He allowed one hit, walked five, and struck out seven.

Rodriguez (1-1) has a 1.34 average in six starts at Camden Yards. The Orioles traded the lefthander to the Sox in 2014.

“I take every field the same. I was just feeling really good,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez was on paternity leave a week ago and missed a start. He then pitched an inning of relief on Wednesday. But he hasn’t been scored on since Ian Rodriguez came into the world.

“It’s been a little bit crazy this week for me,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez retired the first nine hitters in order, four by . He walked Craig Gentry to open the bottom of the fourth but set down the Orioles from there, striking out Mark Trumbo looking at a to end the inning.

He did not allow a hit until the fifth inning and left the bases loaded in the sixth before coming out after 108 pitches.

The Red Sox scored two runs in the first two games of the series. They doubled that in the first inning against Orioles starter Kevin Gausman.

Xander Bogaerts and started the game with singles. hit the first pitch he saw into the seats in left field.

Betts is 29 of 92 (.315) in 24 career games at Camden Yards with 10 home runs and 19 RBIs.

Hanley Ramirez followed with a to left field, also on the first pitch. It was his first of the season.

Before the game, Ramirez was asked about not having a home run.

“How many at-bats?” he asked.

Told it was 57, Ramirez seemed surprised.

“That’s a lot. I’ll hit one today,” he said.

Mitch Moreland’s home run to right field made it 5-0 in the fifth inning. Gausman had allowed one home run in 18⅔ innings this season prior to Sunday.

Benintendi had an RBI in the sixth inning. He was 5 for 5 after getting Saturday off. At 22, Benintendi is the youngest Red Sox player with five hits in a game since on April 16, 1967, against the Yankees in New York.

The Sox start a 10-game homestand on Tuesday against the Yankees.

* The Boston Herald

Red Sox notebook: Pablo Sandoval latest infielder to suffer injury

Jason Mastrodonato

BALTIMORE — Dustin Pedroia isn’t the only injured Red Sox infielder.

Pablo Sandoval left the Sox’ 6-2 win against the Baltimore Orioles yesterday in the seventh inning with a right knee sprain.

The Red Sox are hoping to learn more about Sandoval’s knee, as well as Pedroia’s injured left ankle and left knee, when they return to Boston today.

Sandoval was hurt diving for a ball at third base and is considered day to day.

“He felt a strain or a stretch in the right knee,” manager John Farrell said. “He’ll be examined fully (today).”

Pedroia was hurt when Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado collided with him on a spikes-up slide Friday and hasn’t played since.

“He’s still sore both in the ankle and the knee, so unavailable once again (yesterday),” Farrell said. “When we get back to Boston he’ll go through some further imaging, just to rule anything out so with some of the swelling that still exists.”

Pedroia originally said he didn’t think he would need to go on the disabled list, but the Red Sox won’t know for sure until they see test results.

Farrell said the team is no more concerned than they were on Friday.

“There were was legitimate concern in the moment it took place,” Farrell said. “But the fact that he still has the symptoms he does, we’re going to rule everything out (with the testing).

“His importance to us speaks for itself. And with any of our players, you get into a situation like this, you give it a 24-48 hour period to see how it responds. And at this point it warrants a further look.”

If Pedroia has to miss extended time, Josh Rutledge could become an available option this weekend.

Rutledge is in -A Pawtucket rehabbing his injured hamstring. He’s expected to platoon with Sandoval when he returns, but if Sandoval isn’t healthy, he could have an expanded role.

The Red Sox are already without , who is on the disabled list with vertigo, and have limited options on their 40-man roster.

Rutledge still needs to play two nine-inning games with the PawSox before he’s ready to return, Farrell said.

“He’s responded well,” the manager said. “He has swung the bat with some aggression and no restrictions in the lower half.”

Double trouble

It turns out it’s not just the throwing shoulder that has limited Hanley Ramirez this year.

Farrell revealed that Ramirez’ non-throwing shoulder has also caused him trouble during the team’s first 18 games.

Farrell was asked how Ramirez’ defense was coming along, a particularly pertinent question as the Red Sox are set to play at Milwaukee on May 9-11. The won’t be used in those interleague games.

“He worked out (at first base) the other day,” Farrell said. “He’s still dealing with some things in his shoulders and it’s not just his right one. So to say he’s going to be on first base (vs.) the next left-hander we face, it’s too early to tell that.”

Ramirez said in that his throwing shoulder was tightening up, which is why he hasn’t been throwing much and hasn’t yet played first base.

But the injured non-throwing shoulder wasn’t as well-publicized. It’s the one he hurt in 2015, when he slammed into the left field wall at Fenway Park.

“Maintenance, normal maintenance,” Farrell said when asked about Ramirez’ left shoulder. “I mean, that’s nothing new that he didn’t have a year ago or previous years.”

Ramirez hit his first home run of the season yesterday.

Price check

David Price (elbow strain) is going to throw his fifth session today at Fenway and the Red Sox hope he can get to 45-50 pitches.

“Anytime you get to the number of pitches thrown that will be (today), you can start to foresee a progression to hitters and ultimately to games, but we don’t have that in place right now,” Farrell said.

Price slowed down his progression last week, but yesterday Farrell said, “We’re back on track.”

Andrew Benintendi’s five-hit game yesterday was the first of his career and he was the first in MLB to accomplish the feat this season. He leads the Red Sox with 25 hits and a .347 average (among qualifiers).

“Just got in some counts I thought I could put some good swings on balls,” the rookie said.

He thinks the day off Saturday contributed to his big game. He had played in the first 16 games.

“Just getting off my legs a little bit,” he said. “Just hammered out some things. Just getting more rest. It was nice.”

Red Sox avoid sweep as Eduardo Rodriguez turns lights out on Baltimore Orioles hitters

Jason Mastrodonato

BALTIMORE — Welcome back, Eduardo Rodriguez.

The Red Sox rotation has needed you.

Before Matt Barnes threw a pitch near the head of Manny Machado that ignited any lingering tension between the Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles after Machado’s spikes-up slide injured Dustin Pedroia on Friday, Rodriguez returned to the Red Sox rotation and was almost unhittable for six innings against his former team.

The left-hander led the Sox to a 6-2 win against the Orioles to avoid a series sweep and head back to Fenway Park with at least a little momentum after losing the first two games.

“It seems like every time I pitch here, I feel good,” Rodriguez said. “That’s what happens when you feel good, you throw a good game.”

