BOSTON -- It’s safe to assume that Tuesday wasn’t the best of birthdays for Anthony Ranaudo.
Turning 25, Ranaudo put together the worst performance of his career thus far, lasting only 3 1/3 innings and giving up four runs on six hits -- three of them home runs -- as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Red Sox, 4-1. Ranaudo struck out two and walked two.
After posting three wins to start his career, Ranaudo has lost his last two starts. He’s given up eight home runs and walked 12 in 26 2/3 major-league innings.
All four of the Orioles’ runs against Ranaudo came via the long ball as Alejandro De Aza hit a two-run shot in the first, then hit his second home run of the game in the third -- this one a solo shot. One batter later, Adam Jones hit a Ranaudo fastball well over the Monster and onto Lansdowne Street.
It was the second multihomer game of De Aza’s career, the first coming on Opening Day this season while he was with the Chicago White Sox.
Boston was able to avert its second straight shutout as Xander Bogaerts hit a home run off Baltimore starter Chris Tillman in the fourth.
Will Middlebrooks, who turned 26 on Tuesday, also had a birthday to forget, going 0-for-2 with a strikeout before being removed in the top of the sixth due to illness. He was replaced by Carlos Rivero, who notched his first major-league hit with a single in the seventh.
September to remember: After struggling most of the summer, Bogaerts continues to swing a hot bat this month. Following his 2-for-3 performance on Tuesday, Bogaerts is hitting .371 with two home runs and six RBIs in nine September games.
The home run was his 10th of the season, making him the fifth player in Red Sox history with a season of double-digit home runs at age 21 or younger.
Stock rising: As the Red Sox bullpen lacks a clear left-handed option moving toward 2015, Drake Britton continues to make a case for the job. His 1 2/3 scoreless innings Tuesday pushed his total to 3 2/3 scoreless in three appearances since being recalled last week. He’s allowed just one hit in that span.
Debut: Danbury, Connecticut native and 2011 first-rounder Matt Barnes made his major-league debut out of the bullpen in the seventh.
He pitched the final three innings, giving up no runs and three hits while striking out two.
Return: Pitching against the Red Sox for the first time since being traded July 31, Andrew Miller struck out both batters he faced -- pinch hitter Allen Craig and David Ortiz.
The Red Sox greeted Miller with his old warm-up song, “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” by Johnny Cash, and played a video montage of his time in Boston on the center-field video board.
