BALTIMORE -- Looking primed to live up to the big expectations that surround him, rookie Xander Bogaerts continued his hot start by belting three hits on Thursday night at Camden Yards, helping the Red Sox to a 4-3 victory over the Orioles in the rubber match of a three-game series at Camden Yards.
It was the first three-hit game in the career of the 21-year-old Bogaerts, who also helped Boston quite a bit down the stretch last season after he was called up from the Minors. Bogaerts got most of his playing time at third base in 2013, but he's settling in at his natural position of shortstop, where he made a nice play in the hole in the bottom of the eighth inning on Thursday.
 
Bogaerts carries Red Sox past O's 4-3
 
There were plenty of other contributors for Boston, including David Ortiz, Will Middlebrooks and Jackie Bradley Jr., who all had multihit games.
And from the mound, lefty Felix Doubront wasn't spectacular, but he did enough to get the win, scattering six hits and three runs over 5 1/3 innings.
The bullpen took it from there, getting the final 11 outs.
Following the game, the Sox packed their belongings and headed back to Boston, where they will receive their championship rings and open their Fenway slate against the Brewers on Friday afternoon.
Before going home, manager John Farrell's team swung the bats well all night, even if it didn't lead to a barrage of runs.
Bogaerts and Daniel Nava helped set up the first run when they led off the second with singles. Though Middlebrooks hit into a 6-4-3 double play, Bogaerts scored to make it 1-0.
Bradley, making his first start of the season, got things started in the third with an infield hit. With two outs, Ortiz blooped one into left and Nelson Cruz tried to make a sprawling catch. Instead, the ball squirted past him and Bradley motored all the way in from first on a single.
In the fourth, it was David Ross who came through with an RBI single to left to give Doubront a 3-0 lead.
Chris Davis, who clubbed 53 home runs last season, nearly had his first this year. But his towering shot went off the wall in center for a double in the bottom of the fourth. He scored on a double to right-center by Matt Wieters. Delmon Young followed with an RBI single off the wall in right to make it a 3-2 game.
But the Boston bats kept coming. Middlebrooks ignited the rally in the sixth with a one-out double. Bradley smashed a single up the middle and Middlebrooks scored from second to make it a two-run game.
Adam Jones nearly tied it with a two-run homer to left in the bottom of the sixth, but his drive down the line curled just foul.
Ian Browne / MLB.com
 

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