Mookie Betts (right) celebrates his first homer with teammate Xander Bogaerts. (Tommy Gilligan/USA Today Sports)
Mookie Betts is not of this earth.
He might not even be of this solar system.
The diminutive leadoff hitter, who wouldn’t even stand out at a charity softball game, continued his all-out assault on American League pitching in a 5-3 victory over the Orioles on Tuesday night.
With the Sox desperate to build momentum for the first time since early July, Betts gave them everything they needed with two more home runs, including the go-ahead two-run shot in the eighth, to account for all of the Red Sox runs in a 5-3 victory over the Orioles that lifted the Red Sox to their fifth straight win and gave them a chance to move into a virtual three-way tie for first place in the American League East.
Betts, who was recently named AL Player of the Month for June, provided yet more evidence that he has been even better in August.
Just two days after setting or matching career-highs with three homers and eight RBIs against the Diamondbacks, Betts kept the good times rolling in Camden Yards, where he has recorded a trio of multi-homer games this season.
“Ah, shoot, I have no idea,” said Betts when asked how he generates enough power to hit 28 homers this season. “Somehow it’s going over the fence. Again, I’m going to continue to say I don’t know why, but I’m just trying to put good swings on it and enjoy it.”
His three-run shot into the left field seats in the fifth broke a scoreless tie. His two-run blast off of All-Star setup man Brad Brach then won it for the Red Sox in the eighth after it briefly appeared they’d blow not only Betts’ first homer, but a combined no-hitter that lasted until Steve Pearce beat out an infield single to third with two outs in the seventh.
“Freakish. That’s unbelievable. It’s unreal,” said Red Sox reliever Robbie Ross Jr. of Betts. “I got to see some guys like Nelson Cruz and I was here actually when Josh Hamilton had those four home runs. That was sweet. But I’ve never seen anything like this where it was like night and day, boom, boom, boom. He’s going to get it going. It was pretty special. He’s as clutch as you can get. When it’s big games he’s coming out on top.”
Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, looking to build on some recent strong starts, appeared to be at his absolute best, striking out seven without allowing a hit through four innings. But he injured his hamstring in the fifth and was replaced by reliever Matt Barnes, who kept the Orioles out of the hit column until Pearce’s dribbler eluded the barehanded attempt of infielder Brock Holt. (For more on Rodriguez’s injury, click here.)
Matt Wieters plated two with a single off of reliever Fernando Abad, and the Red Sox appeared to dodge a bullet when Hyun Soo Kim singled sharply to right and Chris Davis was held at third. But reliever Brad Ziegler walked Adam Jones to force in the tying run, setting the stage for Betts’ heroics in the top of the eighth.
The Red Sox should’ve recognized they had it all the way. They’ve got Betts on their side.
“We talk so much about young players moving around the lineup and he has not changed his approach in the four-hole,” said Red Sox manager John Farrell. “Does not take on any added significance to the role or the spot in the lineup. He’s in some kind of spot right now the way he’s seeing the baseball, the way he’s making such hard contact.”
Is there a better player in the American League right now than Betts? He’s got 28 homers and 89 RBIs on the season, both ranking in the top 10 in the AL.
WHAT WENT RIGHT
— Mookie! Mookie! Mookie! There’s nothing left to say. He’s got seven homers and 13 RBIs in five games at Camden Yards this year.
— Left-hander Robbie Ross struck out Chris Davis with an offspeed pitch to escape a jam with two on and two out in the eighth.
— Rodriguez looked tremendous before injury. His best stretch came in his final inning, when he struck out the side to end the fourth.
— Closer Craig Kimbrel saved the heart attacks by nailing down the save with a perfect ninth.
WHAT WENT WRONG
— Rodriguez cruised into the fifth with seven strikeouts and a no-hitter, but the hamstring injury knocked him out of what could’ve been his best start of the season.
— Fernando Abad continues to struggle. Called upon to protect a 3-0 lead with two runners on, Abad allowed both to score. He has now permitted six of seven inherited runners to score this season. One of his baserunners eventually came around to score the tying run off of a Brad Ziegler bases-loaded walk to Adam Jones.
“The 3-1 was definitely down but it was a good pitch, a good pitch to not get hurt on,” Ziegler said of the pitch that forced in a run. “But in that situation I got to get a little bit more of the zone … when that much is on the line.”
Rob Bradford contributed to this report from Baltimore.