Sale’s performance guides Red Sox over Rays
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Wilson Ramos homered and drove in three runs against Chris Sale despite the All-Star’s record-setting performance, and rookie Jake Faria remained unbeaten as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Boston Red Sox 4-1 on Thursday night.
Sale (11-4) struck out 12 while giving up four runs and seven hits in seven innings. He became the first Red Sox pitcher to strike out 10 or more in 12 games before the All-Star break, surpassing Pedro Martinez’s mark of 11 games in 1999.
Ramos hit a two-run homer in the sixth to cap the scoring.
Faria (4-0) gave up a run and four hits while walking four in six innings. The rookie right-hander has pitched at least six innings in each of his six starts and has a 2.11 ERA.
Alex Colome worked the ninth for his 23rd save.
• Dodgers 5, Diamondbacks 4 — At Los Angeles: Chris Taylor singled in the winning run in the bottom of a four-run ninth inning, helping the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers rally for a victory over the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks to complete a three-game sweep.
Taylor’s bases-loaded single off T.J. McFarland eluded the desperate stab of left fielder Ray Fuentes and scored Logan Forsythe.
Josh Fields (4-0) got the win after a runscoring balk in the top of the ninth.
• Blue Jays 7, Astros 4 — At Toronto: Russell Martin homered and matched a season high with three hits, Josh Donaldson broke out of his slump with a goahead single and Toronto beat Houston.
Francisco Liriano (5-4) pitched six solid innings and Roberto Osuna converted his 21st consecutive save opportunity as the Blue Jays, who began the night last in the AL East, won their third straight. Houston, which has the best record in the majors at 58-28, had won four in a row and eight of 10.
Marwin Gonzalez and Carlos Beltran homered for the Astros, handed a rare defeat on the road. The AL West leaders fell to 31-10 away from home as All-Star pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. (7-2) lost for the first time since April 26.
• Brewers 11, Cubs 2 — At Chicago: Ryan Braun homered to ignite a sevenrun third inning and Milwaukee beat Chicago for its fourth straight victory.
The Brewers opened a 4 1/2-game lead over the second-place Cubs in the NL Central and are guaranteed to hold the top spot at the All-Star break. This was a makeup of a May 20 rainout.
Willson Contreras homered for the Cubs. Kyle Schwarber went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in his return following a two-week stint in the minor leagues.
• Pirates 6, Phillies 3 — At Philadelphia: Gregory Polanco had four hits with a home run and two RBIs, and Josh Bell homered, doubled and drove in three runs to lead Pittsburgh over Philadelphia.
Andrew McCutchen added three hits with two doubles for the Pirates, who have won three straight.
Aaron Altherr had two hits and two RBIs for the Phillies.
• Reds 6, Rockies 3 — At Denver: Sal Romano tossed five innings to earn his first major league win, and Cincinnati beat Colorado.
Romano (1-1), called up before the game to make his second career start, allowed six hits and allowed two runs to help the Reds split the four-game series.
Adam Duvall hit his 20th home run and drove in two runs and Eugenio Suarez had three hits for Cincinnati.
• Cardinals 4, Marlins 3 — At St. Louis: Luke Voit homered and drove in three runs and St. Louis beat Miami.
Voit, who also doubled, and third baseman Jedd Gyorko each had two hits. The Cardinals’ eight hits backed another good outing from Michael Wacha (6-3), who allowed two runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out nine and walked two.
Marcell Ozuna had three hits and three RBIs for the Marlins. Dee Gordon had two hits, scored three runs and stole two bases.
• Twins 6, Orioles 4 — At Minneapolis: Eduardo Escobar’s two-run triple highlighted a six-run third inning as Minnesota beat Baltimore.
Twins starter Jose Berrios (8-2) gave up four runs in six innings, and Brandon Kintzler got his 23rd save. Minnesota defeated Baltimore for the fifth straight time dating to last season.
Escobar is hitting .371 since June 4 and .431 in his last 13 home games.
• Indians 11, Padres 2 — At Cleveland: Edwin Encarnacion homered and matched a career high with four hits, AllStar Jose Ramirez hit a home run and had three RBIs, and the Cleveland Indians, playing their third straight game without manager Terry Francona, defeated the San Diego Padres.
Francona remained hospitalized at the Cleveland Clinic, where he has been undergoing tests to resolve the causes of him becoming light-headed over the past month. The 58-year-old was hospitalized twice last month and doctors admitted him Tuesday, about one week after he began wearing a heart monitor.
Josh Tomlin (5-9) allowed two runs in seven-plus innings. The right-hander retired the first 12 hitters before San Diego scored twice in the fifth.
• Braves 5, Nationals 2 — At Washington: Freddie Freeman drove in two runs and Mike Foltynewicz quieted the Washington Nationals’ bats as the Atlanta Braves won 5-2 following an unusually dry rain delay that lasted more than three hours Thursday night.
Kurt Suzuki’s solo homer in the sixth inning off Gio Gonzalez (7-4) broke a 2-all tie. Freeman’s second RBI double of the game and 1,000th career hit extended the lead during a two-run seventh.
Despite negligible rain, the series opener was delayed for 3 hours, 5 minutes. But the grounds crew didn’t put the tarp on the infield until 74 minutes after the scheduled start time, and only a very brief, light shower hit Nationals Park before the first pitch was thrown at 10:10 p.m.