Martinez comes off COVID list, hits 3 HRs as Red Sox top O’s
BALTIMORE — J.D. Martinez came off the COVID-19 list and hit three home runs, powering the Boston Red Sox past the Baltimore Orioles 14-9 Sunday for their sixth straight win.
Martinez got a chance at a record-tying fourth homer in the ninth inning and struck out swinging. He is the last of 18 major leaguers to homer four times in a game, doing it in September 2017 for Arizona.
The 33-year-old Martinez was back in the lineup one day after being placed on the COVID-19 injured list because of cold symptoms. He passed the required tests and went 4 for 6, driving in four runs and scoring four times.
This was the fourth time that Martinez has hit at least three homers in a game. A year after batting just .213 with seven home runs in 54 games during the pandemic-shortened season, he is hitting .472 (17 for 36) with five homers and 16 RBIs in eight games.
GIANTS 4, ROCKIES 0
SAN FRANCISCO — Anthony DeSclafani and three relievers combined to scatter eight hits and San Francisco beat Colorado to complete a threegame sweep.
DeSclafani (1-0) struck out eight and gave up six hits in six innings. The right-hander pitched with runners on base nearly every inning but repeatedly worked his way out of trouble and lowered his ERA to 0.82.
PADRES 2, RANGERS 0
ARLINGTON, Texas — Trent Grisham and Manny Machado homered, Craig Stammen led a parade of six effective San Diego relievers after starter Adrian Morejon left early with an injury, and the Padres beat Texas for a three-game sweep.
Grisham pulled a 1-0 fastball into the right-field stands off Mike Foltynewicz (0-2), who had retired the first nine batters. Machado hammered a 2-2 changeup off Ian Kennedy deep down the left-field line leading off the ninth.
The 22-year-old Morejon retired the first two batters and walked Joey Gallo before departing with an elbow/forearm strain. He will be re-evaluated today.
DIAMONDBACKS 7, REDS 0
PHOENIX — Luke Weaver retired the first 17 batters he faced, Eduardo Escobar homered for the fourth straight game and Arizona beat Cincinnati.
The 27-year-old Weaver (1-0) took a no-hitter into the seventh inning before giving up a broken-bat single to Eugenio Suárez, whose ground ball found a hole up the middle. The right-hander hit Alex Blandino with a pitch with two outs in the sixth, the first of three baserunners he allowed.
BREWERS 9, CARDINALS 3
ST. LOUIS — Avisaíl García homered for the second day in a row, Travis Shaw and Manny Piña also connected and Milwaukee beat St. Louis.
García, who homered and drove in five runs in a 9-5 win Saturday, and Shaw hit early drives that helped the Brewers build a 7-0 lead in the second inning.
ANGELS AT BLUE JAYS RAINED OUT IN FLORIDA
The game between the Los Angeles Angels and Toronto scheduled for Sunday at the Blue Jays’ temporary home in Florida was postponed because of rain. The game will be made up as part of a split doubleheader on Aug. 10 at Anaheim.
PIRATES 7, CUBS 1
PITTSBURGH — JT Brubaker pitched into the sixth inning and had the first three RBIs of his career to lead Pittsburgh over Chicago.
INDIANS 5, TIGERS 2
CLEVELAND — Logan Allen recovered from a bumpy first inning to get his first win with Cleveland and the Indians completed a three-game sweep with a win over Detroit, who could be without slugger Miguel Cabrera for a while.
Cabrera was placed on the 10-day injured list before the game with a left biceps strain that was affecting his sweet swing.
MARINERS 8, TWINS 6
MINNEAPOLIS — Kyle Seager hit his second homer of the game, a threerun drive in the ninth inning to complete Seattle’s rally from a six-run deficit to beat Minnesota.
YANKEES 8, RAYS 4
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Rougned Odor snapped a 10th-inning tie with his first hit as a Yankee, Gio Urshela homered and drove in three runs, and New York rallied to avoid a weekend sweep with a victory over Tampa Bay.
ROYALS 4, WHITE SOX 3 (10)
CHICAGO — Michael A. Taylor scored when Garrett Crochet misplayed Andrew Benintendi’s bunt in the 10th inning, sending Kansas City to a victory over Chicago.
PHILLIES 7, BRAVES 6
ATLANTA — Didi Gregorius hit a three-run homer in Philadelphia’s four-run fourth inning and had the go-ahead sacrifice fly in the ninth to help the Phillies snap Atlanta’s four-game winning streak.
Alec Bohm doubled off Braves closer Will Smith to begin the ninth, advanced to third on a bunt and scored to make it 7-6 on Gregorius’ fly to shallow left. Marcell Ozuna’s throw bounced twice before Bohm was initially called safe — even though it appeared he didn’t get his foot on the plate against catcher Travis d’Arnaud’s tag attempt.