Orioles’ Bedard gets seventh win in a row

BOSTON -- Erik Bedard overcame two home runs by David Ortiz and dehydration to earn his seventh consecutive victory.

Stretching into the sixth inning after convincing his doctors and coaches to let him stay in the game, the Baltimore left-hander held the Boston Red Sox to two hits in a 5-3 victory Tuesday night.

“He might be the best pitcher in baseball right now,” said Orioles pitching coach Leo Mazzone, who worked with Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine when he was with the Atlanta Braves. “The greatest compliment I could give him is that I have coached some of the greatest rotations, and he could fit in with any of them.”

Bedard (11-4) struck out six and walked five. He complained of dehydration after four innings, but he replenished his fluids and told Manager Dave Trembley he would try to get three more outs. They repeated the routine after the fifth.

“When he came out of the fifth, I said, ‘You’re done’ and he said, ‘No, I want to go back out and start another inning,’ ” Trembley said. “He said, ‘I’m feeling a little bit better,’ so I let him go back out.”

Brian Roberts homered on the first pitch from Josh Beckett (13-5) and had a run-scoring double in the Orioles’ three-run third inning.

From the Associated Press