Red Sox beat Orioles, 6-4, for 1st winning streak of season
Published 11:44 pm Friday, April 12, 2019
- Boston Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts homered in the victory over the Yankees on Tuesday night. (AP File Photo/Michael Dwyer)
BOSTON (AP) — Gold Glove center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. made two key catches and the Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 Friday night, giving the World Series champions their first two-game winning streak of the season.
Baltimore’s Chris Davis lined out as a pinch-hitter to end the game, extending his record hitless streak for a position player to 0 for 54.
Andrew Benintendi homered and Xander Bogaerts had three hits, helping Eduardo Rodriguez (1-2) and the Red Sox improve to 5-9.
Bradley made a diving grab in the fourth, then ended a threat in the eighth with by robbing Joey Rickard of extra bases and Baltimore of a run. Bradley planted his right foot in the padding of the Green Monster and pushed himself just high enough off the wall to grab the ball.
The catch helped preserve a 4-2 lead and Boston tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the eighth, one on a sacrifice fly by Bradley.
Rodriguez (1-2) had a strong start, keeping the Orioles hitless through four and taking a shutout into the seventh. He allowed two runs on three hits with no walks and eight strikeouts in 6 2-3 innings. He was pulled after Dwight Smith Jr. hit a two-run homer to pull the Orioles within 3-2.
David Hess (1-2) gave up three runs and six hits in 5 2-3 innings.
WHITE SOX 9, YANKEES 6, 7 INNINGS, RAIN
NEW YORK (AP) — Eloy Jimenez hit his first two major league homers, including a tiebreaking shot in the fifth inning, and Chicago ended a five-game skid by beating banged-up New York in a rain-shortened game.
Jimenez’s two-run drive off Jonathan Holder made it 7-5, and he added a 446-foot solo homer in the seventh. James McCann followed with his first homer of the season, and then umpires pulled the teams off the field with one out. The game was called about 40 minutes later.
The game started in a steady mist, and the rain worsened as the night wore on.
Chicago starter Lucas Giolito (2-1) had a pitch sail out of his hands to the backstop in the fifth, Yankees lefty J.A. Happ (0-2) bounced an unusual number of breaking balls and White Sox right-hander Nate Jones struggled with his grip while escaping a jam in the sixth.
The Yankees have lost four straight. New York dropped to 5-8 despite leading in 12 of 13 games this season.
RAYS 11, BLUE JAYS 7
TORONTO (AP) — Austin Meadows and Brandon Lowe each hit two home runs, becoming the first teammates to hit upper deck homers at Toronto in the same game in the win for Tampa Bay.
The Rays won their fifth straight. It’s the second time this season Tampa Bay has won five straight.
Toronto trailed 8-0 before putting the tying run at third in the eighth inning. Facing Luke Maile with the bases loaded, Tampa Bay’s Diego Castillo fell behind 3-0 but responded with three straight strikes, catching Maile looking to end the threat. Ryan Yarbrough (2-1) picked up the win.
Willy Adames gave the Rays some breathing room with a two-run homer off Javy Guerra in a three-run ninth. The Rays had a season-high 16 hits.
Meadows and Lowe became the 17th and 18th players to reach the 500 level of seating at Rogers Centre, which opened in 1989. Their shots, both to right, came four batters apart in a four-run third. They were the 21st and 22nd homers to reach the stadium’s upper deck. The most recent player to reach the 500 level was Blue Jays infielder Josh Donalsdon, off Cincinnati’s Asher Wojciechowski , on May 30, 2017.
Blue Jays right-hander Trent Thornton (0-1) allowed five runs and eight hits in three-plus innings, his first loss in three career starts.
CUBS 5, ANGELS 1
CHICAGO (AP) — Willson Contreras homered twice on a blustery day at Wrigley Field as Cole Hamels and Chicago stopped Los Angeles’ six-game win streak.
Anthony Rizzo and David Bote also connected to help Chicago win for the third time in four games. Hamels (2-0) pitched eight innings in his second straight victory, improving to 5-2 with a 2.63 ERA in 12 career starts against Los Angeles.
The Angels played without star center fielder Mike Trout, who missed his second straight game after he strained his right groin during the team’s last homestand.
Albert Pujols went deep for Los Angeles in its first trip to Wrigley since 2016.
But the Angels were unable to overcome a rough outing for Tyler Skaggs (1-2), who surrendered three long home runs in his four innings.
PHILLIES 9, MARLINS 1
MIAMI (AP) — Jake Arrieta allowed one run in seven innings to earn his 100th career victory and Philadelphia sent Miami to its fifth consecutive loss.
Arrieta (2-1) took a 6-0 lead into the seventh, when the Marlins ended a streak of 21 consecutive scoreless innings on Austin Dean’s sacrifice fly. He gave up five hits, struck out eight, lowered his ERA to 2.25 in three starts and improved to 100-68 in 10 seasons.
The Phillies’ J.T. Realmuto hit into a double play with the bases loaded to end the first inning, but finished with two hits, two runs and an RBI. The game was his first at Marlins Park since Miami traded him in February.
Andrew McCutchen had three hits, including a three-run homer in the eighth. Bryce Harper had an RBI and two hits to hike his average to .325 as the Phillies tied a season high with 14 hits.
Sandy Alcantara (1-1) gave up six runs and 11 hits while working five innings. The Marlins have lost nine of their past 10 games.
METS 6, BRAVES 2
ATLANTA (AP) — Brandon Nimmo hit a two-run homer, Jeff McNeil added a two-run double and New York kept hitting even without Pete Alonso.
New York has scored six runs in six straight games. This time they did it without Alonso, the team’s hottest hitter, who got most of the night off. The first-place Mets, who have won three straight, scored four times in the fourth inning on McNeil’s hit and RBI doubles from Robinson Cano and Michael Conforto.
