Bobby Dalbec homered and drove in three runs, Kyle Schwarber scored twice in his Red Sox debut and Boston cruised past the visiting Baltimore Orioles 8-1 in the opener of a three-game series Friday night.
Xander Bogaerts and Hunter Renfroe also went deep and Jarren Duran had two RBIs as the Red Sox won for just the fourth time in their last 15 games.
Richie Martin homered for the Orioles, who have lost nine straight.
Schwarber had been sidelined by a hamstring injury since the Red Sox acquired him from the Washington Nationals ahead of the July trade deadline. The All-Star, a power threat with 25 home runs on the season, worked a walk in his first at-bat, part of a four-run second inning.
Duran’s bases-loaded single got Boston on the board before Dalbec (3-for-4) doubled off the top of the scoreboard in left to drive in a pair. An Enrique Hernandez sacrifice fly capped the scoring spurt.
Baltimore got a run back in the third on Martin’s first homer of the year tucked around the foul pole in right field. Schwarber worked a two-out walk in the bottom of the frame and came home on a Duran double.
Bogaerts’ two-out blast in the fourth made it 6-1. Dalbec went yard in the sixth — his eighth RBI in his last two games — and Renfroe crushed his 20th homer in the seventh to complete the scoring.
Orioles starter Spenser Watkins (2-4) gave up six runs over four innings on seven hits and three walks. He struck out one.
Nick Pivetta (9-5) went six strong for the hosts, striking out a pair in the second, fourth and sixth innings. He whiffed eight, surrendering one run on three hits and two walks.
Garrett Richards worked the final three innings for his first save since 2013.
Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins extended his hitting streak to 20 games with a single to lead off the first inning.
–Field Level Media