MLB ROUNDUP: RED SOX SEND WHITE SOX TO RECORD 14TH STRAIGHT LOSS
Ceddanne Rafaela had four hits and drove in four runs Thursday as the visiting Boston Red Sox handed the Chicago White Sox their 14th consecutive defeat, 14-2.
The 14 straight losses represent a White Sox franchise record within a single season.
Tanner Houck (6-5) limited Chicago to two runs on three hits and no walks in seven innings. He struck out nine.
Jarren Duran, Enmanuel Valdez and Jamie Westbrook each homered for Boston, which collected a season-high 24 hits. Duran, who had four hits in the victory, led off the game with a homer against Chicago’s Jake Woodford (0-2).
Blue Jays 6, Orioles 5
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a three-run home run, Yusei Kikuchi pitched six strong innings and Toronto held on to defeat Baltimore and complete a 4-3 homestand.
Ernie Clement tallied two RBIs, Justin Turner collected two hits and Daulton Varsho scored twice for the Blue Jays, who won the final two games of the teams’ four-game series. Kikuchi (3-5) allowed one run, four hits and one walk in six innings.
Orioles left-hander Cade Povich (0-1) made his major league debut and surrendered six runs, five hits and four walks while striking out two in 5 1/3 innings. Adley Rutschman hit two home runs for Baltimore, and Ryan O’Hearn added a two-run, pinch-hit homer.
Yankees 8, Twins 5
Trent Grisham made a rare start and drove in three runs as host New York extended its winning streak to a season-best eight games by beating Minnesota.
The Yankees swept the three-game set, but they lifted Juan Soto due to left forearm discomfort following a 56-minute rain delay between the fifth and sixth innings. Gleyber Torres hit a tiebreaking two-run double in New York’s three-run third. Marcus Stroman allowed five runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Carlos Correa homered in the first off Stroman, and Christian Vazquez hit a tying homer in the third. Minnesota starter Pablo Lopez (5-6) was tagged for seven runs on four hits and a career-worst six walks in four innings.
Royals 4, Guardians 3
Kyle Isbel delivered a two-out, tiebreaking single in the eighth, and five Kansas City relievers held host Cleveland without a hit over 5 1/3 innings.
Relievers Will Smith, Angel Zerpa, Sam Long (1-1), John Schreiber and James McArthur (12th save) stymied the AL Central-leading Guardians to split the abbreviated two-game series. Vinnie Pasquantino and Hunter Renfroe each had two hits with an RBI as the Royals won for the third time in 10 games.
Jose Ramirez homered for Cleveland, which went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and couldn’t take advantage of Kansas City stranding 11 men.
Dodgers 11, Pirates 7
Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts each belted a three-run home run to power visiting Los Angeles to a victory over Pittsburgh, salvaging the finale of a three-game series.
Los Angeles’ Teoscar Hernandez also went deep and Miguel Rojas drove in a pair of runs to highlight their respective three-hit performances. Reliever Michael Grove (3-2) picked up the win after allowing one hit and striking out three over two scoreless innings.
Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz launched a three-run homer into the Allegheny River in the eighth inning to trim Los Angeles’ lead to 11-7. Alex Vesia, however, struck out the side in the ninth inning to end the game. Nick Gonzales blasted a two-run homer and Ke’Bryan Hayes had three hits for the Pirates.
Rockies 3, Cardinals 2
Michael Toglia drove in a run and made a run-saving catch as visiting Colorado edged St. Louis to snap a five-game losing streak.
Rockies starter Cal Quantrill (5-4) blanked the Cardinals for five innings while allowing three hits and four walks. Tyler Kinley earned his third save.
Cardinals starter Sonny Gray (7-4) surrendered three runs on two hits and four walks in 4 2/3 innings.
Mariners 3, Athletics 0
Bryan Woo threw six shutout innings, Mitch Garver homered and drove in two runs, and visiting Seattle prevailed in a third straight pitchers’ duel between the American League West rivals.
Woo (3-0), an Oakland native, allowed just two hits and no walks in the fourth scoreless outing among his six starts this season. He lowered his ERA to 1.07, setting a Mariners record for the best ERA in the first six starts of a season.
A’s starter JP Sears (4-5) was nearly as good, limiting the Mariners to two runs and three hits in six innings.
Reds 8, Cubs 4
Elly De La Cruz celebrated the one-year anniversary of his major league debut with a three-run homer, helping Cincinnati record a victory over visiting Chicago.
Will Benson and Jonathan India added two RBIs apiece for the Reds, who increased their winning streak to a season-best five games. Benson and teammate Tyler Stephenson had two hits apiece.
Seiya Suzuki and Christopher Morel hit two-run homers for the Cubs, who lost for the 10th time in the past 14 games.
Braves 5, Nationals 2
Marcell Ozuna capped a three-run eighth inning with a two-run homer as Atlanta rallied to beat host Washington.
Adam Duvall also homered for the Braves, who have won three of their last four games. Ozzie Albies doubled against Hunter Harvey (2-2) in the eighth inning and Austin Riley blooped an RBI single to center for a 3-2 lead. Ozuna followed with his 18th home run of the season.
Aaron Bummer (2-2) pitched one inning for the win, and Raisel Iglesias worked the ninth for his 16th save. CJ Abrams and Lane Thomas hit back-to-back homers for the Nationals, who have lost four straight. Abrams had gone 1-for-21 over his past five games.
Diamondbacks 4, Padres 3
Ketel Marte’s two-out RBI single in the seventh inning snapped a tie and lifted visiting Arizona past slumping San Diego.
Corbin Carroll doubled off reliever Jeremiah Estrada (2-1) before Marte delivered the hit that gave Arizona its fifth win in six games. Kevin Ginkel (5-1) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the win, and Paul Sewald earned the save, his seventh.
It was the fifth straight loss for San Diego, spoiling a three-hit performance by Fernando Tatis Jr. that extended his hitting streak to 12 games.