(Green) Monster of a night for Betts as Sox rout Yanks
A monster night by Mookie Betts kept the Red Sox rolling.
Betts hit a grand slam and scored five times, leading Chris Sale and host Boston over the Yankees 14-1 Tuesday for its ninth straight victory. The Red Sox improved to 9-1 for the first time.
Betts went 4-for-4 and drove in four runs. His third career slam cleared the Green Monster in left field and capped a ninerun burst in the sixth inning.
“I just got some good pitches to hit and put some good swings on it today,” Betts said. “I think just all of us putting together good atbats kind of wears guys down.”
Manager Alex Cora has been pushing his new team to be aggressive in the strike zone. He sat down with Betts this spring and showed the All-Star outfielder how effective he can be when he does.
“A slugger leading off,” Cora said. “He’s going to make contact, but now he understands that he can do damage in the strike zone.”
Sale allowed one run in six innings, scattering eight hits. He struck out eight without a walk.
The Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton went 2for-4. He struck out his first two times up against Sale, and has fanned 22 times in 46 at-bats.
Blue Sanchez Jays lost 2, Orioles his no-hit 1: bid Aaron when host Baltimore’s Tim Beckham led off the eighth with a sharp grounder through the legs of third baseman Josh Donaldson, and Curtis Granderson hit a tie-breaking homer in the ninth for Toronto.
Angels 11, Rangers 1: Mike Trout and Andrelton Simmons each homered, Albert Pujols had two more hits and visiting Los Angeles routed Texas. The Angels, who went ahead to stay with a three-run first, improved to 9-3 for the first time since 1982. They lead the majors with 79 runs, 128 hits and 20 home runs.
Mariners 8, Royals 3: Felix Hernandez pitched into the sixth inning, Guillermo Heredia homered and visiting Seattle bounced back from a blowout loss to beat Kansas City.
Twins 4, Astros 1: Jake Odorizzi grinded through six innings for his first win with Minnesota, leadoff man Brian Dozier walked a career-high four times and the Twins beat visiting Houston. Minnesota took advantage of Dallas Keuchel’s control problems to scratch across three runs in the first two innings.
Cardinals 5, Brewers 3: Matt Carpenter hit a two-run homer in the 11th inning off Milwaukee’s J.J. Hoover after host St. Louis rallied from one-run deficits in the ninth and 10th.
Padres 5, Rockies 2: Joey Lucchesi got his first majorleague win in his third start, thanks to a go-ahead threerun homer from Hunter Renfroe in the seventh inning, and San Diego won at Colorado.
Mets 8, Marlins 6: Yoenis Céspedes snapped a slump with a two-run double to break a tie in the ninth inning, giving visiting New York (9-1) the best 10-game start in franchise history. For a second night in a row, the teams drew the smallest crowd in the seven-season history of Marlins Park at 6,516.
Pirates 8, Cubs 5: Ivan Nova pitched seven solid innings and Francisco Cervelli hit a three-run Not homer even the for presence Pittsburgh. of Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the 98-year-old chaplain of the Loyola basketball team, could help the Cubs as she threw out a ceremonial first pitch at Wrigley Field.
Nationals Strasburg 4, Braves threw 1: eight Stephen scoreless innings and Ryan Zimmerman had a two-run triple for host Washington. Strasburg (2-1), who retired 12 in a row at one point, didn’t allow a runner past second.
Indians 2, Tigers 1: Roberto Perez hit a leadoff home run in the eighth inning against reliever Alex Wilson, lifting host Cleveland over Detroit. The Indians beat the Tigers for the ninth straight time.
Phillies 6, Reds 1: Aaron Nola pitched eight stellar innings and Scott Kingery hit a grand slam as host Philadelphia won for the fourth time in five games. Cincinnati has lost three in a row.
Rays Snell pitched 6, White one-hit Sox 5: ball Blake and struck out 10 through six innings and Tampa Bay kept Chicago winless at home this season. Snell didn’t allow a hit until Tyler Saladino’s double in the fifth.