For the first six innings, Rodriguez was hardly ever around the plate, firing a steady dose of mid-90s and high-80s — a pitch he throws better than most — all around the outskirts of the . He tied a career high by walking five batters, but struck out seven and allowed just one hit, a single by Chris Davis in the fifth inning.

It was about as good as Rodriguez has been since last season, when he finished with a 3.24 ERA over his final 14 starts.

“Yeah I think since the All-Star break last year, that’s an outing that’s pretty reminiscent of some others where the are there,” manager John Farrell said. “I’d like to see the walks be cut down, because he creates a little traffic for himself and it prevents him from getting further into ballgames. But a talented, talented pitcher.”

With , Steven Wright and still searching to start the year, Rodriguez’ 3.12 ERA ranks second to among Red Sox starters.

“I felt like my shoulder was a little stronger today,” Rodriguez said. “I was able to have the velocity I wanted to have.”

Rodriguez is just the second starting pitcher to hold the Orioles lineup scoreless this season. The other was Toronto right-hander Marco Estrada, who also has one of the best changeups in baseball.

The free-swinging Orioles entered the game with 23 homers. Rodriguez took advantage of their aggression by setting hitters up with his sinking and then making them chase pitches high above the zone. He recorded only three ground ball outs, but five outs on fly balls, a dangerous game to play in Camden Yards.

But Rodriguez has owned this park since the O’s traded him to the Red Sox for Andrew Miller in 2014. He has a 1.34 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 332⁄3 innings over six career starts in Baltimore.

He wasn’t concerned with a handful of walks.

“I feel like a couple of those walks were almost on purpose because, like with (Jonathan) Schoop, it was a 3-0 , it’s a dangerous hitter, and you’d better pitch around the corners,” he said. “I’ll take a walk rather than a homer.”

Kevin Gausman has often had success against the Red Sox, but not yesterday.

Gausman entered the game with an abysmal 13-12 strikeout-walk ratio. And while he flashed a in the high-90s and sinking two-seamer, the Red Sox had no trouble hitting it.

The first four batters of the game reached base against him. and Andrew Benintendi hit matching singles, then Mookie Betts and Hanley Ramirez went back-to-back with long balls to put the Sox up, 4-0.

“That might be one of the few games we’ve actually scored some runs in the first inning,” Farrell said.

The Red Sox had entered the day ranked last in the majors with just eight homers in 18 games, five homers behind the next closest team. And they had scored just six combined runs in their last four games, three of which were losses.

Mitch Moreland added his second homer of the year, a solo shot in the fifth inning.

Benintendi was 5-for-5, the first time in his career he’s had more than three hits in a game.

“I don’t think that the power numbers right now — it doesn’t mean anything,” Benintendi said. “It’s still early. Everybody talks about how we haven’t hit home runs but I don’t see what the problem is. We’re getting on base and scoring runs.”

The Red Sox are off today and return home for a three-game series beginning tomorrow with the .

Time to learn the drill when it comes to Matt Barnes throwing near the head of the Manny Machado

Michael Silverman

BALTIMORE — All Matt Barnes had to do yesterday was drill Manny Machado in the butt like Pedro would have done with the Bambino.

Instead, by sailing a pitch behind Machado’s head, Barnes woke up the Bambino, the Orioles and — this is most damning — his own team leader.

He also ensured that these hostilities will likely linger until at least the next Red Sox-Orioles series.

Can’t anybody here play this game the right way?

By not exacting revenge correctly, Barnes blew up a chance to broker a truce with the Orioles.

The pitch also caused a self-inflicted wound that doesn’t help the Sox’ own harmony and chemistry.

It’s too soon to assess the damage — not with a wound this fresh.

“That’s not how you do that, man — I’m sorry to (Machado) and his team,” said Dustin Pedroia after the 6- 2 Sox win. ”If you’re going to protect guys, you do it right away. He knows that. We both know that. It’s definitely a mishandled situation. There was zero intention of him trying to hurt me, he just made a bad slide (when) he did hurt me (Friday night). It’s baseball, man. I’m not mad at him. I love Manny Machado. I love playing against him. I love watching him. If I slid into third base and got Manny’s knee, I know I’m going to get drilled. That’s baseball. I get drilled, and I go to first base. That’s it.”

Teammates don’t throw shade on teammates real often.

Especially Pedroia.

Barnes, Pedroia and manager John Farrell all swore that the right-handed reliever was not aiming at Machado’s head. There’s no reason to doubt that or malign Barnes, who is the opposite of a bad egg.

But the videotape will always show that his pitch was a couple inches away from hitting Machado’s head and causing who knows what kind of terrible injury.

Nobody wants to be labeled a head-hunter.

In the minds of most of those who live in Baltimore or play for the Orioles, Barnes was head-hunting yesterday.

“You can kill a guy doing that,” said O’s pitcher Kevin Gausman.

It didn’t matter that Barnes wasn’t trying to bean Machado, just as it doesn’t matter that Machado wasn’t trying to maim Pedroia when he slid past second base, spikes high and landed on Pedroia’s left leg, injuring his knee and ankle and keeping him out of game action for two games and counting.

Intent is not the issue now.

Revenge, justice, long memories and baseball’s inscrutable and uncodified code are still in play.

Barnes’ aim was more than lousy. It was inflammatory.

“I think it was completely obvious — haven’t seen a guy miss that bad in a while, behind a guy’s head — I don’t think there’s any question about it,” said Orioles first baseman Chris Davis.

Baltimore manager Buck Showalter was relatively subdued.

“Whether he threw at him or not, I’ll let him and the good Lord answer,” said Showalter. “I’m not going to get into that.”

Machado himself took a long time to come out and meet the media. Before he did, he had plenty of time to see the TV replays that caught his exchanges across the diamond with Pedroia, where Pedroia was telling him that he wouldn’t have handled the situation like that.

He also received a text from Pedroia.

“You never want to get hit in the head, intentionally or not, it doesn’t matter, you don’t want to get hit in the head,” said Machado.

“I’m going to respect Pedey to the end of this day, I look up to a guy like that. Whatever he says and whatever is going on that side is up to them and their situation. At the end of day he knows what happened, and I respect him to the end of the day. He shot me a text. It’s just part of the game, part of baseball. We all grind out there. We all play hard. We all play hard for each other and hard for the team we play against.”

Machado and the rest of the Orioles drew kudos from Showalter for not letting their emotions get the best of them.

