FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Rodrigo Lopez yielded three runs in a rare relief appearance, and David McCarty homered and had two RBIs to help the Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-2 Sunday.

It was the third straight victory for the Red Sox, who broke a tie with two ninth-inning runs.

Lopez, projected to be the Orioles’ starter against Boston in the second game of the season, allowed seven hits and walked three in four innings.

“I definitely felt uncomfortable coming from the bullpen into the game,” Lopez said. “It was like breaking a routine a little bit. It was really difficult today.”

Jimmy Alvarez tripled in a run in the ninth and scored on a single by David Murphy.

Baltimore starter Erik Bedard, who has an outside shot of making the team in the bullpen, did not allow a hit until McCarty lined a one-out shot in the fifth over the left-field wall to tie it at 1.

McCarty gave the Red Sox the lead in the sixth by driving in a run with an infield hit.

Bedard allowed one run, two hits and two walks in five innings. The left-hander struck out three, including David Ortiz twice.

Red Sox starter Bronson Arroyo, who yielded six runs in two innings to the Orioles on March 11, blanked Baltimore on two hits before running into trouble in the fourth – his final inning.

After David Segui hit a leadoff single and Miguel Tejada walked, Arroyo retired Rafael Palmeiro and Javy Lopez on fly balls before Jay Gibbons lined an RBI single to right for a 1-0 lead.

Arroyo avoided further damage by striking out Melvin Mora for a second straight time.

Gibbons was playing with a bruised right hand after being hit by a pitch Saturday.

The game drew a rare sellout crowd at Fort Lauderdale Stadium.

Cardinals get Womack for minor league pitcher

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Boston Red Sox traded infielder Tony Womack to the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday for minor league pitcher Matt Duff.

The 34-year-old Womack played the final five weeks of last season with an injured right elbow for the Chicago Cubs.

He had reconstructive surgery in October.

Womack is expected to report to the Cardinals’ camp in Jupiter, Fla., on Monday for a medical evaluation.

“We talked about him all winter,” St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. “I think he’s excited to be joining our club. He can play second, short, third, the outfield. We’ll use him at all of the above.”

Womack batted .226 with two home runs, 22 RBIs and 13 stolen bases for Arizona, Colorado and the Cubs last season.

The left-handed hitting Womack has a career average of .270 hitter with 30 home runs, 310 RBIs and 309 stolen bases in 1,022 major league games.

Duff, a right-hander, was assigned by the Cardinals to Triple-A Memphis about a week ago.