FLAIR CRITICAL
Mookie Betts lined a two-run double off the left-field wall with two outs in the ninth to cap a three-run rally that lifted Boston to a 5-4 win over St. Louis at Fenway Park on Wednesday.
Xander Bogaerts hit a solo homer for the AL East-leading Red Sox (69-51), who won for the 12th time in 14 games and maintained their 4½-game lead over the second-place Yankees (64-55).
The Cardinals jumped ahead 4-0 in the second when Kolten Wong and Matt Carpenter sandwiched RBI singles around Luke Voit’s run-scoring double. Wong scored on Christian Vazquez’s passed ball. Vazquez scored on a throwing error in the third when Lynn fired the ball wildly past first on Eduardo Nunez’s infield hit. Betts added his sacrifice fly.
l Marcus Stroman pitched 6.1 innings, Steve Pearce homered and scored twice and host Toronto beat Tampa Bay, 3-2.
l Yonder Alonso homered and drove in three runs, and Marc Rzepczynski struck out Chris Davis with the bases loaded to end Seattle’s 7-6 win at home over Baltimore.
l Josh Reddick hit a tworun homer in a four-run eighth, Charlie Morton threw 6.1 solid innings as host Houston defeated Arizona, 9-5.
l Luis Valbuena and Kole Calhoun homered, Ricky Nolasco bounced back from a rocky first inning before exiting with cramps in his calves and the visiting Los Angeles Angels defeated Washington, 3-2, to split their two-game series.
Ric Flair’s fiancée offered insight into the wrestling legend’s medical woes, and confirmed that he is currently in critical condition and suffering from “multiple organ problems.”
Wendy Barlow updated fans on the 68-year-old star’s condition with a Facebook post. Barlow did not specify which organs were causing the trouble, or if he’s received any definitive diagnosis, but published reports said the illness was heart-related.
— Rachel DeSantis