“They all, believe me, wanted to do something about it,” said Showalter, who made sure to come out on the field and put himself in between Machado and the nearest Red Sox after the pitch. “I really respect the courage our players had today.”

Barnes sounded appropriately miserable.

“I would never ever intentionally throw at somebody’s head,” said Barnes. “That’s kind of a line you don’t cross. I’m sorry that it kind of ended up that high and fortunately it didn’t hit him but I think he’s got every right to be mad that that one got loose.”

Yes, Machado was mad, as are the Orioles and Pedroia.

This will settle down, but it won’t be forgotten.

All because Barnes could not drill someone the right way.

* The Providence Journal

Pedroia on retaliatory pitch to Machado: ‘That’s not how you do that’

Brian MacPherson

BALTIMORE — The Red Sox got their revenge after all, much to the chagrin of the man on whose behalf they were getting revenge.

After two days of Red Sox players and staff insisting that they had no beef with Manny Machado and the Baltimore Orioles, Matt Barnes threw a fastball up around the head of Machado in the eighth inning on Sunday — the last time Machado was scheduled to come to the plate in the series. The ball hit Machado’s bat, not Machado, but Barnes was summarily ejected from the game by home-plate umpire Andy Fletcher.

“I would never ever intentionally throw at somebody’s head,” Barnes said. “That’s a line you don’t cross. I’m sorry that it kind of ended up that high, and fortunately it didn’t hit him. But I think he’s got every right to be mad that that one got loose.”

“He’s trying to go up and in,” Boston manager John Farrell said. “Make no mistake, the ball got away from him. It’s a dangerous pitch when you get in up there. Thankfully, he didn’t get hit.”

(Farrell argued with the umpires that the pitch had hit the bat of Machado and wound up in fair play and should have been a live ball. He did not contest the ejection of Barnes, he said.)

Machado did not charge the mound but was clearly displeased by the location of the pitch.

“You never want to get hit in the head,” he said. “Intentionally or not, it doesn’t matter. You don’t want to get hit in the head.”

Dustin Pedroia could be seen by TV cameras communicating with Machado from across the field, saying that, if it were up to him, the Red Sox would have drilled Machado in his first at-bat Saturday. Pedroia was candid in the clubhouse later in his disapproval of the way Barnes went about retaliating for the Machado slide.

Red Sox 6, Orioles 2: Bats come alive as Boston takes series finale

Brian MacPherson

BALTIMORE — For one day, at least, the Red Sox looked like the Red Sox again.

Mookie Betts and Hanley Ramirez hit back-to-back home runs off Kevin Gausman in the first inning and Mitch Moreland hit a home run in the fifth to power the Red Sox to a 6-2 win over Kevin Gausman and the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday at Camden Yards. It was a rare show of force from a Boston team that came into the game with an American League-low eight home runs all season.

“The power numbers right now, it doesn’t mean anything,” said Andrew Benintendi, who had five hits — the first five-hit game of his career. “It’s still early. Everybody talks about how we haven’t hit home runs, but I don’t see what the problem is. We’re getting on base and scoring runs.”

“That might be one of the few games we’ve actually scored some runs in the first inning,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said.

The first-inning outburst made for a comfortable day for an offense that had scored six runs in its previous four games, three of them defeats and the win a Chris Sale-fueled nail-biter. Ramirez almost added a second home run with the bases loaded in the second inning, a missile that Baltimore’s Adam Jones caught on the in center field.

Fireworks of a different sort erupted when Matt Barnes threw a fastball up around the head of Baltimore’s Manny Machado in the eighth inning, hitting the bat of Machado but earning an ejection nonetheless. It appeared to be the retaliation that was predictable after Machado spiked Dustin Pedroia at second base with a slide on Friday night. Pedroia didn’t play Saturday or Sunday with persistent soreness in his left knee and ankle.

Boston began the day with a collective .372 slugging percentage and had scored two combined runs in the first two games of its series at Camden Yards. A team that lost David Ortiz to retirement didn’t target a like-for-like replacement last winter, even if Moreland has been the team’s best hitter thus far. What was the American League’s best offense last season has been a middling offense so far this season. Boston began the day as the only American League team to have slugged under .400 as a team to have a winning percentage over .500 so far.

“With all due respect to David, his name hasn’t been talked about in our clubhouse,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said before the game. “We’re focused on how we’re going to attack a given pitcher on a day. We’re not waiting for someone else to walk through the door.”

Xander Bogaerts and Benintendi led off the game with back-to-back singles to bring up Betts, who smashed a Gausman fastball over the left-field fence, his second home run of the season and his 10th career home run at Camden Yards.

The next pitch Gausman threw was a front-door slider to Ramirez that got out over the plate enough for Ramirez to extend his arms. Ramirez crushed it — his first home run of the season.

“It was good to be able to get to that pitch they’ve been throwing me a lot, that front-door ,” Ramirez said. “I made an adjustment right there.”

Eduardo Rodriguez struck out seven in six powerful innings for the Red Sox in his first start since the birth of his son last week. He walked five, though three of those came in a sixth inning when he appeared to tire. With Boston’s bullpen thin, Rodriguez was asked to face young Baltimore slugger Trey Mancini with the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth inning — and while Mancini got his barrel to a changeup down below the zone, he hit it right at Pablo Sandoval, who smothered it and retired the side.

“I was throwing that changeup for a strike, but I’ll take it,” Rodriguez said.

Sandoval left the game after that inning with what the team called a sprained right knee, an injury he perhaps suffered fielding the Mancini line drive.

* The Springfield Republican

Manny Machado reacts to Matt Barnes pitch near his head: 'I wasn't expecting anything'

Jen McCaffrey

BALTIMORE - The Red Sox host the Orioles for a four-game series beginning next Monday in what should be a tension-filled match coming off the weekend's events.

On Sunday, Matt Barnes threw a 90 mph fastball that buzzed behind Manny Machado's head and connected with his bat for a foul ball.

Barnes was promptly ejected for what home plate umpire Andy Fletcher deemed a retaliation pitch from Barnes.

On Friday night, Machado slid hard into the second base bag, injuring Dustin Pedroia, who's missed two games with an ankle and knee injury.

Pedroia was angry with the situation Sunday saying, "that's not how you do that," in reference to a retaliation pitch.

Machado reached out to Pedroia via text after Friday's game and thought the issued had been settled between the sides.

