Only the early precincts were tallied when Game Notes put the issue to bed.

Rays 10, @Yankees 6 — Rain ruined the rampaging Rays’ second head-to-head crack at 1st place on Thursday, but the indirect route proved just as rewarding. A 6-run eruption off CC Sabathia, plus Boston’s meek loss in Charm City, left them alone at the top for the first time since last June, riding the long crest of a 20-3 wave (2.33 ERA).

With a run in and 2 outs in the 2nd, Sabathia walked light-hitting Jose Lobaton, then yielded 4 straight scoring hits. So hot are the Rays that even a silly bunt by Desmond Jennings, with 2 outs and men on 2nd & 1st, led to a run, when Austin Romine’s throw got away. James Loney drove in the 7th run off Sabathia (9 hits, 3 walks in 5 IP), then cracked a 3-run HR in the 7th for a 10-1 lead. The Yanks scored 5 in the last 2 frames, but never got the tying run to the plate (even though Rodney still got a “save” for retiring one man).

• Jeremy Hellickson, whose mound presence inspires the offense, won his 6th straight decision, with a 2.09 ERA in those 7 games.
• 7+ runs in 3 straight off Sabathia, first time ever. He had one trio of 6+ runs and another of 5+, both way back in his 2nd season. CC did stop his 6-game HR string, one shy of his career high.
• A 9-9 mark endangers Sabathia’s record-long streak of winning seasons to start a career. He is the only pitcher in MLB history with 20+ starts and a winning record each of his first 12 seasons. (Dropping the threshold to 15+ starts brings in Andy Pettitte, and 10+ lands Whitey Ford, Juan Marichal and Carl Hubbell.)
• Alfonso Soriano went 0 for 5, making out twice with the bases loaded.
• New York’s home-run drought reached 8 games, their longest since 1984. There are 6 seasons since 1950 in which the Bombers had a homerless string of 8 games or more (2 in 1969 and ’71); none of those teams made the postseason.

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@Blue Jays 12, Astros 6 — An inning that will live in Astros infamy. Toronto trailed 6-4 after the stretch, but their 7th went HR, tying HR, double, go-ahead double, walk, HBP, walk, for an 8-6 lead. With the bases full and no outs, first baseman Brett Wallace caught one foul pop, then dropped one by Jose Bautista, but Joey Bats popped up again. That brought up Edwin Encarnacion, who started the carnage, and on a full count, he capped it — a grand slam, his 2nd HR of the inning and 28th of the year, completing an 8-run firestorm.

• Jose Reyes homered, doubled, stole, and reached 5 times, now hitting .338/.907 in 36 games.

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@Tigers 2, Phillies 1 — Doug Fister (8 IP, unearned run) and Joaquin Benoit held the depleted Phils to 4 singles, and Alex Avila — then 2-42 off southpaws, with 20 Ks — flipped a 1-0 deficit with a 2-run double off Cole Hamels. Detroit went to 4-1 in games played without Miguel Cabrera this year, while Philly lost their 6th in a row. Benoit has allowed 7 runs in 42 IP, and hasn’t blown a lead all year (10 saves, 9 holds).

• Avila is 11-55 with RISP, but 10-34 with 2 or more on base.

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@Orioles 6, Red Sox 0 — What happens when Chris Tillman doesn’t allow a home run? Chances for study are rare, as he’d given a tater (or more) in 20 of 35 starts since 2012. But his 7 innings of 2-hit ball tonight made him 10-2 with a 1.95 ERA in those 16 games, and 13-3 overall this year. Adam Jones (2 HRs, 3 RBI) and Manny Machado (HR, RBI hit) had the wallops off John Lackey, who’s now dropped two straight after a long hot spell.

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@Indians 11, Rangers 8 (11 inn.) — To bunt, or not to bunt? After shedding a 7-1 lead, the Tribe got their first two aboard in the last of the 11th. Ryan Raburn knows how to lay it down: 9 sacs and 5 hits in 19 attempts. On deck, Michael Brantley had 3 hits already, and he’s been fantastic the last 2 years at delivering a man from 3rd with less than 2 outs. Texas had tied the game on Ian Kinsler’s 2-run hit after a 1-out sac in the 8th.

But Terry Francona is just not so inclined; only two teams have tried fewer sacrifices than Cleveland’s 19 this year. So Raburn watched a ball, a strike and a ball from Justin Frasor, and when he finally swung, he got all of it — just his 2nd game-ender out of 244 career RBI. Cleveland rose to 6-1 in extra innings, while Texas sunk to 1-7.

