Porcello snaps skid in Red Sox win
Rick Porcello pitched seven sharp innings and got some rare run support to win his first start since opening day, and Chris Young homered twice to lead the Boston Red Sox over the Minnesota Twins 11-1 on Saturday.
After equaling last season’s loss total in less than a month, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner finally got to pitch with a lead again when Boston took advantage of a costly Minnesota error and scored eight two-out runs in the second. Porcello (2-4) cruised the rest of the way, allowing only Robbie Grossman’s homer in the third.
Nick Tepesch (0-1) gave up seven runs — six unearned — in his first major league appearance since last June, and his second since the 2014 season.
After Young’s solo shot in the second, Tepesch was one out from escaping with a runner on when shortstop Jorge Polanco bobbled Josh Rutledge’s routine grounder. Mookie Betts walked to load the bases for Dustin Pedroia, who followed with a three-run double to left-center, and the Red Sox were well on their way to their most lopsided win of the season. Drew Rucinski relieved Tepesch and yielded an RBI single to Hanley Ramirez and a run-scoring double to Mitch Moreland.
The Red Sox entered with the third-fewest RBIs in the American League, and hadn’t scored a single run with Porcello on the mound in his last four starts.
The right-hander gave up seven hits, struck out six and walked none.
Young added another solo shot in the fifth off Rucinski, and Rutledge drove in Deven Marrero with a single in the seventh.
RAYS 6, BLUE JAYS 1: Logan Morrison and Colby Rasmus hit two-run homers and Jake Odorizzi pitched seven strong innings for the Tampa Bay Rays in a victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. Odorizzi (2-1) gave up one run in seven innings, the seventh straight time the right-hander has given up two runs or fewer in starts against Toronto. Morrison put the Rays up 2-1 in the third inning with his seventh home run. It came off Toronto starter Marco Estrada after a single by Evan Longoria.
YANKEES 11, CUBS 6: Aaron Hicks tied a career high with four hits, Starlin Castro homered and drove in three runs against his former team, and the New York Yankees pounded Brett Anderson and the Chicago Cubs.