"I wasn't expecting anything, no," he told reporters after the game on Sunday. "I thought I did a good slide. Everyone saw the replay, they know on that slide, that's on them whatever happened today. I'm going to keep doing me, keep playing baseball."

Pedroia said he had no problem with Machado's slide and while he'd gotten hurt, it was part of his job.

"I'm going to respect Pedey to the end of this day," Machado said when told of Pedroia's comments. "I look up to a guy like that. Whatever he says and whatever is going on that side is up to them and their situation. At end of day he knows what happened, and I respect him to the end of the day.

"It's just part of the game, part of baseball, we all grind out there we all play hard we all play hard for each other and hard for the team we play against," Machado added.

Matt Barnes apologetic on pitch to Machado: 'I would never intentionally throw at somebody's head'

Jen McCaffrey

BALTIMORE - Matt Barnes was accountable and apologetic on Sunday afternoon following his eighth- inning ejection for throwing at Manny Machado.

Barnes pitch sailed behind Machado's head and hit his bat. Home plate umpire Andy Fletcher ejected Barnes immediately what he deemed was a retaliation pitch.

Tensions flared on Friday night when Machado slid hard into the second base bag, injuring Dustin Pedroia, who has missed the last two games with knee and ankle injuries.

Barnes explained after the game he wanted to pitch high and tight to Machado with a runner on first, but didn't intend to get that close with the pitch.

"I would say when you're facing one of the best hitters in the major leagues, you've got to try to get him a little uncomfortable in the box," Barnes said.

"People are going to think what they want," he added. "All I know was I was trying to go up and in, trying to get some weak contact with (Adam) Jones on first. Unfortunately one got away from me, and like I said I would never intentionally throw at somebody's head. That's potentially life-changing and that's unacceptable."

Barnes said he understood why Machado and the Orioles would be upset.

"I'm sorry that it kind of ended up that high and fortunately it didn't hit him but I think he's got every right to be mad that that one got loose," Barnes said.

Manager John Farrell called it a "dangerous pitch," but backed his reliever saying, "He's trying to take a four-seamer in above his hands and the pitch got away from him. I think anytime you see a pitch up around the head, it's a dangerous pitch. No one likes to see it. But I think if you look at the attack plan at our right- handed , there's an area in above the hands that you're trying to go to. Unfortunately it gets away from him in that spot."

The pitch never hit Machado, but it did hit Machado's bat. Regardless, given the tension from the weekend Barnes was ejected and could face suspension from the league.

"Sometimes things get away and they can be perceived as something you weren't trying to do given the context of the game," Barnes said. "I probably was a little bit surprised to be a ejected on a foul ball. I don't know if it's every been done."

Eduardo Rodriguez tosses six scoreless, Red Sox hit three homers in 6-2 victory

Jen McCaffrey

BALTIMORE - Eduardo Rodriguez shut down the Orioles over six scoreless innings, Boston's offense finally produced, and sparks flew in the eighth inning when reliever Matt Barnes was ejected.

The Red Sox hit three home runs while Rodriguez allowed just one hit en route to a 6-2 victory on Sunday against the Orioles, but not before a heated eighth inning.

Barnes entered the game in relief in the eighth and with one out and one on, he threw a pitch to Manny Machado that went behind the Orioles third baseman's head and hit his bat.

Home plate umpire Andy Fletcher immediately ejected Barnes for what he deemed was intent to throw at Machado.

Machado's hard slide into second base on Friday night injured Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who has missed the last two games with a left knee and ankle injury.

Manager John Farrell argued vehemently with the umpires on behalf of Barnes, to no avail.

Machado remained at the plate and Joe Kelly entered in relief allowing an RBI on his first pitch before getting out of the inning.

The run did little damage as Boston had scored six runs early for Rodriguez.

The first four Red Sox batters reached in the top of the first against Orioles starter Kevin Gausman and all four scored as Mookie Betts hit a three-run homer and Hanley Ramirez followed up with a solo shot of his own.

It marked the first time this season the Red Sox had hit back-to-back homers and gave Rodriguez a 4-0 lead.

In the fifth, Mitch Moreland hit a solo homer to add to the lead and the following inning Andrew Benintendi hit an RBI single to give Rodriguez a 6-0 lead. That hit was one of five for Benintendi on the day, a career high for the rookie.

Rodriguez hardly needly all the offense. The lefty cruised through the first three innings, retiring nine Orioles batters in order before a leadoff walk in the fourth. Rodriguez finished with five walks, but managed to avoid allowing any of them to score.

In the sixth, Rodriguez walked the bases loaded but got out of the jam with a liner to third. On the play, Pablo Sandoval injured himself and was removed from the game with a sprained right knee.

Rodriguez finished the day having allowed just one hit and five walks over six scoreless innings. He struck out seven and induced a career-high 18 swings and misses.

As for the Red Sox offense, Boston had hit just eight homers through its first 18 games but hit three on Sunday.

* RedSox.com

Benintendi gets 5 hits; scary pitch irks Machado

Brittany Ghiroli and Ben Standig

BALTIMORE -- Struggling Orioles starter Kevin Gausman was a perfect elixir to a sluggish Boston lineup. The Sox homered three times, including Hanley Ramirez's first of the year, in Sunday afternoon's sweep- avoiding, 6-2 win over Baltimore at Camden Yards.

Boston, which had just two homers total in the previous first five games of its road trip, jumped on Gausman for four runs before he could record an out. Mookie Betts delivered the big three-run blow, with Ramirez following. Mitch Moreland also went deep in the fifth off Gausman, who lasted 5 1/3 innings and saw his season ERA rise to 7.50.

"He wasn't very crisp early and they made him pay for it," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "But I like the fact he didn't implode and got us to the sixth inning and competed like we know Kevin can. There will be better days for him. But their pitcher was real good today. That was obvious."

Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez, a former Orioles farmhand, allowed just one hit over six scoreless innings. The lone single came from Chris Davis in the bottom of the fifth, as Rodriguez was fantastic over the 108-pitch outing, picking up his first win.

Andrew Benintendi went 5-for-5, notching a career-high in hits for Boston.

"Everybody talks about how we haven't hit home runs," Benintendi said. "I don't see what the problem is. We're getting on base and scoring runs."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Red Sox retaliate: Orioles third baseman Manny Machado was thrown at by Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes in the bottom of the eighth inning.

"I think it was completely obvious," Davis said of Barnes' pitch. "I haven't seen a guy miss that bad in a while. Behind a guy's head, I don't think there was any question about it."