Zack Wheeler (1-1) worked six solid innings, allowing six hits, two runs and three walks while striking out eight.
Braves rookie starter Kyle Wright (0-2) gave up eight hits, six runs and four walks and struck out three in 3 2/3 innings.
New York improved to 8-3 against division opponents (9-4 overall). Atlanta dropped to 2-6 against the NL East.
PIRATES 6, NATIONALS 3, 10 INNINGS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Colin Moran had a pinch-hit, three-run homer in the 10th inning and Pittsburgh scored five runs off Washington’s struggling bullpen.
Moran’s homer to right center off Justin Miller was his second as a pinch hitter in 34 at-bats. Pittsburgh snapped a four-game losing streak in Washington and spoiled a two-homer night for the Nationals’ Anthony Rendon.
Starling Marte hit a two-run single off Kyle Barraclough in the top of the eighth inning that gave the Pirates a 3-2 lead. But Rendon hit a solo homer in the bottom of the inning to tie the game.
Nick Burdi (1-1) worked a scoreless ninth for his first big league win, and Felipe Vazquez pitched the 10th for his fourth save.
Nationals starter Patrick Corbin struck out 11 and allowed one run in seven innings. Lefty Matt Grace (0-1) took the loss.
Gordon, Royals end 10-game losing streak, beat Indians 8-1
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Alex Gordon could smile about his base-running mistake because of an otherwise great game.
Gordon homered, doubled twice and singled as the Kansas City Royals stopped a 10-game losing streak, racing to a big lead and beating the Cleveland Indians 8-1 Friday night.
“Yeah, bad turns around the bases,” Gordon said of getting thrown out at third while trying to stretch his second double into a triple. “We practice that all spring training. You’re supposed to hit it with the right foot and cut the corners. I think both bases I hit it with the left foot and almost fell down.”
Gordon said he was definitely thinking about a cycle.
“When I was going around first I kind of thought about it. I was like, ‘Let’s try to get a triple here.’ You’re never supposed to get the third out at third, but I wanted to try for it.
“I knew I had a double and a homer. The hardest one to get, especially for me, is probably the triple. That was the perfect situation. They had a good relay, and I’m not that fast anymore.”
Gordon homered during a six-run first inning against Carlos Carrasco (1-2).
The 10-game losing streak was the longest for the Royals since last June 29-July 9, when they also lost 10 straight. Starting pitcher Brad Keller said it was on everyone’s mind, though they were confident it would end soon.
“That was kind of the vibe in the clubhouse — when is it going to happen, especially after a tough loss yesterday (to Seattle in 10 innings). To go out there and (have) the offense put up six runs in the first, it was very comforting to go out there and pitch.”
The Royals hit for the cycle in the opening inning — Whit Merrifield led off with a single, Adalberto Mondesi followed with a triple and Gordon homered, with Chris Owings’ two-out, two-run double finishing Carrasco.
“Right off the bat, (he) just didn’t look like he was letting it go with conviction,” Indians manager Terry Francona said of Carrasco. “Pitching out of the stretch after the first hitter, it just unraveled from there. That makes it really tough on the staff, because then you’re looking at trying to go eight innings with your bullpen, which puts a real strain on everybody.”
Keller (2-1) gave up one run on three hits, striking out a career-high 10 in 6 2/3 innings. He has pitched at least six innings in nine straight starts, the longest active streak in the majors.
Keller’s 118 pitches were the most by a Royals starter since James Shields threw 124 on July 29, 2014.
“I felt good,” Keller said about heading to the mound with 105 pitches in the seventh. “I didn’t feel like it bothered me much. My whole goal was to pump strikes, to prove to them I could go out there and pitch with 105 pitches.
“Besides the five walks, the 10 punches (strikeouts) were good. Maybe if I don’t walk any guys, I get deeper in the ballgame. That was the one downfall from tonight.”
Tyler Naquin hit a 420-foot home run in the second, snapping a streak of 54 innings in which Keller hadn’t allowed a homer. It had been the longest active string in majors.
The Royals added a run in the sixth on a double steal.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Indians: SS Francisco Lindor is going to run the bases again Saturday, according to manager Terry Francona. Lindor has not played this season with a right calf strain and a left ankle sprain. “If all goes well, then we’re going to reconnect with the doctor, and see what he thinks the next step is,” Francona said. … 2B Jason Kipnis is on a rehab assignment in Triple-A Columbus. Francona said he’s doing well recovering from a low-grade right calf strain, and he expects to see Kipnis sometime on the current road trip to Kansas City and Seattle.
Royals: CF Billy Hamilton was kept out of the lineup with a mild MCL sprain and a bone bruise on his left knee. He tried to make a game-saving catch with two outs in the ninth inning of Thursday’s loss to Seattle. The Mariners had two runners on, down 6-4, when Mitch Haniger drove one to the wall in left center. Hamilton battled the wind and the sun before crashing into the wall. “When I first did it I thought it was way worse than what it turned out to be,” Hamilton said. “I’m happy about that. It’s too early to be in that situation. I’ll do everything I can to get back in the lineup. I feel a lot better than I did yesterday. I can play through a little pain.”
ROSTER NEWS
Indians RHP Jefry Rodriguez was being called up from Triple-A Columbus after the game. He will make his first start with the Indians after one start with Columbus, where he allowed three runs on seven hits over 5 1/3 innings.
UP NEXT
Indians RHP Jefry Rodriguez will make his season debut for the Cleveland. He was acquired by Cleveland as part of the trade that sent Yan Gomes following the 2018 season.
Royals RHP Homer Bailey (0-1, 9.00 ERA) will be looking for his first victory since May 12 of last season.
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