Crochet dominates as Red Sox crush Orioles 17-1 behind Monasterio grand slam

Garrett Crochet gave Boston the kind of start that changes the shape of a game and, possibly, the shape of a roster. The left-hander worked six scoreless innings, allowed three hits and two walks, and struck out seven as the Red Sox beat the Orioles 17-1 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards before an announced crowd of 33,582. The win snapped Boston’s four-game losing streak and dropped Crochet’s ERA to 6.30 as he improved to 3-3.

The blowout was sealed in a ninth inning that turned a comfortable lead into a statement. Boston scored 10 runs in the frame, with Andruw Monasterio delivering the swing blow on a grand slam and finishing with four RBIs and two doubles. Caleb Durbin added a two-run home run in the inning, and Willson Contreras drove in five runs overall as the Red Sox kept adding pressure until Baltimore had no answer. Boston finished with 17 hits and only one error, while the Orioles managed one run, six hits and three errors.

That imbalance matters beyond one lopsided final score. Boston has spent much of the season searching for a reliable front-line presence who can steady the rotation and keep the bullpen out of damage-control mode. Crochet’s outing came after his previous two starts had combined for 15 earned runs allowed, making this rebound especially important for a team that has not always been able to pair offense with pitching length. Crochet said the rebound outing “felt really good” after his recent struggles, and Alex Cora called the response after the previous night’s loss “unreal.”

The broader trend is still unsettled, but the ingredients were on display. When Crochet is sharp enough to deliver six scoreless innings, Boston can lean on a lineup that punished Baltimore from top to bottom and avoid exposing its relief corps in a game that was already in hand. Trevor Rogers, by contrast, lasted just 1 2/3 innings for the Orioles, underscoring how quickly the game tilted once Baltimore lost command and then compounded it with defense that unraveled under pressure.

The night before, Baltimore had beaten Boston 10-3 and hit five of its six home runs off Brayan Bello. One game later, the Red Sox answered with a 16-run margin and a decisive ninth inning that suggested how quickly a division series can swing. For Boston, the question is not whether one rout fixes the rotation. It is whether Crochet can become the stabilizing arm that makes nights like this less rare and raises the team’s ceiling over the long haul.