Machado, whose hard slide Friday forced Dustin Pedroia out of the game, was initially awarded first base and Barnes was immediately ejected by home plate umpire Andy Fletcher. However, upon review, the ball -- up and in -- caught Machado's bat. Pedroia was caught on TV saying to Machado: "I know that, you know that. That's not me." On the next pitch, he lined a double off Joe Kelly.

"That's not how you do that, man. I'm sorry to him and his team. If you're going to protect guys, you do it right away," said Pedroia, who received a text message apology from Machado on Friday. "It's definitely a mishandled situation…There was zero intention of him trying to hurt me. He just made a bad slide. He did hurt me. It's baseball, man. I'm not mad at him. I love Manny Machado."

Red Sox Bombers: With only eight home runs on the season entering the series finale, the Red Sox were the only team in baseball still in single digits. That changed on back-to-back pitches in the first inning. The blasts from Betts and Ramirez into the left-field seats were also the first back-to-back homers of the season for Boston.

The Curious Case of Gausman: The righty has had a rocky April and Sunday was no different. Coming off of one of the worst outings of his career -- an eight-out appearance in which he allowed eight earned runs to the Reds --Gausman surrendered a four-run first. The 26-year-old did settle down after that, pitching three scoreless innings before Moreland went deep in the fifth. He has just one quality start in his first five games and has walked 15 and struck out 17 in 24 innings.

QUOTABLE "It's two good teams competing for something that a lot of teams really want. And they have the passion and when things like that get going into it, that's unfortunate. I was really impressed with the courage that our guys showed today because they all, believe me, trust me, wanted to do something about [Machado being nearly hit]. Takes a lot more sometimes to do that." -- Showalter on if he wanted all of the drama to go away between the two clubs

"He's trying to take a 4-seamer in above the hands and the pitch got away from him. I think anytime you see a pitch above the head, it's a dangerous pitch. No one likes to see it, but I think if you look at the attack plan of our right-handed pitchers, there's an area in above the hands you're trying to go to. Unfortunately, it does get away from him in that spot." -- Red Sox manager John Farrell on Matt Barnes' pitch going high on Machado

FROM THE TRAINING ROOM Pablo Sandoval left the game with a right knee sprain and is day-to-day.

"We'll certainly get him in tomorrow and evaluate him," Farrell said. "When he went down for the groundball, he felt a little bit of a strain or a stretch inside the right knee. He'll be examined fully [Monday]."

WHAT'S NEXT Red Sox: After an off-day, Boston heads back home for its first look at the New York Yankees this season. The three-game set opens Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. ET, with Rick Porcello scheduled to meet fellow right- hander Luis Severino. Second baseman Dustin Pedroia will undergo an MRI Monday after missing the last two games with left knee and ankle soreness.

Orioles: The Orioles will welcome the Tampa Bay Rays for a three-game series starting on Monday at 7:05 p.m. ET with Ubaldo Jimenez going to the mound. Jimenez turned in a badly needed quality start, his first of the year, on Wednesday against the Reds. Jimenez tossed 7 2/3 scoreless in a dazzling effort.

Benintendi singles self out in record books

Ben Standig

BALTIMORE -- On the day power returned to the Red Sox lineup, Andrew Benintendi's singles stood out. On the day veteran Hanley Ramirez smacked his first home run of the season, the rookie outfielder had historians dusting off the team record book. On the day the Red Sox avoided a sweep with a 6-2 win over the Orioles, Benintendi was both lucky and good.

Benintendi went 5-for-5 as the Red Sox claimed the series finale Sunday. The 22-year-old became the youngest Red Sox player with at least five hits in a game since Tony Conigliaro on April 16, 1967, at the New York Yankees and the youngest to go 5-for-5 since Joe Cronin in 1929. No player younger than Benintendi has gone 5-for-5 for any team since Eric Hosmer pulled off the feat in 2011.

There was some good fortune involved, but Benintendi has already shown he's a pro at the plate. He hit two lasers to right field. One hit fell safely in an open area in shallow left. Another ricocheted off the glove of Baltimore starter Kevin Gausman. The final single, in the 9th, was a hard groundball up the middle.

"All fields," Red Sox manager John Farrell said about what he liked with the rookie's approach. "He caught a break on a couple of them, obviously. … He's got such good plate coverage and the ability to address a number of different type of pitches. That was the case today."

The steady and spectacular performance was the first five-hit game in the Majors this season, and raised Benintendi's average to .347. The American League Rookie of the Year contender has reached base multiple times in six of his last seven games, batting .500 (15-for-30) in that stretch.

"I got in some counts I thought I could put good swings on balls," Benintendi said of his five-hit performance. "Obviously a couple of them were pretty fortunate, but [you] take them anyway you can."

Benintendi sat out Saturday's 4-2 loss. Baltimore clearly wishes he'd be given another day off.

"After a day off, he looked refreshed and bounced back with a positive day," Farrell noted.

The Red Sox finished with 14 hits, including three home runs after totaling only eight longballs in their first 18 games. They were the only Major League team yet to crack double digits on the season.

"Everybody talks about how we haven't hit home runs," Benintendi said. "I don't see what the problem is. We're getting on base and scoring runs."

Certainly he is.

Machado in middle of 8th-inning tiff

Brittany Ghiroli

BALTIMORE -- Tensions from Friday night between the Orioles and Red Sox spilled over again in the eighth inning of Sunday's 6-2 Boston win as Orioles third baseman Manny Machado was nearly beaned by reliever Matt Barnes.

"I wasn't expecting anything, no," Machado said of the pitch. "I thought I did a good slide [on Friday]. Everyone knows. Everyone saw the replay on that side. That's on them. Whatever happened today, I'm going to keep doing me."

Machado, whose hard slide on Friday forced Dustin Pedroia out of the game and the rest of the weekend series, was initially awarded first base and Barnes was immediately ejected by home-plate umpire Andy Fletcher. However, upon closer review, the ball -- which was up and in near the head -- caught Machado's bat first.

"I would never intentionally throw at somebody's head," Barnes said. "That's a line you don't cross. He has every right to be mad."

While Machado glared at the Red Sox dugout, Pedroia made it clear immediately that the pitch wasn't something he advocated, mouthing "That isn't me," to Machado as Joe Kelly warmed up in Barnes' place. "That's not how you do that, man. I'm sorry to him and his team. If you're going to protect guys, you do it right away," said Pedroia, who also texted Machado on Sunday.

