The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
LOWERING THE BROOM
Betts collects eight RBIs as Red Sox finish sweep of Blue Jays
Mookie Betts connects for a two-run single off Blue Jays relief pitcher Glenn Sparkman in the seventh inning on Sunday in Toronto. The Red Sox won 15-1 to sweep the three-game series.
Mookie Betts hit two home runs and matched a career-high with eight RBIs to help the Boston Red Sox rout the Toronto Blue Jays 15-1 on Sunday in Toronto.
Betts went 4 for 6 as AL East-leading Boston won for the sixth time in seven games, completing the threegame sweep. He hit an RBI single in the second, a threerun homer in the fourth, a two-run blast in the sixth, and a two-run single in the seventh. It was the second multihomer game of the season for Betts, who also hit two at Philadelphia on June 14. Betts had eight RBIs against Arizona on Aug. 14, 2016.
Drew Pomeranz (8-4) pitched six innings for his third straight road win.
Hanley Ramirez had three hits, including a two-run homer, as the Red Sox collected a season-high 21 hits.
Joe Biagini (2-8) took the loss as he was chased in the sixth inning by Betts’ second homer. ASTROS 8, YANKEES 1 » At Houston, Yuli Gurriel finished a triple shy of the cycle, Carlos Correa tied a career-high with four hits and had three RBIs, and Houston sent New York to its 14th loss in 19 games.
Marwin Gonzalez hit a two-run homer in a threerun second off Luis Severino (5-4) as the Astros improved the best record in the major leagues to 56-27. Houston had 14 hits, including seven doubles, and went 6 for 17 with runners in scoring position.
New York, which led the AL East by four games on June 13, lost two of three to the Astros and dropped three games behind division-leading Boston.
Josh Reddick had an RBI double in the second Correa a two-run double in the fourth as Houston opened a 4-0 lead. Correa, who extended his hitting streak to 12 games, added an RBI single in the sixth.
Severino allowed six runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings, slamming his glove in the dugout when he was pulled from the game after a double by Springer. The hits were a season high and the runs matched the most this year off Severino, who has given up four or more runs in three of his last four starts. PHILLIES 7, METS 1 » At New York, Nick Pivetta allowed one hit in seven impressive innings for his second major league win, and Philadelphia stopped New York’s four-game winning streak.
Maikel Franco had a tworun double in a four-run second aided by a pair of sacrifice bunts. Rookie catcher Andrew Knapp added an RBI single and dashed home from second on a wild pitch by Rafael Montero.
Leadoff man Daniel Nava had three hits and two RBIs to help the major leagueworst Phillies (27-53) prevent a three-game sweep and finish their 4-5 road trip on a positive note. Philadelphia outhit the Mets 12-2.
Making his 10th major league start, Pivetta (24) permitted only T.J. Rivera’s home run on an 81 mph slider with one out in the fifth.