Recap: Baltimore vs. Boston

By Sports Network

Baltimore, MD (Sports Network) - Kevin Youkilis hit a two-run homer and Daisuke Matsuzaka remained perfect on the road, as the Boston Red Sox defeated the Baltimore Orioles, 7-2, at Camden Yards.

Matsuzaka (15-2) pitched five innings and allowed two runs on six hits to improve his 2008 road record to 7-0 (10 starts). Jason Varitek homered and ended with two RBI for the Red Sox, who have captured the first two contests of this three-game series and have won six of their last eight games overall.

Dustin Pedroia scored two runs in the win. Boston trails Tampa Bay by 4 1/2 games in the AL East. Youkilis also capped the game's scoring with an RBI single in the eighth.

Ramon Hernandez and Luke Scott both drove in a run for Baltimore, which has dropped three of four.

Daniel Cabrera (8-8) suffered the loss after he surrendered six runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings.

The Red Sox controlled the game from the early going and opened the scoring with two runs in the first inning. Jacoby Ellsbury singled leading off, stole second base and scored on a base hit by David Ortiz. Later in the inning, a fly ball off the bat of Jason Bay brought home Pedroia, who had walked and moved to third prior to the Ortiz single.

Varitek led off the second inning with his 10th homer of the season for a 3-0 Boston lead.

The Orioles cut their deficit to one with a pair of runs in the home third. Melvin Mora laced a two-out single and headed for second when Matsuzaka uncorked a wild pitch. Aubrey Huff then drew a walk and Mora scored when Hernandez followed with a single to right field. Scott's base hit then scored Huff, but with two men on, Kevin Millar struck out.

In the fifth, Boston scored three times for a 6-2 advantage. Pedroia doubled and scored when Youkilis belted his 24th home run of the season over the wall in left field. Varitek later doubled home Bay.

Strong Boston pitching told the story from that point -- Matsuzaka worked around a one-out walk in the fifth, Javier Lopez pitched a 1-2-3 sixth, Justin Masterson tossed two scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth before Manny Delcarmen worked the ninth to close it out.

All told, the Boston bullpen allowed three hits with no walks and two strikeouts over four scoreless innings.