Red Sox help Jays' cause with win in Baltimore
Rick Porcello pitches 4-hitter, Ortiz, Betts each hit 2-run shots
The Boston Red Sox did the Blue Jays a favour, beating Baltimore 5-2 Thursday to trim the Orioles' lead over Toronto to a half game for the first wild-card spot.
The Jays can pull even with a win in Seattle Thursday night.
In Baltimore, Rick Porcello pitched a four-hitter for his major league-high 21st victory, while David Ortiz and Mookie Betts hit two-run homers, padding their lead in the American League East to four games over the Orioles and 4.5 over the Jays.
Coming off a four-game sweep of the Yankees, Boston sustained its late-season surge in the opener of an important four-game series with AL East repercussions.
"It's never over until it's over, but we're definitely going to try to increase the gap between us and the [rest of the AL East]," Porcello said.
Adam Jones homered and Mark Trumbo picked up his 102nd RBI for the second-place Orioles.
"We've got three more here against [the Red Sox]," Baltimore's Manny Machado said. "We'll just put it on a track where we need to be."
Boston's goal over the next three days will be to put away the Orioles [and possibly the Jays] for good.
"We're going to try," Ortiz said.
Rick Porcello pitches 4-hitter,