BALTIMORE — Chris Davis hit his major league-leading 23rd home run, Nick Markakis had four hits and scored three runs, and the Baltimore Orioles beat Jon Lester and the Boston Red Sox 6-3 Sunday.
Manny Machado extended his hitting streak to a career-high 14 games and drove in a run for the Orioles, who took three of four from first-place Boston to move within 1½ games of the AL East lead. Baltimore has won six straight series over the Red Sox, dating to last year.
Davis homered on a 3-1 pitch from Lester with a runner on to give the Orioles a 3-0 lead in the third inning. It was his 100th career homer and seventh in the last 10 games against Boston. Davis also doubled in a run in the fifth to give him 60 RBIs.
Will Middlebrooks hit a three-run homer for the Red Sox, who are 2-5 against the Orioles this season and 5-14 in the last 19 games between the teams.
Baltimore starter Miguel Gonzalez (5-2) took a two-hitter and a 5-0 lead into the seventh. He ended up allowing three runs and five hits in 6 1-3 innings to improve to 3-0 lifetime against Boston.
Jim Johnson worked the ninth for his 25th save, the second in the series.
Lester (6-4) fell to 14-2 lifetime against the Orioles, 7-1 at Camden Yards. The right-hander gave up five runs and nine hits in five innings, striking out eight.
Baltimore took control with a three-run third. After Adam Jones doubled in a run, Davis stepped to plate 0 for 14 in his career against Lester. That changed with one mighty swing of the bat, the result a drive far over the right-field wall.
