BALTIMORE -- All told,
\"That kid is just so athletic, so fast,” said winning pitcher John Means, who held Boston to two runs over six strong innings. “He’s just a freak athlete.\"\n\nIn singling and driving in a run later, rookie Rule 5 Draft pick Martin put together one of the most complete games of his career on a night the Orioles also got homers from
For Martin and Broxton both, the big nights were a reprieve. Returning to the lineup after a four-game benching, Broxton entered play 3-for-his-last 27 and hitting .143 over the past calendar month. Martin had been one for his last 25, with just one extra-base hit in his last 22 games. Both trends reversed in short order Friday when, two innings after Martin’s triple, Broxton ripped a 2-2 hanging slider from Price 407 feet out to left.
\n\nSantander put the Orioles up early with a three-run homer in the first, and Baltimore added five runs off Boston’s ‘pen in the middle innings. Means and three relievers handled the rest, and the Orioles combined to shatter a streak of futility against Price that stretched back more than a decade.\n\nFacing the Orioles for the 30th time, Price had never lost in 12 previous career starts at Camden Yards prior to Friday, going 8-0 with a 2.72 ERA in those outings. He was then tagged for six earned runs over four frames in the loss, giving Price the worst start of his career against the O’s.\n\n“A loss is a loss,” Price said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re successful in a certain ballpark or whatever the conditions may be. Losing sucks.”\n\nOn a smaller scale, Means’ performance continued his season-long success against the defending champs. In holding Boston to two runs over six innings, Means lowered his season ERA to 2.35 in four starts against the Red Sox and 2.95 overall.
But Martin stole the show, showcasing the skillset they coveted when plucking him from Double-A last December. They view his athleticism as potentially elite, enough to stomach the growing pains natural to come with such a jump. He’s faced more than his share of struggles as a result, hitting just .169 and ranking among baseball’s poorest defensive shortstops during his rookie campaign.\n\nThe potential, though, presents itself in flashes -- the acrobatic leap Martin used to rob