• Cleveland has 3 walk-off HRs this year, all 3-run shots; all others combined have five 3-run game-winners.
• Martin Perez’s worst start saw 7 runs in 3 IP. After Darvish (2.86) and Holland (3.06), the rest of the starters have a 5.09 ERA and 5-1/3 IP per start.
• Leonys Martin went 1st-to-3rd on a wild pitch with 2 outs, top 11th, but Bryan Shaw popped up Nelson Cruz on 2-and-0.

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@Rockies 8, Brewers 3 — Tyler Chatwood whiffed a career-high 11, walked none, and had the game’s biggest hit, a 2-run double in the middle of a 4-run 2nd inning.

Chatwood’s best strength may be limiting home runs, especially given his home park. He’s allowed just 3 HRs in 83 IP this year (and none in 5 triple-A starts), which is consistent with his minor-league record. The Angels dealt him for Chris Iannetta after a so-so rookie year in 2011, perhaps leery of his strikeout and walk rates. And those may still be issues for Tyler, even after this gem. But he’s just 23, has over 700 pro innings, and he’s 7-3, 2.48 this year.

• Chatwood is also a career .333 hitter, 16 for 48, with only 6 Ks and 10 sacrifices.
• As a 21-year-old first-year, Chatwood made 25 starts with a 79 ERA+. I looked up pitchers age 20 or 21, first year or second, with 20+ starts and ERA+ between 70 and 90, from 1901-2010. That group of 30 pitchers includes Greg Maddux, Catfish Hunter, Dave McNally, Lefty Tyler (127-116), Van Mungo (120-115), Alex Fernandez (107-87), Zack Greinke (99-81), Billy Hoeft, Steve Avery, Jack Kramer … A pitcher that young, who can take the ball 20 times without embarrassing himself, has a decent shot to put it together in time.

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@Nationals 2, Mets 1 (nightcap) — Ryan Zimmerman salvaged his team’s frustrating day by drilling a 3-1 pitch for a walk-off home run against LaTroy Hawkins, their lone RBI of the twin-bill and their second sudden celebration in as many days. Ross Ohlendorf gutted out 7 innings on 114 pitches in his 2nd start of the year, popping up David Wright with 2 on to end his labors. Matt Harvey was splendid — no earned runs, 5 hits (3 by Jayson Werth) and a walk in 8 IP, 99 pitches — but he left for a PH in the 9th, when the Mets missed a golden chance. A hustle double and a wild pitch by Rafael Soriano put the lead run at 3rd with 1 out, but Juan Lagares (the day game’s second star) hacked at a high 3-1 pitch and popped foul, and Daniel Murphy’s drive was tracked down in CF.

Murphy had a huge day on offense, but his wild throw on an easy DP relay let in the tying run against Harvey. The ace has 11 no-decision, with a 2.38 ERA in 75.2 IP.

• Just the 4th game-ending HR in Hawkins’s 19 seasons. The Mets have 8 walk-off losses this year, trailing only the Marlins.
• In Washington since 2005, the Nationals have 22 walk-off home runs — 9 by Zimmerman, 1 each by 13 others. He has 15 of their 62 game-winning RBI; Ian Desmond is next with 4.

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Mets 11, @Nationals 0 (day) — Answer: “Beyond our wildest dreams.” Question: Predict the reaction of Terry Collins to the 7 scoreless innings delivered by former hot prospect Jenrry Mejia, who’s managed only 160 innings in the last 3 years thanks to T.J. surgery. Mejia found trouble in the 1st and 3rd innings by the same route — 1-out singles by Steve Lombardozzi and Ryan Zimmerman — but each time he retired Adam LaRoche and Jayson Werth, and he gained steam. Mejia gave 7 singles in all, but no walks, and fanned 7.

Jordan Zimmermann walked 3 for just the 2nd time this year, but he was better than the score suggests. Daniel Murphy homered twice for a 3-0 lead; his next damage off JZ came with 2 outs in the 7th, on his 118th pitch (career high). The runner he left behind then stole and scored on a 2-strike bloop, closing Zimmermann’s book at 5 runs, and his 3rd straight loss. The other 6 runs came in the 9th, capped by Ike Davis’s 3-run shot — his 6th, and the 7th off struggling Drew Storen.

