Birds Watcher Postgame: Orioles Defeat Red Sox 3-0

An outstanding performance by John Means led the Orioles to victory in their season opener

After being rained out on Thursday, the Baltimore Orioles made their season debut against the Boston Red Sox on Friday evening, where Baltimore managed to come away with a victory.

Starting pitcher John Means led the way for the Orioles, allowing just one hit over seven shutout innings against a Red Sox lineup that recorded more hits than any other team in the American League last season. The outing was a historically great one for Means, becoming just the thirteenth pitcher in MLB history to throw seven shutout innings with no walks and no more than one hit at Fenway Park.

Rio Ruiz made his Major League debut at second base on Friday as well, showing out with several notable defensive plays throughout the game, including a pair of running catches in the shallow outfield and a diving play to his left. At the plate, Ruiz drew a walk and struck out on a low four-seam fastball from Red Sox pitcher Matt Andriese.

Orioles’ rookie Ryan Mountcastle came to the plate in the sixth inning with the bases loaded and drove a ball into the air in left field, doubling off the Green Monster and giving the Orioles a 2-0 lead that they would later extend into the 3-0 lead they won the game with. The extra run was tacked on courtesy of an Anthony Santander fielder’s choice, which had a game-high exit velocity of 107.9 MPH.

The Orioles will resume play in game two of this three-game series on Saturday, which will feature Matt Harvey making his first start in an O’s uniform. First-pitch against Tanner Houck and the Boston Red Sox is scheduled for 1:10 PM ET.