Boston ties franchise record with 15th straight win
Trending
BOSTON (AP) -- The Boston Red Sox won their 15th straight game to match a club record for the longest winning streak in team history from 80 years ago, beating the Baltimore Orioles 6-3 in the opener of a split doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon.
They equaled the 1946 American League champs, who were led by future Hall of Famer Ted Williams.
Jarren Duran had a two-run triple and a sacrifice fly, and Caleb Durbin -- who hit a tiebreaking homer when they posted their 14th straight victory on Monday -- chipped in with a two-run single.
Ceddanne Rafaela added a solo home run for Boston in a makeup from Tuesday鈥檚 rainout.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand had a solo homer for Baltimore, his second in two games.
Red Sox rookie left-hander Jake Bennnett (6-3) worked 5 2/3 innings, giving up three runs -- one coming on a sun-aided RBI double by Tyler O鈥橬eill -- on nine hits.
He took a 102.8 mph liner off the stomach from Taylor Ward in the fifth, but remained in the game after being checked by a trainer, interim manager Chad Tracy and first baseman Willson Contreras, who appeared to make him breath while telling him to lift his arms.
Aroldis Chapman got the final three outs for his 23rd save and 390th of his career, tying Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley for ninth all-time.
The Red Sox jumped out to a 4-0 lead against Dean Kremer (1-3) in the first on Durbin鈥檚 line single and Duran鈥檚 two-out hit.
Encarnacion-Strand hit his homer into the batter鈥檚 eye to make it 5-2 in the fourth but Rafaela hit his over the Green Monster in the bottom half.
Kremer lasted six innings, allowing six runs.
REDS 5, MARINERS 3
SEATTLE (AP) -- Sal Stewart hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the seventh inning to lift the Cincinnati Reds past the Seattle Mariners 5-3 on Wednesday.
The Mariners (51-52) slid a game behind Texas (51-50) in the AL West with their second straight loss after winning the series opener against the Reds.
Stewart hit his team-leading 21st home run of the season on a first-pitch sinker from Mariners reliever Eduard Bazardo (3-3) with two outs to make it 5-3. Bazardo walked Edwin Arroyo and gave up a single to Ke鈥橞ryan Hayes before Stewart鈥檚 homer.
Emilio Pag谩n pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his ninth save and second in as many days.
JJ Bleday also went deep for Cincinnati, hitting a solo shot off Mariners starter Emerson Hancock in the fourth inning to tie it at 2. Hancock, who threw six innings of two-run ball, gave up one more run in the inning on an RBI single by Dane Myers.
Seattle twice took leads against Reds starter Brady Singer (5-9), who allowed three runs in 6鈪� innings. The Mariners went up 1-0 in the second on an RBI single by Cal Raleigh and then 3-2 in the fourth on a two-run single by Luke Raley.
Raleigh, last year鈥檚 AL MVP runner-up, drove in six runs during the series, including a grand slam on Monday.
Seattle infielder J.P. Crawford missed his third straight game with a sore wrist. Outfielder Julio Rodriguez, who came off the bench Tuesday night due to injury, was Seattle鈥檚 designated hitter and batted second.
BREWERS 4, METS 3
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Joey Ortiz went 3 for 3 and was a homer away from the cycle to help the Milwaukee Brewers defeat the New York Mets 4-3 on Wednesday.
Christian Yelich drove in two runs and Logan Henderson matched a career high with nine strikeouts for NL Central-leading Milwaukee, which took two of three from New York. Marcus Semien and Brett Baty homered for the Mets, who are last in the NL East.
Ortiz hit a two-run triple in the second inning, singled in the fourth and had a ground-rule double in the sixth before walking in the eighth. He also made a diving stop of a grounder by A.J. Ewing and threw to first for the final out.
Ortiz is batting .373 (19 of 51) since July 4, improving his season average from .201 to .239.
Henderson (4-1) allowed five hits and two runs without walking anyone in five innings. He faced a Mets lineup missing five-time All-Star Juan Soto, who got the day off.
Trailing 4-2, New York put runners on first and second in the eighth against Abner Uribe before second baseman Brice Turang made an outstanding defensive play -- going well to his right to field a grounder from Jorge Polanco -- to end the threat.
Francisco Alvarez singled home Tyrone Taylor with two outs in the ninth before Trevor Megill got his 16th save in 18 opportunities. Megill鈥檚 streak of 15 straight scoreless appearances ended.
New York鈥檚 Christian Scott (3-2) struck out six and allowed three runs, four hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings.
ROYALS 5, GIANTS 4
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Salvador Perez tied the franchise home run record and Lane Thomas hit a tiebreaking, two-run single in the seventh to lift the Kansas City Royals to a 5-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.
Kansas City right-hander Seth Lugo (4-6) held the Giants scoreless till the sixth inning, when he gave up a leadoff walk and hit the next batter. Runners advanced on a sacrifice bunt from Drew Cavanhaugh, and Luis Arraez knocked the game鈥檚 first run across with a sacrifice fly to center.
The Giants struck again in the seventh with an RBI triple from Jung Hoo Lee and RBI double from Willy Adames to extend the lead. Lugo exited after the inning, giving up three hits and two walks. He also had five strikeouts.
Vinnie Pasquantino extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a double in the seventh inning. He was called safe after sliding past the bag. The call was confirmed and Giants manager Joey Vitello was ejected after arguing the call.
On the next at bat, Perez hit his 14th home run of the season and 317th of his career to tie the Royals鈥� franchise record. That signaled the end of right-hander Landen Roupp鈥檚 day. He allowed four hits and two runs and struck out seven.
The Royals pieced together the tying run with three straight singles, the third coming from pinch hitter Nick Loftin. The Royals loaded the bases with two outs and two scored on Thomas鈥� single to right center.
Royals closer Steven Cruz gave up a two-out home run, but popped out the final batter to earn his first career save. San Francisco lefty Sam Hentges (1-3) took the loss.
NATIONALS 8, ROCKIES 0
DENVER (AP) -- Cade Cavalli threw six strong innings, Luis Garc铆a Jr. hit a two-run homer as part of a six-run seventh to break open a tight game and the Washington Nationals beat the Colorado Rockies 8-0 on Wednesday.
The Nationals took two of three from the Rockies to win a fourth consecutive road series.
Cavalli (7-4) scattered four hits and walked two while striking out eight. The right-hander threw 90 pitches, mixing a blazing fastball with a baffling knuckle-curve. He also made a nifty play early in the game, reaching behind him with his glove to snare a sharp grounder headed up the middle.
Cavalli and Rockies starter Gabriel Hughes (0-2) matched zeros through four innings. The Nationals took a 1-0 lead in the fifth after Jorbit Vivas led off the inning with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly from James Wood.
Hughes went five innings and allowed one run while striking out five. Washington scored seven runs -- five earned -- on the Colorado bullpen.
CJ Abrams had a four-hit afternoon.
The decisive seventh inning featured a couple of errors on one play for the Rockies following a single up the middle by Dylan Crews with two runners aboard. A throw by Cole Carrigg missed the cutoff man, resulting in an error and sending catcher Brett Sullivan scrambling up the line. Sullivan then committed another miscue by throwing wide of pitcher Zach Agnos, who had to jump over Abrams while covering home.
Jake McCarthy lined a double for the Rockies in extending his on-base streak to 17 games.