SALE FORCE
Red Sox ace brilliant again while Devers hits HR in win over Seattle
Seattle — When Chris Sale woke up Wednesday, he was unaware the Red Sox were on a four-game losing streak.
"I actually fell asleep before the end of it. I woke up this morning and heard the news," Sale said of Boston's 13-inning loss the previous night.
Sale was brilliant, pitching seven innings of three-hit ball in a 4-0 win over the Seattle Mariners that featured a home run by 20-year-old Rafael Devers , who became the youngest Boston player to hit a home run in more than 50 years.
Sale headed back to the team hotel early on Tuesday night to be rested for a day game. He didn't know about Seattle's two-run rally in the 13th inning, shortly after midnight.
About 12 hours later, the Red Sox got exactly what they needed from their ace to avoid being swept. He struck out 11 , the 14th time this season he reached double digits. Sale allowed doubles to Jean Segura and Guillermo Heredia, and a broken-bat single to Ben Gamel, but none of the three to reach base via hit ever advanced.
"It's deception, it's angle. He does a lot of things well," Gamel said.
Sale (13-4) has struck out at least nine batters in each of his 12 road starts this season, the longest streak dating to 1913. He's won five of his last six decisions and became the first AL pitcher with 13 wins.
In two starts on Boston's trip, Sale allowed seven hits in 13 innings and struck out 20.
"We're watching one of the better years ever pitched by a major league pitcher in the American League," Boston manager John
Farrell said. "We're fortunate it's in our uniform."
A day after his major league debut, Devers led off the third inning by sending a 2-1 fastball from starter Andrew Moore out to center field for his first hit in the majors. At 20 years and 275 days old, Devers was the youngest Red Sox player to homer since Tony Conigliaro in September 1965.
Devers added a single in the seventh inning.
"It was surreal. When I got back to the dugout I could barely walk to be honest with you," Devers said through an interpreter. "I was just so happy about it. It was just a good moment."
Moore (1-3) was solid, but the long ball was his problem. Along with Devers' shot, Moore gave up a two-out, two-run homer to Sandy Leon in the fourth inning. Moore hung a 1-2 curveball and Leon hit his sixth homer of the season. Moore was able to save Seattle's bullpen by lasting 6 2/3 innings.
Late night dealing
Infielder Eduardo Nunez was traded from the San Francisco Giants to the Red Sox on Tuesday night for minor league righthanders Shaun Anderson and Gregory Santos. The deal was finalized during San Francisco's 11-3 win over Pittsburgh and announced after the game.
The 30-year-old hit .308 in 76 games with San Francisco this season and has reached base safely in 40 of his last 42 games.
Nunez drove in 31 runs and had a team-high 17 stolen bases despite being slowed by a hamstring injury this month.