Red Sox Sweep Rangers, Win Ninth Straight
The Boston Red Sox continued their hot streak on Wednesday night with their ace taking the mound at Fenway Park. Chris Sale struck out 12 batters over seven innings, as the Red Sox won their ninth straight game, 4-2, over the Texas Rangers. Sale earned his 10th win in his final start before the All-Star Game in Washington, D.C., helping the Red Sox improve to 36 games over .500 for the first time since 1978, when they won the AL East Title. Mookie Betts extended his major league batting lead with two hits, while J.D. Martinez extended his RBI lead with a pair of RBI, giving him 79 for the season. Bartolo Colon was the recipient of that offense, as he allowed four runs on nine hits over six innings in his seventh loss. Elvis Andrus had three hits for the Rangers, but they struck out 18 times as a team in their fifth loss in the past six games. On the other end, the Red Sox have won 14 of 16 and are currently on their second nine-game win streak of the season. They also won nine in a row after losing on Opening Day. They will bring in the Toronto Blue Jays for a four-game weekend series beginning on Thursday night. The Rangers will end the unofficial first half in Baltimore against the Orioles.
Giants Walk Off Against Cubs Again
The San Francisco Giants continue to be one of four teams fighting for the top spot in the NL West, and a pair of walk-off wins over the Chicago Cubs this week definitely help their case. They recorded another extra-inning win at AT&T Park on Wednesday afternoon, as Buster Posey singled home the winning run in the 13th inning for a 5-4 win over the Cubs. It was the second walk-off win over Chicago in the series, following Pablo Sandoval's walk-off single on Monday night. Posey's single went off the right field wall for his fifth-career game-ending hit. That gave rookie Derek Rodriguez his fourth win, as he came in for three innings of scoreless relief, and recorded three of the Giants' 16 strikeouts on the day. James Norwood suffered his first loss after walking Brandon Belt to begin the inning, as Belt came around to score on Posey's game-ender. Andrew McCutchen also singled in the inning, as Posey's hit gave the Giants their first run since scoring four in the first inning. The game last four hours, 30 minutes, as the Giants earned their 30th win at AT&T Park. Javier Baez tied things up in the eighth inning with a home run off of Tony Watson, who saw his 20.2-inning home scoreless streak and 18-inning overall scoreless streak come to an end. The Giants will stay home for an interleague battle with the Oakland Athletics this weekend, while the Cubs continue their road trip against the San Diego Padres.
Rockies, Indians Score 19 Runs Apiece in Routs
Two teams went off on Wednesday night to earn blowout wins on their home fields, beginning with another offensive explosion at Coors Field. The Colorado Rockies blew out the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks, 19-2. The Rockies hit five home runs on the night, led by Carlos Gonzalez's two home runs and six RBI, while starting pitcher German Marquez helped himself with a long ball. Ian Desmond and Charlie Blackmon also went deep, as the Rockies put up 12 runs in the first three innings. Shelby Miller fell to 0-4 for the D-backs, but only had five runs against him, as he left after the first inning with right elbow tightness. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Indians avoided a sweep in their interleague series with the Cincinnati Reds with a 19-4 rout at Progressive Field. Jose Ramirez was the leader in this performance, homering twice and driving in five, tying Albert Belle's franchise record for home runs before the All-Star break. Ramirez's first home run was a two-run shot during a nine-run third inning, as Tyler Mahle dropped to 7-7 for the Reds. The Tribe also did not waste time with their bats, putting up a 17-0 lead by the fifth inning. That forced the Reds to have position players pitch for 4.2 innings. Jason Kipnis also went deep for the Indians, who snapped a four-game losing streak with the win. They will host the New York Yankees beginning on Thursday, while the Reds head to St. Louis to take on the Cardinals.
The Boston Red Sox continued their hot streak on Wednesday night with their ace taking the mound at Fenway Park. Chris Sale struck out 12 batters over seven innings, as the Red Sox won their ninth straight game, 4-2, over the Texas Rangers. Sale earned his 10th win in his final start before the All-Star Game in Washington, D.C., helping the Red Sox improve to 36 games over .500 for the first time since 1978, when they won the AL East Title. Mookie Betts extended his major league batting lead with two hits, while J.D. Martinez extended his RBI lead with a pair of RBI, giving him 79 for the season. Bartolo Colon was the recipient of that offense, as he allowed four runs on nine hits over six innings in his seventh loss. Elvis Andrus had three hits for the Rangers, but they struck out 18 times as a team in their fifth loss in the past six games. On the other end, the Red Sox have won 14 of 16 and are currently on their second nine-game win streak of the season. They also won nine in a row after losing on Opening Day. They will bring in the Toronto Blue Jays for a four-game weekend series beginning on Thursday night. The Rangers will end the unofficial first half in Baltimore against the Orioles.
Giants Walk Off Against Cubs Again
The San Francisco Giants continue to be one of four teams fighting for the top spot in the NL West, and a pair of walk-off wins over the Chicago Cubs this week definitely help their case. They recorded another extra-inning win at AT&T Park on Wednesday afternoon, as Buster Posey singled home the winning run in the 13th inning for a 5-4 win over the Cubs. It was the second walk-off win over Chicago in the series, following Pablo Sandoval's walk-off single on Monday night. Posey's single went off the right field wall for his fifth-career game-ending hit. That gave rookie Derek Rodriguez his fourth win, as he came in for three innings of scoreless relief, and recorded three of the Giants' 16 strikeouts on the day. James Norwood suffered his first loss after walking Brandon Belt to begin the inning, as Belt came around to score on Posey's game-ender. Andrew McCutchen also singled in the inning, as Posey's hit gave the Giants their first run since scoring four in the first inning. The game last four hours, 30 minutes, as the Giants earned their 30th win at AT&T Park. Javier Baez tied things up in the eighth inning with a home run off of Tony Watson, who saw his 20.2-inning home scoreless streak and 18-inning overall scoreless streak come to an end. The Giants will stay home for an interleague battle with the Oakland Athletics this weekend, while the Cubs continue their road trip against the San Diego Padres.
Rockies, Indians Score 19 Runs Apiece in Routs
Two teams went off on Wednesday night to earn blowout wins on their home fields, beginning with another offensive explosion at Coors Field. The Colorado Rockies blew out the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks, 19-2. The Rockies hit five home runs on the night, led by Carlos Gonzalez's two home runs and six RBI, while starting pitcher German Marquez helped himself with a long ball. Ian Desmond and Charlie Blackmon also went deep, as the Rockies put up 12 runs in the first three innings. Shelby Miller fell to 0-4 for the D-backs, but only had five runs against him, as he left after the first inning with right elbow tightness. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Indians avoided a sweep in their interleague series with the Cincinnati Reds with a 19-4 rout at Progressive Field. Jose Ramirez was the leader in this performance, homering twice and driving in five, tying Albert Belle's franchise record for home runs before the All-Star break. Ramirez's first home run was a two-run shot during a nine-run third inning, as Tyler Mahle dropped to 7-7 for the Reds. The Tribe also did not waste time with their bats, putting up a 17-0 lead by the fifth inning. That forced the Reds to have position players pitch for 4.2 innings. Jason Kipnis also went deep for the Indians, who snapped a four-game losing streak with the win. They will host the New York Yankees beginning on Thursday, while the Reds head to St. Louis to take on the Cardinals.