"It's definitely a mishandled situation. ... There was zero intention of him trying to hurt me. He just made a bad slide. He did hurt me. It's baseball, man. I'm not mad at him. I love Manny Machado."

Pedroia also said he didn't think Barnes would throw at Machado's head on purpose and Red Sox manager John Farrell agreed.

"Make no mistake, the ball got away from him. My comments are what they are," Farrell said. "It's a dangerous pitch when you get up and in there. Thankfully, he didn't get hit."

On the other side of the dugout, the ill-timed pitch near Machado's head drew more skepticism. "I haven't seen a guy miss that bad in a while," Orioles first baseman Chris Davis said. "Behind a guy's head, I don't think there was any question about it."

Added O's manager Buck Showalter: "The pitch was there. Whether he threw at him or not, I'll let him and the Good Lord answer. I'm not going to get into that."

While Barnes remained ejected, replay ruled Machado had indeed fouled off the pitch. Machado doubled off Kelly, who was one of several Boston players screaming at Machado after his slide, which the O's All- Star has said was not intentionally hard.

"You just be mature about the situation," Machado said of not responding on Sunday. "I don't want to get suspended. I think everyone already knows out there that they think I'm the villain. It's always me -- 'Manny always does something wrong.' You know, it's never me. I just go out there and play a game that I love and leave it on the field."

* ESPNBoston.com

'Mishandled' Red Sox-Orioles situation far from being resolved

Scott Lauber

Believe him or not, Matt Barnes says he wasn’t trying to hit Manny Machado in the head on Sunday, just as Machado claims he didn’t intentionally take out Dustin Pedroia with a spikes-high slide two nights earlier. Those are their stories, and they’re sticking to them. And round and round we go.

But the only thing we know for certain about this silly affair between the Orioles and the Boston Red Sox came tumbling out of Pedroia’s mouth before he boarded the team bus to the airport on Sunday evening in Baltimore.

“It was definitely a mishandled situation,” he told reporters.

Ya think?

And here’s something else we know: Odds are, this isn’t over.

In case you missed it, this all began in the eighth inning on Friday night, when Machado slid high into Pedroia, jarring the Red Sox second baseman’s left ankle and surgically repaired left knee. Pedroia has missed the past two games, and because swelling is still present, he’s expected to undergo tests on Monday at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Red Sox pitcher Matt Barnes was ejected from Sunday's game after appearing to throw at Manny Machado's head. Later, Barnes said he wasn't trying to hit Machado. AP Photo/Gail Burton It was inevitable that the Red Sox would exact revenge for their de facto captain. But they didn’t hit Machado -- or even brush him back -- on Saturday night. And while a six-run lead in the eighth inning on Sunday made for good timing, Barnes’ 90 mph heat behind Machado’s head (the pitch wound up hitting the bat) was hardly the proportional response that jibes with baseball’s unspoken code.

The dugouts didn’t clear, but Barnes was ejected on the spot. And as reliever Joe Kelly warmed up, Pedroia whistled from the dugout to get Machado’s attention and told him how much he disapproved of his teammate’s actions in an exchange that was captured so perfectly by cameras from both New England Sports Network and Mid-Atlantic Sports Network that any amateur lip reader could follow the conversation.

Pedroia: “It’s not me. If that was me, we would’ve hit you the first day [after the slide].”

Machado pointed to his head, making clear that Barnes was out of bounds.

Pedroia: “I know. That’s bulls---. We should’ve hit you the first at-bat yesterday. I know that, and you know that. It’s not me. That’s him.”

Could there have been a stronger rebuke?

Pedroia laid it on even thicker after the game, telling reporters what he declined to say in the two previous days, namely that “there was zero intention of [Machado] trying to hurt me,” that he’s “not mad” at Machado and that he even loves the Orioles star third baseman. Pedroia said he hadn’t spoken to Barnes but knew the hard-throwing right-hander didn’t intend to hit Machado in the head -- which seems plausible, considering the barbarism associated with the alternative.

If Pedroia was attempting to make peace with the Orioles, it was wise. The teams play 14 more times this season, including a four-game series at Fenway Park that begins May 1. Pedroia knows there isn’t much time for cooler heads to prevail. He also knows they should.

Had Steven Wright hit Machado with his floating on Saturday night, this whole thing would be over. Even if Barnes had only drilled Machado in the thigh, both sides could’ve moved on, with the Red Sox having gotten their pound of flesh.

But now, after Barnes went head-hunting, an Orioles pitcher might decide to target a Red Sox hitter next week. Machado isn’t advocating for that, but neither is Pedroia, who nevertheless admitted he would’ve expected to get hit if he had been the one who slid into Machado.

“That’s baseball,” Pedroia said. “I get drilled, and I go to first base. That’s it.”

If only it had been that simple on Sunday.

* WEEI.com

Red Sox 6, Orioles 2: Well Executed Game, Poorly Executed Revenge

Rob Bradford

If you’re talking about coming out and getting things going in the right direction, this 6-2 win over the Orioles was well played by the Red Sox. Three home runs. Really good starting pitching. Timely hitting.

When it came to enacting revenge for Manny Machado’s slide into Dustin Pedroia, however, the Red Sox’ execution was terrible.

With Machado up in the eighth inning and the Sox winning by six runs, Matt Barnes sailed a 90 mph fastball in back of the head of the hitter. The ball didn’t hit Machado, but did strike his bat. But it the perceived intent was enough to get Barnes thrown out from the game.

While hitting Machado after he sidelined Pedroia was a foregone conclusion — with it appearing as though Eduardo Rodriguez attempted to execute the act in the sixth inning — the pitch from Barnes was out of line. No matter what the circumstance, you don’t throw near a hitter’s head.

“No, absolutely not. I would never ever intentionally throw at somebody’s head,” Barnes told reporters. “That’s kind of a line you don’t cross. Um, I’m sorry that it kind of ended up that high and fortunately it didn’t not hit him but I think he’s got every right to be mad that that one got loose.”

“He’s trying to take a four-seamer in above his hands and the pitch got away from him,” Red Sox manager John Farrell explained to reporters. “I think anytime you see a pitch up around the head, it’s a dangerous pitch. No one likes to see it. But I think if you look at the attack plan at our right-handed pitchers, there’s an area in above the hands that you’re trying to go to. Unfortunately it gets away from him in that spot.”

