BOSTON -- Buck Showalter must have been in such a good mood in the ninth inning of a 16-3 game Friday night that he allowed the Red Sox to use an illegal hitter.

The Baltimore Orioles manager wouldn't comment on the record, but Boston counterpart John Farrell admitted Chris Young hit illegally -- and singled -- in a bizarre end of a night that included Boston first baseman Mitch Moreland pitching the ninth inning.

The Orioles, still fighting their longshot battle at a wild card spot, scored a season high in runs and matched their season best with 20 hits in pummeling the Red Sox, who have allowed 37 hits and 29 runs while making seven errors (a season-high five Friday) in the last two games.

"We caught (Rick) Porcello on a down night," Showalter said after his team ended Porcello's four-game winning streak by chasing him with a career-worst 11 runs (only four earned). He's been pitching well.

"We also had the benefit of them having a night game in Cleveland. We had that a lot, it seems like, where we're playing a game and the (other) team's already in the hotel. It's just part of the schedule you don't like to see."

Trey Mancini drove in four runs as the Orioles, winners of three of their last four to get to 63-65, remained three games out of the second wild card spot -- albeit with six teams ahead of them.

The Red Sox, hammered for 13 runs and 17 hits in a loss at Cleveland Thursday night, were guilty of all kinds of misplays as Porcello's four-game winning streak came crashing to an end.

But despite two straight bad losses, the Red Sox remained 4 1/2 games ahead of the again-losing New York Yankees atop the American League East.

Porcello, losing for the third time to the Orioles this season, fell to 8-15 -- and two of the unearned runs were a result of his own throwing error.

"It seemed like every pitch we threw over the plate they squared up," said Farrell. "They came in here swinging the bat well, once again tonight that was the case. Defensively ... we're in a couple-of-day rut here where some miscues have shown up.

"We need to put this game behind us and be ready to go tomorrow."

Mark Trumbo (No. 20) and Chris Davis (No. 21) hit solo homers. Davis, Tim Beckham and Seth Smith all drove in two runs, Jonathan Schoop had four hits (two runs scored and an RBI), and Manny Machado had three hits to back Jeremy Hellickson (8-7, 2-2 with the Orioles).

Back to the ninth inning.

Moreland moved from first base to the mound for his second big-league pitching effort. He struck out Caleb Joseph with an 89-mph fastball, then got Craig Gentry to ground out. He hit 90 on the gun to Mancini, who then lined one for his third hit of the game. Davis then singled off the wall in left for his 1,000th major league hit. Moreland reached 94 (so they said) as Trumbo grounded out.

"They might have juiced it up a little bit," said Moreland. "I threw that one a little bit harder just because I had two strikes ... I was hoping it would be my last one."

He said, "Skip came up to me and asked me if I could try to pick us up an inning and I was like, 'Yeah, sure.' I hadn't done it in a while but I was more than happy to try it out."

Here's where it got interesting.

Young should have been out of the lineup, with Hanley Ramirez, who came in at first, taking over in the DH spot. Young hit -- and singled.

Showalter could be seen talking to the umpires as they left the field.

"Ramirez should have hit," Farrell said.

Hellickson -- "Helly" for Players Weekend -- worked seven innings, yielding three runs (two earned), two on a home run by Xander Bogaerts.

"It's big, especially against these guys and, you know, the first game of the series," Hellickson said. "It was nice to get this one."

Already playing with Dustin Pedroia on the disabled list, the Red Sox took another second base hit when Eduardo Nunez left the game with a left wrist/left thumb strain as he made contact with Machado on a steal in the second inning. X-rays were negative and Nunez was listed as day-to-day.

NOTES: Baltimore LHP Zach Britton received good news from an MRI and will not need left knee surgery after the season. ... Boston LHP David Price (elbow) was to throw from 120 feet on flat ground Friday. ... Red Sox RF Mookie Betts (knee contusion) played while OF Rajai Davis made his first start with his new team. ... The Orioles placed RHP Dylan Bundy on the bereavement list after the death of his grandmother and recalled RHP Mike Wright from Norfolk. Wright pitched the ninth inning. ... LHP Wade Miley, rejoining the team after tending to his ailing infant, will start Sunday's series finale for Baltimore, after RH Kevin Gausman faces LH Eduardo Rodriguez Saturday night. Gausman was ejected from his last Fenway start for hitting Xander Bogaerts in the back with a breaking pitch amid the hostilities being exchanged between the teams back in the early weeks of the season. Rodriguez is 0-1 with six no-decisions since coming off the DL. ... CF Adam Jones made his first Fenway appearance since reporting hearing racial taunts from the count on his last visit.