Sale leads Red Sox past Orioles
BALTIMORE (AP) — Chris Sale took a two-hitter into the seventh inning before being ejected, and the Boston Red Sox completed a three-game sweep of the skidding Baltimore Orioles with a 5-1 victory Wednesday.
After issuing two walks to open the seventh in a 5-0 game, Sale (6-4) was lifted by manager Alex Cora. As he was making his way to the dugout, the left-hander yelled at home plate umpire Brian Knight and was promptly ejected.
It was the second career ejection for Sale, the other coming in April 2015 when he was with the White Sox.
Sale struck out nine, allowed one run and gave up two hits in ending a run of three straight losing starts.
Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez homered for the Red Sox, who are 9-1 against the Orioles this season.
Baltimore has lost seven straight and 14 of 16.
Betts hit a 3-2 pitch from Yefry Ramirez over the center-field wall in the third for his 18th home run. A three-run fifth made it 4-0, and Martinez hit his team-leading 22nd homer in the seventh.
Ramirez (0-1) gave up three runs and four hits over 4 1/3 innings, striking out six.
Baltimore got its lone run in the seventh, when Jace Peterson hit a sacrifice fly soon after Sale departed.
RAYS 1, BLUE JAYS 0
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Matt Duffy's RBI single with two outs in the ninth drove in the game's only run in the Rays' win over the Blue Jays.
Duffy drove in Mallex Smith, who doubled with one out and moved to third base on a ground ball.
Diego Castillo (1-0) got his first major league win after pitching two innings of relief.
Ryan Tepera (3-2) pitched the final 1 2/3 innings for the Jays, who were swept in the threegame series and have lost five of six to the Rays this season. It was the 12th time the Blue Jays have scored one run or none this season.
MARINERS 8, ANGELS 6
SEATTLE (AP) — Mitch Haniger hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Mariners a win and a sweep of the three-game series over the Angels.
After Jean Segura singled to center off reliever Oliver Drake (0-1), Haniger launched his 16th homer of the season over the left-field wall.
Nelson Cruz and Ryon Healy also homered for Seattle, and Healy's upper-deck shot in the eighth inning tied the game at 6-6.
The Mariners have won six of their last seven games and 11 of their last 13.
Roenis Elias (2-0) earned the win with two scoreless innings of relief, and Seattle starter Marco Gonzales allowed seven hits and three runs in five innings.
Angels starting pitcher Garrett Richards left the game after two innings because of tightness in his left hamstring.
Shortstop Zack Cozart left the game in the fourth inning because of left shoulder strain.
BREWERS 1, CUBS 0
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Lorenzo Cain homered and Jhoulys Chacin combined with three relievers on a six-hitter to give the Brewers their second straight shutout of the Cubs.
Chacin (6-1) allowed four hits in six innings, striking out seven and walking four to win his sixth consecutive decision. Jeremy Jeffress pitched the seventh, Josh Hader struck out the side in the eighth and Corey Knebel finished with a perfect ninth for his sixth save.
Mike Montgomery (2-2) allowed only two hits in six innings, both by Cain. He struck out four and walked one in his fourth start since replacing injured Yu Darvish in the rotation.
The Brewers improved to 3-8 this season against the Cubs and moved 1 ½ games ahead of second-place Chicago in the N.L. Central.
BRAVES 2, METS 0
ATLANTA (AP) — Mike Soroka did not allow a hit until the seventh inning, Freddie Freeman homered and drove in both runs, and the Braves beat the Mets.
Soroka, the youngest pitcher in the major leagues and one of baseball's top prospects, returned from a right shoulder strain that sidelined him since May 17 to outpitch NL ERA leader Jacob deGrom in a game that lasted only 2 hours, 12 minutes.
The Mets have lost 10 of their past 11 and 17 of their past 21.
Making his fourth career start, Soroka (2-1) gave up one hit, one walk and struck out four in 6 1/3 innings.
Freeman, the NL batting leader, has hit safely in 23 of his past 24 games. He drove in the first run with a single in the fourth off deGrom (4-2). He homered off Jeremy Blevins in the eighth.
Freeman has five homers in his past seven games and 14 overall.
DeGrom allowed seven hits and one run and struck out seven in seven innings and threw 86 pitches.
Arodys Vizcaino earned his 12th save in 14 chances.
PIRATES 5, DIAMONDBACKS 4
PHOENIX (AP) — Jordy Mercer homered and had three RBIs, Jameson Taillon pitched seven effective innings and the Pirates avoided a sweep with a victory over the Diamondbacks.
Pittsburgh ended Arizona's sweep bid with a four-run second inning against Zack Greinke (5-5) and a sterling performance by Taillon (4-5).
Taillon gave up a tworun homer to David Peralta in the first inning when the ball popped out of left fielder Austin Meadows' glove and over the wall.
Taillon worked out of a jam in the second inning and allowed two runs on six hits.