It was why Pedroia went out of his way during the pitching change to make it clear that the marching orders didn’t come from him.

Pedroia: “If that was me, we would have hit you the first day. Now, that’s not me.”

“I just told him I didn’t have anything to do with that. That’s not how you do that, man,” Pedroia told reporters after the game. “I’m sorry to him and his team. If you’re going to protect guys, you do it right away. He knows that. We both know that. It’s definitely a mishandled situation. There was zero intention of him trying to hurt me. He just made a bad slide. He did hurt me. It’s baseball, man. I’m not mad at him. I love Manny Machado. I love playing against him. I love watching him. If I slid into third base and got Manny’s knee, I know I’m going to get drilled. That’s baseball. I get drilled, and I go to first base. That’s it.”

Before the drama, the Red Sox got back to their blueprint heading into the season.

With all the starters not named Chris Sale entering the game with a combined ERA of 5.97, Eduardo Rodriguez supplied some optimism for the group. The lefty allowed just one hit (along with five walks) over six scoreless innings.

And then there were the bats.

Mookie Betts helped the Red Sox jump out to a 3-0 lead with his three-run homer in the first inning. He was immediately followed by Hanley Ramirez’s first home run of the season. Mitch Moreland capped off the visitors’ scoring with another round-tripper.

The offensive star, however, had to be Andrew Benintendi, who finished the day going 5-for-5.

It was a solid all-around performance … except for one very ill-advised pitch.

Shattering Perceptions Game Note Image

Pablo Sandoval was forced from the game in the seventh inning after spraining his right knee.

* CSNNE.com

Red Sox, Orioles Should Leave Machado-Pedroia Feud In Past

Evan Drellich

Dustin Pedroia, still injured, apologized for something he didn’t do.

Matt Barnes, trying to protect his injured teammate in barbaric baseball tradition, apologized for something he did do.

Pedroia then went as far as to say he loved — loved! — Manny Machado, who has maintained innocence in this dust-up all along, even on Sunday.

This episode of Red Sox-Orioles anger should die here, after any presumed discipline the league finds suitable for Barnes is delivered.

There’s a four-game set starting May 1 between these two at Fenway Park, and the reset button should be hit before then.

In a clear attempt at retribution for Machado spiking Pedroia two games earlier, Barnes threw at Machado in the eighth inning of a 6-2 Sox win Sunday at Camden Yards.

The pitch actually wound up a foul ball, but was way too close to Machado’s head — and no one pretended otherwise.

“That’s bull (crap),” Pedroia was caught on camera yelling from the dugout at Machado after the pitch.

Pedroia was telling Machado they actually shared the same view: that what Pedroia’s teammate Barnes did was wrong.

That the outcome was wrong, specifically.

“He’s not trying to hit Manny in the head,” Pedroia told reporters after the game. “It’s just a bad situation man.

“I'm sorry to him and his team. If you're going to protect guys, you do it right away. … There was zero intention of (Machado) trying to hurt me. He just made a bad slide. He did hurt me. It's baseball, man. I'm not mad at him. I love Manny Machado. I love playing against him. I love watching him. If I slid into third base and got Manny's knee, I know I'm going to get drilled. That's baseball. I get drilled, and I go to first base. That's it."

Barnes denied he was trying to hit Machado, but everyone knows otherwise. The Sox tried to even the score with Machado and the O’s on Sunday and failed dangerously.

Considering how the Sox responded immediately; considering how Barnes and Pedroia both apologized, Pedroia profusely; considering Pedroia is the one who’s hurt, and Machado was — thankfully — not hit with the terribly placed pitch; this should be the end of it.

“It’s a short term memory that we need to have and that’s what we’re going to do here,” Machado told reporters Sunday.

Let’s see if that holds true on both sides.

Barnes’ pitch hit Machado, but only on a ricochet. It caught the bat extended over Machado’s right shoulder instead, strangely creating a foul ball that bounced off the bat and into Machado’s back.

Machado proceeded to double off the the next pitcher, Joe Kelly, who entered because Barnes was ejected.

Pedroia’s going for tests on his knee and ankle on Monday, three days after Machado spiked him. He still hasn’t played since that slide.

A pitch to the head is much more threatening than a spike to the leg. It’s also harder to fathom a pitch to the head being made with any form of intent.

Machado never apologized publicly, although he has tried to make clear that what he did was unintentional.

He and Pedroia communicated by text Friday and Sunday.

“I wasn't expecting anything, no,” Machado told reporters Sunday of retaliation. “I thought I did a good slide. Everyone saw the replay, they know on that slide, that's on them whatever happened today. I'm going to keep doing me, keep playing baseball.

“I'm going to respect Pedey to the end of this day. I look up to a guy like that.”

Machado maintaining he made a good slide is a little out of tune while the Sox sat there and apologized. Intentional or not, Machado made a bad slide, his foot high in the air.

Note, too, that Pedroia said he’d expect to get drilled if he spiked Machado — while Machado said he expected nothing.

Tit for tat clearly remains standard operating procedure, without regard for player safety.

O’s manager Buck Showalter praised the “courage” his team had not to escalate everything, although a more appropriate word would have been discipline. Showalter’s right: a pitch in the area of head is not the kind of thing that’s easy to ignore.

But Machado, who once threw a bat at Fernando Abad, knows what his reputation is in this game.

“They think I’m the villain. It’s always me,” Machado told reporters Sunday. “Manny always does something wrong.”

On Sunday, he did it right. He stayed calm when the Red Sox wronged him. That’s commendable.

Maybe everyone can do it right going forward.

* Associated Press

Machado in center of bad blood as Red Sox beat Orioles 6-2

BALTIMORE -- A spikes-high slide. A near beanball. Harsh talk in the clubhouse.

The rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles soared to a new level over the weekend, and there's no telling what might happen when they soon meet again.

A tempestuous three-game series between these AL East foes wound up with Orioles star Manny Machado seeing a fastball sail behind his head and Matt Barnes getting ejected for throwing it Sunday in Boston's 6-2 victory.

The high, very inside pitch came two days after Machado spiked Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia with an aggressive slide.

Pedroia watched from the dugout for a second straight day with knee and ankle injuries. Machado apologized with a text message on Friday night, but that evidently wasn't the end of it.

"That's on them," Machado said. "Whatever happened today, I'm going to keep (being) me."

