Tampa Bay gain ground on Boston
Taylor singles home winning run in bottom of ninth to cap Dodgers’ rally against Diamondbacks
>> ST PETERSBURG: Wilson Ramos homered and drove in three runs against Chris Sale despite the AllStar’s record-setting performance, and rookie Jake Faria remained unbeaten as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Boston Red Sox 4-1 on Thursday night.
Sale (11-4) struck out 12 while giving up four runs and seven hits in seven innings. He became the first Red Sox pitcher to strike out 10 or more in 12 games before the All-Star break, surpassing Pedro Martinez’s mark of 11 games in 1999.
Ramos hit a two-run homer in the sixth to cap the scoring as the Rays moved to 4½ games behind the American League East-leading Red Sox.
Faria (4-0) gave up a run and four hits while walking four in six innings. The rookie right-hander has pitched at least six innings in each of his six starts and has a 2.11 ERA.
Alex Colome worked the ninth for his 23rd save.
In Los Angeles, Chris Taylor singled home the winning run to cap a fourrun rally in the bottom of the ninth inning, and NL West-leading Dodgers completed a three-game sweep of second-place Arizona Diamondbacks with a 5-4 victory.
Taylor’s bases-loaded single off TJ McFarland with nobody out eluded the reach of left fielder Ray Fuentes, who was playing shallow to try to cut off the winning run.
Josh Fields (4-0) got the win after a run-scoring balk in the top of the ninth.
In Seattle, Khris Davis hit a threerun homer, Paul Blackburn pitched one-run ball into the eighth inning for his first major league win, and Oakland beat slumping Seattle 7-4.
Davis’ 24th homer keyed a fourrun fifth inning that put the Athletics in front 7-0. Bruce Maxwell hit a solo homer, his first, to chase starter Sam Gaviglio (3-4).
The only run off Blackburn (1-0) was Mitch Haniger’s homer in the fifth.
In Toronto, Russell Martin homered and matched a season high with three hits, Josh Donaldson broke out of his slump with a go-ahead single and Toronto beat Houston 7-4.
Francisco Liriano (5-4) pitched six solid innings and Roberto Osuna converted his 21st consecutive save opportunity as the Blue Jays, who began the night last in the AL East, won their third straight. Houston, which have the best record in the majors at 58-28, had won four in a row and eight of 10.
In Chicago, Ryan Braun homered to ignite a seven-run third inning and Milwaukee beat Chicago 11-2 for their fourth straight victory.
The Brewers opened a 4½-game lead over the second-place Cubs in the NL Central and are guaranteed to hold the top spot at the All-Star break. This was a makeup of a May 20 rainout.
Willson Contreras homered for the Cubs. Kyle Schwarber went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in his return following a two-week stint in the minor leagues.
In Detroit, Anibal Sanchez pitched six strong innings, and Dixon Machado hit his first career home run to lift Detroit over San Francisco 6-2.
Sanchez (1-0) earned his first victory since Aug. 23, allowing two runs and five hits with eight strikeouts and no walks.
Machado’s first home run came in the 146th at-bat of his career. The 25-year-old infielder hit a two-run shot in the second that put the Tigers up 4-0.
Chris Stratton (0-2) allowed five runs and six hits in 6-2/3 innings in his first career start.