Duran Turns the Lights Back On: Sox Edge O’s 4–3 in Camden Yardstick Game
One big swing, a bullpen tightrope, and just enough defense to make Baltimore regret pitching to anyone not named “Cowser.”
Boston opened like it had a plane to catch. Roman Anthony ambushed Tomoyuki Sugano with a leadoff blast to right-center—no scouting report necessary, just a clean 410-foot memo that the Red Sox weren’t dragging their Bronx baggage into Baltimore. 1–0, good guys.
Baltimore countered immediately. Colton Cowser tied it with a solo shot in the second, then beat Boston again in the third with a two-run single after the Orioles stacked traffic: Gunnar Henderson crossed, Ryan Mountcastle followed, and the place woke up. Suddenly 3–1 Orioles and all that “fast start” energy evaporated.
The hinge of the night came in the fifth. Connor Wong yanked a double, Anthony reached, and Jarren Duran stepped in like he was late to a demolition job. Sugano left one where tourists buy crab cakes; Duran pulverized it to dead center for a three-run jolt and a 4–3 Boston lead that would stand as the final. Camden Yards went from smug to stunned in one swing.
From there, it was the bullpen’s show—sometimes circus, tonight closer to a clinic. Steven Matz calmed things through the middle, Garrett Whitlock danced out of an eighth-inning leadoff double by striking out the side (because why make this easy), and Aroldis Chapman needed only seven pitches to slam the door in the ninth. Yes, that Aroldis Chapman, velocity and all. Exhale.
Turning Points (a.k.a. Where You Almost Broke Your Remote)
Cowser’s early haymakers: His solo homer and two-run single flipped momentum hard toward Baltimore. If this became a “remember when we chased our tail” loss, those were the receipts.
Duran in the fifth: Ballgame. One pitch later, a two-run hole became a one-run lead and Sugano’s night went from “in control” to “what just happened.”
Henderson’s thievery: In the fifth, Gunnar Henderson made an over-the-shoulder snag on Nathaniel Lowe that belonged in a thieving tutorial. That catch kept the inning from turning into a blowout.
Whitlock’s escape act: Leadoff double in the eighth, then three straight punchouts. Cruel, efficient, season-shaping kind of frame.
Player Highlights (with Sarcasm)
Jarren Duran: Three-run oxygen mask. If you’re looking for a single swing that separated “annoying loss” from “grown-up win,” it wore No. 16 and went 407 feet to center. ESPN.com
Roman Anthony: Set the tone with a first-inning rocket and later crossed the plate on Duran’s blast. Two hits, two runs, and the look of a guy who thinks every park is a hitter’s park.
Garrett Whitlock: Went full “closer for an inning” in the eighth. That’s not a save, but it saved the save.
Aroldis Chapman: Seven pitches, zero drama. At this point he’s less “reliever” and more “seasoned locksmith.”
Colton Cowser (O’s): Did everything but drive the team bus—three RBI worth of damage, then watched his teammates go 1-for-8 with RISP. Not all heroes are saved by friends.
Quotes & Commentary
Club vibe (paraphrased): The postgame mood boiled down to “big swing from Duran, pen executed.” Hard to argue when Whitlock turns into a strikeout machine and Chapman flips the lights off. Which is technically true if you ignore how fast this goes sideways when the strikeouts don’t show up.
O’s chorus: Camden Chat’s lament was familiar—RISP waste, starter dinged by the long ball, and too many what-ifs for a one-run loss. “Clutch? Still backordered.”
Opponent Misfires
Baltimore’s night read like a cautionary tale: plenty of traffic, not enough delivery (1-for-8 with RISP). Henderson’s highlight catch was real; so were the empty innings that followed. Sugano’s line looks fine until you zoom in on the two souvenirs—one to start the night, one that ended it. If you’re the Orioles, you can blame fate or tip the cap. Either way, two bad pitches is two too many.
Red Sox Momentum Check
Here’s the math that actually matters: Boston pushes to 72–60, five back of Toronto, a half-game clear of New York, and—most importantly—back on the right side of a coin-flip game after the Bronx finale. That’s four wins in five, including a road answer to a division foe. Does it feel stable? No. Is it momentum? In this division, yes—until the next three-run inning.
Future Outlook
Two more in Baltimore, and the to-do list is blunt: get five honest innings from the bulk arm, keep Whitlock fresh for leverage (he just threw 22 pitches; plan accordingly), and try not to rely on Chapman every night even if he looked like a metronome. The Orioles aren’t suddenly bad—they left chances begging tonight and still nearly stole it. Expect tighter margins and, if Boston’s smart, earlier offense that doesn’t require a Duran thunderclap to survive.
Final Word (and a Not-So-Gentle Nudge)
The Sox won a game they’ve often found a way to lose: early punch, mid-game wobble, late-inning nerve. One swing and three relievers later, it’s banked. That’s what playoff teams do—hold the hell on and walk away with the receipt.
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