Royal returns
The Kansas City Royals reinstated Cheslor Cuthbert from the disabled list and optioned fellow infielder Ramon Torres to Class AAA Omaha before their game Tuesday night against St. Louis.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Working on six days’ rest, Chris Sale followed up his worst start of the season with one of his best.
Sale allowed 2 hits and struck out 13 in 8 innings, and the Boston Red Sox won their seventh consecutive, 2- 0 over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night. Last Wednesday, Sale gave up seven runs in five innings against Cleveland.
He was more than just good. Sale reached double digits in strikeouts for the 15th time this season, the first time that’s been done since Randy Johnson in 2002.
The victory pushed Boston’s American League East lead over the New York Yankees to four games.
Dustin Pedroia, back in the Boston lineup as a DH after a stint on the disabled list, scored the first run on a fielder’s choice in the fourth. A bad throw by Austin Pruitt ( 6- 3) prevented a possible inning- ending double play on Rafael Devers’ chopper to the mound.
It was the only run allowed by Pruitt in his fourth major league start.
The Rays were shut out for the third time in four games. The Brewers held them scoreless on Saturday and Sunday.
“We need to find a way to win when our pitchers do so well,” Rays Manager Kevin Cash said. “The offense is going to get going. We ran into a little buzzsaw against Milwaukee, and Chris Sale is the biggest buzzsaw.”
Sale ( 14- 4) gave up singles to Wilson Ramos in the fifth and Peter Bourjos in the sixth. The Rays did not get a runner to second base until the seventh, when Sale followed a walk to Logan Morrison with a wild pitch. BLUE JAYS 4, YANKEES 2 Josh Donaldson hit 2 two- run home runs, J. A. Happ won his
sixth consecutive decision against the Yankees, and host Toronto beat New York.
WHITE SOX 8, ASTROS 5 Rookie Kevan Smith had a home run and drove in four runs for Chicago in a victory over former Arkansas Razorback Dallas Keuchel and visiting Houston. Cardinals scored six in the fifth inning, and St. Louis rolled to a victory over host Kansas City. Michael Wacha ( 9- 4) allowed a three- run double to Cheslor Cuthbert but otherwise kept the Royals in check, surrendering 6 hits over 6 innings to win for the sixth time in 7 decisions.