STILL ON STREAKS
Red Sox win sixth in a row, send Angels to 12th consecutive defeat
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Michael Wacha pitched a three-hitter for his first shutout in five years and the streaking Boston Red Sox beat Los Angeles 1-0 on Monday night to hand the Angels their 12th straight loss.
Christian Vazquez had an RBI single in the second inning and the Red Sox won their sixth in a row.
The Angels matched their longest slide in a single season, last done to end the 1988 schedule.
Wacha, who hadn’t lasted more than six innings in his first season with the Red Sox, outpitched Noah Syndergaard, who went six strong innings for the Angels.
Angels star Mike Trout had a first-inning single off Wacha to end an 0-for-26 drought, the longest hitless run of his career, but the Los Angeles offense could muster little else in the opener of a seven-game homestand.
Wacha (4-1) gave up one walk and had six strikeouts in his second scoreless outing against the Angels this season. The former St. Louis Cardinals standout went 5 2/3 shutout innings against Los Angeles at home on May 3.
Syndergaard (4-4) gave up one run on five hits over six innings with one walk and three strikeouts.
The Red Sox used Alex Verdugo’s speed to score in the second. Verdugo singled to lead off the inning and was attempting to steal second with two outs when Vazquez singled toward the gap in left-center. Trout cut off the ball but Verdugo scored anyway ahead of the throw home.
MARINERS 7, ASTROS 4: In Houston, Mariners manager Scott Servias was ejected for his role in a benches-clearing scuffle in the ninth inning of Seattle’s win over Houston, a game in which Cal Raleigh had a careerhigh four RBIs and Julio Rodriguez hit a late two-run shot.
With two outs in the ninth, Houston’s Héctor Neris plunked
Ty France in the back. Players and coaches on both sides began chirping at each other, and Servais led the way as Seattle’s bench emptied to confront the Astros near home palte.
Rodriguez pulled Neris away from the scrum, while Servais and Houston manager Dusty Baker were at the center of the pushing and shoving, with Servais pointing and shouting repeatedly at Astros first base coach Omar Lopez.
Servais and Lopez were ejected, and both benches were given warnings.
Rodríguez hit a two-run homer and J.P. Crawford walked before Neris was ejected after throwing a pitch behind Eugenio Suarez’s head. Baker was also automatically ejected because of the warning.
REDS 7, DIAMONDBACKS 0 (7): In Cincinnati, Hunter Greene allowed a bunt single to begin the game and then faced the minimum through seven innings, retiring his final 20 batters as Cincinnati defeated Arizona in a rain-shortened game.
“That may be the best I’ve seen him pitch,” Reds manager David Bell said. “It was just a great mix of pitches. It makes for an uncomfortable at-bat when he locates his pitches. He got a lot of fly balls. He just set up his pitches really well.”
Brandon Drury hit his 10th homer of the season. Kyle Farmer and Tyler Stephenson each had a two-run double.
The start was delayed 13 minutes due to showers, then a larger line of storms moved in and halted play with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. After another 46-minute delay, the game was called.
Note
DIAMONDBACKS: Arizona has agreed to a minor league contract with former Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.
The person spoke to The Associated Press Thursday on the condition of anonymity because the move has not been announced. The left-hander was recently released by the Chicago White Sox after having a 2-5 record with a 7.88 ERA through eight starts.
The 34-year-old Keuchel won the AL Cy Young Award with the Houston Astros in 2015 and is also a two-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner. He’ll try to recapture his old form by reuniting with pitching coach Brent Strom, who was with the Astros in 2015 and joined the staff of the Diamondbacks during the offseason.