Price helps Rays beat Red Sox again
Tampa Bay reclaim top spot in AL East
BOSTON: Tampa Bay leapfrogged Boston to reclaim first place in the American League East division, as David Price put in a commanding pitching performance to steer the Rays to a 2-1 win over the Red Sox on Monday.
Tampa Bay moved equal top of the American League overall along with Oakland, who beat Toronto to stay six games clear in the West.
In the day’s key National League games, Pittsburgh beat St Louis to close the gap in the Central division to just half a game, while Atlanta edged Colorado in 10 innings to stretch their advantage in the East to nine games.
Tampa Bay’s Price (6-5) was dominant, allowing only two hits up until a downpour in the middle of the eighth inning. He stayed in the game after the 39-minute break but retired just one more batter before departing.
Rays closer Fernando Rodney pitched the ninth for his 26th save. He gave up a single, a walk then a wild pitch before striking out Mike Napoli with a fullcount change-up to end the game.
In Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh’s Francisco Liriano allowed one run over seven dominant innings to steer the Pirates to a 9-2 win over St Louis.
Liriano (11-4) struck out eight and walked just two to win his fifth straight start. The Pirates kicked off the key series at PNC Park by sending the Cardinals to their fourth straight loss, scoring just four runs in that skid.
Pittsburgh’s Pedro Alvarez hit his NLleading 27th home run of the season.
Atlanta’s Andrelton Simmons drove in Dan Uggla from first base with a triple in the 10th inning, giving the Braves a 9-8 win over Colorado.
After Uggla led off with a walk, Simmons hit Edgmer Escalona’s pitch into the gap in left-centre field.
Atlanta’s Scott Downs (1-0) earned the win after being acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Angels earlier in the day and arriving at Turner Field not long before the first pitch.
Oakland’s Yoenis Cespedes homered and hit a two-run triple to help the Athletics down Toronto 9-4.
Josh Reddick added a two-run double and had three RBIs, including a sacrifice fly in Oakland’s four-run first inning.
Cespedes led off the eighth with his 16th home run, snapping a career-worst 25-game homerless streak for the Home Run Derby champion.
San Diego’s Chris Denorfia hit a tworun, pinch-hit homer off Aroldis Chapman in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Padres a 2-1 win over Cincinnati.
Texas’s Geovany Soto hit a gameending homer after AJ Pierzynski went deep to tie the game earlier in the ninth, giving the Rangers a 4-3 comeback win over the Los Angeles Angels and their first victory in five games.
Cleveland pinch-hitter Jason Giambi homered leading off the ninth inning to give the Indians their fifth straight victory, 3-2 over the Chicago White Sox.
Milwaukee’s Carlos Gomez broke a scoreless tie in the ninth inning with an RBI single and the Brewers went on to beat the Chicago Cubs 5-0.
New York’s Ike Davis had a go-ahead RBI double in a three-run seventh inning which lifted the Mets to a 6-5 win over Miami.