When Machado batted in the sixth inning, Eduardo Rodriguez threw three pitches down and in near the knees. Machado came up again in the eighth and Barnes' fastball whizzed behind Machado and hit his bat. The ball hit Machado and rolled foul, and plate umpire Andy Fletcher tossed Barnes.

"I would never intentionally throw at someone's head. That's kind of a line you don't cross," Barnes said.

Boston manager John Farrell -- who on Saturday called the league office to discuss about what he called "an illegal slide" by Machado -- insisted Barnes' wayward pitch was nothing more than an accident.

"He was trying to take a four-seamer in and above his hands and the pitch got away from him," Farrell said.

But Orioles first baseman Chris Davis thought the fastball was intentionally directed at Machado's head.

"I think it was completely obvious," Davis said. "I haven't seen a guy miss that bad in a while -- behind a guy's head."

Orioles manager Buck Showalter appeared reluctant to criticize the Red Sox, but said, "The courage it takes not to retaliate a lot of times in life is a lot more challenging than doing what ended up happening today."

During Farrell's argument with Fletcher, Pedroia was standing on the top step in the dugout and whistled to catch Machado's attention. He mouthed the words "It's not me," evidently trying to show he was not seeking revenge. Machado acknowledged Pedroia and later pointed to his head.

"I had nothing to do with that. That's not how you do that, man," Pedroia said afterward. "I'm sorry to him and his team. If you're going to protect guys, you do it right away."

After the game resumed, Machado hit Joe Kelly's first pitch for an RBI double to make it 6-1.

Machado ended up making the last out, hitting a popup on a pitch from , who got his seventh .

The Red Sox and Orioles play again May 1 at Fenway Park. Asked whether the teams will put this behind them by then, Davis said, "Honestly, if you ask anybody in here, we're already past it. We didn't agree with what happened, we didn't appreciate it but we can't let those things dwell."

Mookie Betts and Hanley Ramirez homered on successive pitches in a four-run first inning, and Andrew Benintendi had a career-high five hits to help Boston avert a three-game sweep.

Mitch Moreland also homered for the Red Sox, who came in with a major-league low eight home runs. All the long balls were off Kevin Gausman (1-2), who found himself in a 4-0 hole after throwing only seven pitches.

Rodriguez (1-1) allowed one hit over six innings, walking five and striking out seven. Obtained in the 2014 trade that sent Andrew Miller to the Orioles, Rodriguez is 3-1 with a 1.37 ERA in six career starts at Camden Yards.

Not only did the Red Sox play a second straight game without Pedroia, but third baseman Pablo Sandoval left with a sprained right knee.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Red Sox: Farrell says because there's still some swelling in Pedroia's knee and ankle areas, he will "go through some imaging" Monday in Boston. "At this point, it warrants a further look," Farrell said. ... LHP (elbow) participated in a long-toss session Sunday and will pitch a few simulated innings at Fenway Park on Monday.

Orioles: Closer Zach Britton (forearm strain) will start throwing Monday after having his hand examined.

UP NEXT

Red Sox: After an off day Monday, Boston opens a season-high, 10-game homestand Tuesday night in a matchup with the Yankees.

Orioles: Ubaldo Jimenez (1-1, 5.51 ERA) goes up the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night in the opener of a three-game series. The Rays are 1-6 on the road.

* The Baltimore Sun

Orioles recap: Kevin Gausman struggles again, offense missing in 6-2 loss to Red Sox

Peter Schmuck

The Orioles stood on the verge of a three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. Just not for very long.

The Red Sox greeted Orioles starter Kevin Gausman with four straight hits before there was an out made in the first inning, the last two of which landed beyond the reach of anyone in the Orioles , for back- to-back home runs.

That was about it. The Orioles offense had no answer against former teammate Eduardo Rodriguez, who took a no-hitter bid into the fifth inning on the way to a 6-2 victory before an announced 35,522 at Camden Yards that ended the Orioles’ four-game winning streak.

Rodriguez, who was dealt to the Red Sox for premier setup man Andrew Miller in 2014, retired the first nine batters he faced and allowed just the one hit over six innings. He had trouble finding the strike zone in the middle innings and walked five batters to create a couple of scoring opportunities for the Orioles, but got the outs he needed to keep them off the scoreboard.

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The closest the Orioles came to making a game of it came in Rodriguez’s final inning of work, when Trey Mancini came to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded, every runner having reached base on a walk. Mancini worked a tough at-bat before lining a pitch sharply to third baseman Pablo Sandoval, who dropped the ball but was able to make the at second to end the inning.

The Red Sox had some frustration to vent after losing the first two games of the series and veteran second baseman Dustin Pedroia to a knee injury in Friday's opener. They didn’t waste any time taking it out on Gausman.

Xander Bogaerts and Andrew Benintendi opened the game with back-to-back singles, and Mookie Betts launched a three-run homer to left field. Moments later, Hanley Ramirez followed suit, and the 4-0 lead remained unchanged until Mitch Moreland hit a towering homer to center field in the fifth.

Gausman settled down in between, retiring 11 of the next 14 batters after Ramirez's homer, but that was a small consolation on a day when he hoped to wipe away the memory of Tuesday night’s eight-run meltdown against the Cincinnati Reds. On Sunday, he allowed five earned runs on eight hits over 5 1/3 innings and is now 1-2 with a 7.50 ERA.

The Red Sox also seemed to take their anger out on Manny Machado two days after his hard slide knocked Pedroia out of the series. Reliever Matt Barnes was ejected from the game in the eighth inning after throwing a 90-mph pitch behind Machado’s head.

The incident halted the game for a prolonged period while Boston manager John Farrell argued with the umpires and the two teams glared across the field at each other, but there was no on-field confrontation.

Back to back: The consecutive home runs by Betts and Ramirez were the first set of back-to-back homers by the Red Sox this year. The Orioles have done it twice — both times by Mancini and Jonathan Schoop, and both times against the Red Sox.

Bullpen streak over: Orioles relievers came into Sunday’s game with a string of 8 1/3 scoreless innings, but it quickly ended after Stefon Crichton allowed an RBI single to Benintendi, the second batter he faced after replacing Gausman in the sixth inning.

Mr. Consistency: Adam Jones, who singled in the eighth inning, has hit safely in eight of his past nine games. Perhaps more impressive, he has failed to hit safely in just two of the Orioles’ 17 games. His consistency has not resulted in a gaudy batting average, as he’s batting .269, but he has three home runs, nine runs scored and eight RBIs in 66 at-bats.