Beltre factors big in Bosox’ bad night
Adrian Beltre counted a three-run double among his four hits as the American League West-leading Texas Rangers put a 7-0 pounding on the AL East-leading Boston Red Sox on Friday night in Arlington, Texas.
Derek Holland pitched eight scoreless innings for his fifth consecutive victory over the Red Sox. While Holland (2-2) had a season-high nine strikeouts and stymied the Red Sox bats (six singles), the Rangers had a seasonhigh 18 hits. Red Sox starter Felix Doubront (3-1) allowed a career-worst 12 hits in only 3 ⅔ innings.
Nine of the Rangers’ hits off Doubront came with two outs, including Beltre’s basesclearing double in the fourth that made it 5-0. Beltre broke out of an extended slump. He’d hit only .129 (4-for-31) in his previous eight games and 2-for-20 the last five.
Indians, Tigers triumph
Drew Stubbs’ RBI double with one out in the 10th lifted the Cleveland Indians to their fifth straight win, 7-6 over the visiting Minnesota Twins.
Stubbs, who had four hits, drove a 1-0 pitch from Casey Fien off the wall in left-center to give the Indians their first five-game streak since winning seven in a row last April and May.
Alex Avila hit a two-run homer in the ninth to lift the Detroit Tigers to a 4-3 win over the host Houston Astros, moving them a halfgame ahead of the rain-idled Kansas City Royals atop the AL Central.
In other action . . .
Matt Holliday and Carlos Beltran homered and Shelby Miller (4-2) gave up seven hits and a walk in six innings to help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Brewers 6-1 in Milwaukee. Miller was scoreless through the first five innings before allowing a sacrifice fly by Jonathan Lucroy.
A.J. Burnett (3-2) allowed one run and struck out nine in seven scoreless innings, and call-up Jordy Mercer hit a tiebreaker homer in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 3-1 win over the visiting Washington Nationals.
Adam Rosales homered on CC Sabathia’s first pitch as the Oakland Athletics beat the host New York Yankees 2-0.