Benintendi’s blasts lift Red Sox, 10-5
NEW YORK — Rookie Andrew Benintendi (University of Arkansas) rocketed a pair of three-run homers off All-Star Luis Severino and the Boston Red Sox bounced back from a tough loss, roughing up the New York Yankees 10-5 Saturday.
A day after blowing a late lead, the AL East leaders battered Severino for a career-worst 10 runs. Drew Pomeranz pitched the Red Sox to their ninth win in 10 games, and restored their 4½-game lead over New York.
Boston began bruising the Yankees’ staff even before the first pitch — starter Jordan Montgomery was hit in the head by a flyball while he signed autographs as the Red Sox took batting practice. Montgomery is still expected to pitch Sunday night against ace Chris Sale in the series finale.
The 23-year-old Benintendi, who also homered Friday night, is on quite a tear in August. He is 15 for 31 with four home runs and five steals this month, reaching base 20 times in eight games.
Benintendi lined a drive off the right-field wall to cap a five-run burst in the third. Third baseman Todd Frazier’s first error in 22 games since being acquired from the Chicago White Sox came on a potential double-play grounder that would have ended the inning without a run scoring.
Benintendi hit a no-doubt drive to right in the fifth for his 16th home run. He matched a career best with six RBIs in his third multihomer game this season. He’s done a lot of damage against Severino, too, going 6 for 11 lifetime.
Severino (9-5) was tagged for eight hits and eight earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. He had been 4-0 with a sparkling 0.83 ERA in five starts since the All-Star break.
Rookie Rafael Devers had a tworun double that made it 10-2 in the fifth. Mookie Betts had a two-run single for Boston, now 4-7 against New York this season.
Benintendi and the Red Sox solved one of their biggest problems vs. the Yankees — they started the day just 3 for 64 with runners in scoring position this year against their longtime rivals.
Pomeranz (12-4) won his career-best fifth straight decision, giving up three runs in 6 2/3 innings. The lefty also topped his high for wins, having won a combined 11 for San Diego and Boston last year.
Gary Sanchez hit his 19th homer for the Yankees, a two-run drive in the first. Chase Headley and Jacoby Ellsbury hit consecutive homers in the ninth off Robby Scott, called up by Boston from Triple-A before the game.
Blue Jays 7, Pirates 2
TORONTO — Chris Rowley pitched 5 1/3 innings to win his major league debut while Jose Bautista scored two runs.
A former first lieutenant in the United States Army, and the first graduate of the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., to reach the majors, Rowley (1-0) missed all of the 2014 and 2015 minor league seasons while on active service, including a stint in Bulgaria.
The right-hander, who began the season at Double-A, allowed one run five hits. He walked one and struck out three.The only run off Rowley came in the second when Josh Bell hit a leadoff triple and scored on a twoout hit by Jordy Mercer.
Mercer added a solo homer off Leonel Campos in the ninth.
Rowley left to a standing ovation from the crowd of 46,179 after giving up a one-out single and a walk in the sixth. Dominic Leone came on and retired the next two batters.
One day after star outfielder Andrew McCutchen limped off with a sore left knee, the Pirates lost another outfielder Saturday when Gregory Polanco pulled up with a sore left hamstring while chasing Josh Donaldson’s bloop single in the fifth. Sean Rodriguez came into the game in left field and John Jaso moved from left to right.
Bautista walked and scored on Steve Pearece’s RBI grounder in the first. After Bell replied for Pittsburgh, Donaldson restored Toronto’s lead with a bases-loaded walk in the second.
After missing the previous two games with an illness, Kendrys Morales pinch hit for Raffy Lopez after the Blue Jays loaded the bases with one out in the fifth. Morales hit an RBI grounder to short and a second run scored when second baseman Adam Frazier’s relay throw on an attempted double play got away from Bell at first.
Pirates right-hander Trevor Williams (5-5) allowed four runs, three earned, in six innings.
Toronto scored three times against Joaquin Benoit in the seventh, with two runs scoring on Josh Harrison’s throwing error and a third on Kevin Pillar’s sacrifice fly.