Ellsbury goes to DL after hitting wall in Yanks win
NEW YORK >> Luis Severino opened with a 97 mph fastball on the low, inside corner of the plate, and Alcides Escobar drove it deep to center field.
Jacoby Ellsbury sprinted 107 feet, raised his glove above his head and snagged the ball as his head jarred into the wall. He landed on his back, toppled head over heels to the warning track but held on.
“It set the tone of the game. Escobar is standing on third or it’s 1-0 if it comes out of his glove,” said left fielder Brett Gardner, who ran over to comfort his New York Yankees teammate.
Ellsbury left after the first inning with a concussion and sprained neck that sent him to the disabled list. Severino allowed four hits over eight innings in his finest big league start, a 3-0 win over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night that opened a season-high 2½-game AL East lead.
“Not too many people in the game make that play,” right fielder Aaron Judge said. “I don’t know how he held onto that ball. He hit that fence pretty hard.”
Yankees manager Joe Girardi and head athletic trainer Steve Donohue spoke with Ellsbury during a 90-second delay, with Girardi removing the centerfielder’s cap while they looked in the outfielder’s eyes.
“He felt like it was his neck that was bothering him a little bit. Nothing to do with his head. It was more like a whiplash,” Girardi said.
Donohue talked to Ellsbury at the end of the half inning, and the Yankees decided to remove the 33-year-old from the game. Doctors then determined Ellsbury sustained a concussion.
“Obviously we’re going to miss him for a while now,” Girardi said. “He plays hard.” DIAMONDBACKS 8, WHITE SOX 6 >> Jake Lamb homered off a left-hander for only the second time this season, five Diamondbacks drove in at least one run and Arizona completed a three-game sweep and won for the eighth time in nine games.
The Diamondbacks scored six runs in the fifth inning, chasing starter Jose Quintana (2-6) and building a six-run lead, but they had to hold off a White Sox rally.
Jose Abreu and Leury Garcia homered for the White Sox, who were swept for the second time on a 3-7 road trip. The Los Angeles Angels did it to start the trip. TWINS 4, ORIOLES 3 >> Jose Berrios took a two-hitter into the seventh inning, Kennys Vargas drove in two runs and Minnesota completed its first three-game sweep in Baltimore since 1996.
Eduardo Escobar had two hits and an RBI for the first-place Twins, who have won six of seven and are a major league best 14-5 on the road.
Berrios (3-0) allowed three runs and four hits over 6.1 innings, striking out seven. He was pulled in the seventh after solo homers by Chris Davis and Jonathan Schoop got Baltimore to 4-3. BLUE JAYS 8, BREWERS 4>> Ryan Goins hit his first career grand slam, one of four homers for Toronto as it swept two-game interleague series and won three straight to finish a seven-game trip.
Kevin Pillar, Devon Travis and Jose Bautista hit solo shots for the Blue Jays, who have homered in four straight games. Bautista’s towering shot caromed off the Miller Lite sign high above the center-field wall 400 feet from the plate. ATHLETICS 4, MARLINS 1>> Sonny Gray struck out a season-high 11 over seven innings in his best start in two years and Khris Davis homered to lead Oakland.
Jed Lowrie matched his career high with four hits including a pair of doubles, and Matt Joyce reached base three times and scored to help the A’s earn a split of the two-game interleague series. NATIONALS 5, MARINERS 1 >> Anthony Rendon hit a three-run homer for his eighth of the season and Tanner Roark allowed a run over seven innings to lead Washington.
Rendon has three homers and eight RBIs in the Nationals’ two victories to open this three-game series. RED SOX 9, RANGERS 4>> Dustin Pedroia waved home the tiebreaking run on a wild pitch, then singled in two more during Boston’s seven-run seventh inning as the Red Sox won their third straight.
Chris Sale (5-2) struck out six, falling short in his attempt to become the first pitcher in baseball’s modern era to strike out at least 10 batters in nine straight games in one season. He allowed three earned runs, six hits and a walk in 7.1 innings and received more runs of support in the seventh inning alone than in any previous game this season. PIRATES 12, BRAVES 5 >> Gift Ngoepe doubled to drive in Andrew McCutchen for the go-ahead run before Pittsburgh hit three straight homers during a seven-run 10th inning to beat Atlanta.
Pittsburgh’s Jose Osuna hit two-run single off Jose in the ninth to tie it at 5. RAYS 5, ANGELS 2 >> Steven Souza Jr. homered twice to rally Tampa Bay past Los Angeles.
Colby Rasmus also went deep for Rays and Erasmo Ramirez pitched strong innings in his third start of season. CUBS 5, GIANTS 4 >> Anthony Rizzo hit two home runs, Kyle Hendricks tossed seven strong innings and Chicago held on to beat San Francisco.
Rizzo hit solo homers off Matt Moore (25) a basesloaded, Ramirez the six the in the second and fourth innings for his 14th career multi-home run game. TIGERS 6, ASTROS 3>> Jose Iglesias finished a triple shy of the cycle, Ian Kinsler had two hits and scored twice, and Detroit snapped a three-game skid. PADRES 6, METS 5>> Hunter Renfroe snapped an eighth-inning tie with a titanic home run, Brad Hand pitched out of a huge jam in the ninth and San Diego rallied for the win. REDS 4, INDIANS 3 >> Billy Hamilton scored from first base on Zack Cozart’s two-run single with two outs in the ninth inning against closer Cody Allen to lift Cincinnati.