Beeks picks up victory as Rays sweep Red Sox

AMERICAN LEAGUE RAYS 17, RED SOX 8

BOSTON — Hunter Renfroe hit two home runs and drove in three runs, Mike Zunino belted a threerun shot over the Green Monster and out of Fenway Park, and the surging Tampa Bay Rays beat the struggling Boston Red Sox 17-8 on Thursday to complete a four-game series sweep.

It was the sixth consecutive win for the Rays (12-8), who posted their eighth consecutive victory in Fenway. Tampa Bay won for the 12th time in its past 14 games against Boston.

Brandon Lowe added a home run during a five-run third inning that chased starter Kyle Hart (0-1), who was making his major-league debut.

Jalen Beeks (Arkansas Razorbacks,

Prairie Grove) pitched two scoreless innings in relief and was credited with the victory to improve to 1-1.

Manuel Margot had his second four-hit game of the series, Willy Adames had three hits and two RBI, and Yoshi Tsutsugo had two hits and two RBI for the Rays, who posted season-highs in runs and hits (19). Zunino drove in four runs.

Kevin Plawecki had a two-run double and three RBI for Boston, and Rafael Devers made three throwing errors after a first-inning RBI single. The Red Sox (6-13), who own the AL’s worst record, have lost four in a row.

Even a “drone delay” in the third didn’t stop the Rays’ offense. The game was delayed for about four minutes by a drone flying outside the park beyond the right-field bleachers.

With Tsutsugo at the plate, players

on the field and the umpires pointed to where it was. The Rays’ two runners on base left the field and Boston’s fielders headed to their dugout area, too. The umpires walked off, waiting on the track near Boston’s dugout.

When play resumed, Tsutsugo, the last batter Hart faced, lined an RBI single to right.

Hart gave up seven runs — five earned — in two-plus innings. Rays starter Tyler Glasnow went four innings, giving up 5 runs on 8 hits, striking out 8 and walking 2.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

CUBS 4, BREWERS 2 Yu Darvish took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in his third consecutive dominant start, and host Chicago defeated Milwaukee. Darvish allowed just one hit — Justin Smoak’s towering home run to right field with one out in the seventh inning on his 98th pitch — before being relieved by Casey Sadler to start the eighth. The 33-year-old right-hander from Japan struck out 11 and threw 104 pitches. Before Smoak’s drive, Darvish allowed only three baserunners. Kyle Schwarber hit a home run in the second as Chicago improved to 13-3 for the first time since 1907.

METS 8, NATIONALS 2 Tomas Nido had his first two home run game as a professional, hitting a two-run shot in the fourth and a grand slam in the fifth to lead New York over Washington. Nido, who entered Thursday with five home runs and 26 RBI over 93 games in parts of four big-league seasons, is just the fifth catcher in Mets history to hit at least two home runs and collect at least six RBI in a game. Hall of Famers Gary Carter and Mike Piazza did it twice apiece, and Todd Hundley and Paul Lo Duca once each. Nido struck out in the seventh as he tried to match Carter, the only Mets catcher with a three home run game. PIRATES 9, REDS 6 Adam Frazier hit the first of three home runs off Anthony DeSclafani, who hasn’t beaten Pittsburgh in his last seven tries, and the Pirates returned from a three-day layoff by beating host Cincinnati. Pittsburgh’s three-game series in St. Louis was called off because of the Cardinals’ covid-19 outbreak. The Pirates showed no rust against a pitcher they’ve dominated. DeSclafani (1-1) didn’t allow a run in either of his first two starts this season. Frazier connected on the right-hander’s second pitch Thursday, and the Pirates surged to a 9-0 lead after two innings.

INTERLEAGUE

ORIOLES 11, PHILLIES 4 Pedro Severino and Rio Ruiz hit home runs to back Thomas Eshelman and visiting Baltimore beat Philadelphia to complete a three-game sweep. Eshelman (1-0) allowed 2 runs and 4 hits in 5 innings to earn his second career victory.