BALTIMORE -- Not only did the Red Sox get Triston Casas back on Friday night, but they got the good vibes that accompanied his return to action following a four-month absence.

Facing one of the best pitchers in the American League in Corbin Burnes, the Boston bats erupted early and often and tacked on after the big righty¡¯s surprisingly short night (four innings) en route to a 12-10 victory over the Orioles at Camden Yards.

This is a win the Red Sox needed after losing six of their previous eight games, and 15 of their last 25 since the All-Star break.

The offensive pile-on was just as needed, given the struggles of the bullpen, which continued on Friday.

Kenley Jansen restored order to a wild slugfest when he fired a 1-2-3 ninth on just 12 pitches, carving up the heart of the dangerous Baltimore batting order for career save No. 443.

¡°I¡¯ve seen a lot of these games. I've been in a lot of these games, and you just gotta slow it down mentally,¡± said Jansen. ¡°You know that the momentum¡¯s on both sides. It¡¯s a crazy game, a high-scoring game. Everybody's seeing the ball well. And for me, it's just trying to mentally slow it down, and that¡¯s what I did and got the 1-2-3.¡±

Five days after James Paxton went down ¨C likely for the season ¨C with a partial tear in his right calf, the Red Sox went with a bullpen game.

In the latest game of push-and-pull between Boston¡¯s strong offense and slumping bullpen, the offense won out.

¡°Yeah, it¡¯s unbelievable,¡± Jansen said of his team¡¯s offense. ¡°That just tells us we need to figure out how to pitch well down the stretch, and I think we should be fine. We know we have a pretty good offense, I know we all go through our tough times. I think when we all figure it out together as a team, we should be fine.¡±

Though Casas played just a small part offensively (1-for-5, 1 run), his teammates attacked the Orioles, led by big nights from Masataka Yoshida (3-for-4, HR, 4 RBIs), Jarren Duran (3-for-5, HR, 3 runs) and Rafael Devers (2-for-4, HR, 3 RBIs).

¡°I think there are certain guys that are going to benefit from having Triston in the lineup,¡± said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. ¡°Raffy, hitting behind him, because Triston is going to see pitches and Raffy can do whatever he wants and be aggressive. Masa is going to benefit from those two at-bats, just watching them.¡±

Casas last played for the Red Sox on April 20, before being shut down with torn cartilage in his left rib cage. His return boosted a clubhouse that is trying to get on the other side of the dog days of August.

¡°Even when he doesn't have a great day at the plate, he still has a knock,¡± said Duran of Casas. ¡°His presence at the plate is amazing. And just having his presence back in the clubhouse is amazing.¡±

The left-handed-hitting slugger returned to the mix on a night the Sox won to keep pace with the Royals, who they trail by 2 1/2 games for the third American League Wild Card spot.

¡°Every game matters,¡± said Casas. ¡°So I think we don't know which one's going to make the difference. I was trying to come back as soon as possible because every win matters just as much as the next one.¡±

Casas started a Minor League rehab assignment for Triple-A Worcester on July 30, during which he slashed .300/.404/.550 with one homer and seven RBIs over 11 games and 40 at-bats.

Cora recently said that it was up to Casas to decide when he was ready to return. What made Friday the day?

¡°Last night, after my first at-bat [in Worcester], something just popped in my head and told me I was ready to go,¡± Casas said. ¡°Nothing more than that. Literally in the middle of the game, I told the trainers, ¡®I'd be OK if this was my last game.¡¯ So they were OK with that decision as well. And, you know, the process happened fast, and I was here a couple hours later.¡±

It wasn¡¯t just a gut feeling. Casas, who is deeply analytical, used some available metrics to guide his decision on when to return.

¡°My bat speed numbers are back to where they were before,¡± Casas said. ¡°That was what I was worried about the most -- whipping the bat around at Major League speeds. And I¡¯m right back to it. The pain is what it is. It's not going to bother me from playing the game that I need to. And that's what I wanted most.

¡°That was when I knew I was ready to come back was when I knew it wasn't going to be a factor as to whether my result was based on an amount of discomfort. It was tolerable. It's manageable. But it's not going to be a reason why I don't play well.¡±