• Until today, each of Murphy’s 32 career homers came off a different pitcher, even in his one prior 2-HR game. But with 2 in a row today against Zimmermann, Murphy has 3 in that matchup — tied with Giancarlo Stanton atop JZ’s home-run list, joining Stanton and Andrew McCutchen in getting him twice in a game.
• A career day for rookie Juan Lagares (4-3-3-1) included 2 doubles and his first 2 steals. He seems to be gaining confidence from the notice paid to his defense: With innings equivalent to 43 games, he has 1.4 dWAR and 7 assists, none sweeter than this money peg from Wednesday, his second plate-cleaner in as many games.
• Nats have been blanked 10 times, 4th in the bigs and 2 more than they had last year. They’re 9-14 in margins of 5+ runs; last year, 21-11.
• Mets’ biggest whitewash in 4 years. Out of 31 players in that game, just Wright and Parnell remain with those clubs.

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Late Thursday

Reds 5, @Dodgers 2 — Quick: Who’s started the most team wins over the last 2 seasons? It’s a tie among Mat Latos, Max Scherzer and Gio Gonzalez, all starting 37 team wins. Latos also has been the best at avoiding individual losses; his 7 losses in 54 starts is the lowest loss rate among those with 30+ starts since 2012.

• Out of 25 hitters with 60+ RBI this year, Brandon Phillips ranks last with a .721 OPS and .405 slugging. Should he reach 120 RBI with these same rates (he’s on a 127-RBI pace), it would be the lowest OPS and SLG ever in such a season.
• But let us not bury Brandon. He is batting .407 with men in scoring position, compared to .263 overall. The ratio between those two marks would be the highest in searchable history for someone with 100+ RISP chances. (The OPS ratio would be only 2nd; check out Leo Cardenas, 1966.)
• My Puig-sub-.300 bet has taken a hit with his 7-for-12 in the last 3 games, pulling him back up to .379 from a year’s-low .364. He continues to excel on the first pitch — .667 BA, 1.767 OPS are tops among those with 20+ first-pitch PAs. But there’s some evidence of increased caution from pitchers. After hitting 4 first-pitch HRs in his first 14 such PAs through June 20, Puig’s gone “just” 10-19 with 2 doubles since. To his credit, Yasiel has been more willing to take that first pitch, and he’s 7 for his last 8 on a 1-0 count.

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Random notes

Padres 10, Brewers 8 was the 3rd game this year with a reliever on each team yielding at least 4 runs in one inning or less. There were 3 such games last year, as well.

Gio Gonzalez: 5.2 IP, 8 hits, 4 walks, 11 SO — Only start in the last two seasons with 6 IP or less and 11+ in both strikeouts and baserunners.

Austin Romine was 2 for 40 on the road this year before going 3-4 in Texas. His overall batting line is among the worst around — 16 for 83, 1 walk, 1 HBP, no HRs. But he’s scored 10 runs out of 18 times on base, partly because he runs well for a catcher, partly because 7 of his 16 hits are doubles.

Out of 27 no-hit pitchers since 2001:

• Mark Buehrle (2), Justin Verlander (2) and A.J. Burnett pitched Thursday (win, loss, no decision);
• Matt Garza, Francisco Liriano, Anibal Sanchez, Ervin Santana and Jered Weaver pitched Wednesday;
• Homer Bailey (2), Felix Hernandez, Matt Cain and Edwin Jackson were scheduled for Friday (the latter two squaring off), making 3 straight days that the owners of 5 total no-hitters saw action;
• Jon Lester pitched Tuesday, Ubaldo Jimenez and Tim Lincecum pitched Monday;
• Philip Humber and Jonathan Sanchez are in AAA;
• Clay Buchholz, Roy Halladay and Johan Santana are on the D.L.;
• Carlos Zambrano was released Thursday; and
• Derek Lowe retired last week, joining Dallas Braden, Randy Johnson, Kevin Millwood, Hideo Nomo and Bud Smith.

Out of 157 sacrifice bunt attempts by pitchers with 2 runners on base this year, there have been:

• 88 sac bunts;
• 1 hit (for a total success rate of 57% — note that all 4 “reached on error” were counted as sacrifices);
• 7 double plays; and
• 19 strikeouts on foul or missed bunts.

Starling Marte walked twice on Thursday, equalizing his walks and HBP at 17 each. The last player to be hit 17+ times with more HBP than walks was in 1901, Dan McGann. (Legendary artiste de plonque Hughie Jennings pulled it off 3 straight years in the 1890s, totaling 129 HBP and just 85 walks.)

Draw seven tiles, everyone — Scrabble is back!

Henry Urrutia, in his first year of American ball, bagged his first extra-base hit Thursday, a triple, giving him 7 hits in 20 ABs so far. Urrutia led the AA Eastern League with a .365 BA (3rd in OPS) for two months, then kept it up with .367 in 15 games at AAA Norfolk, spurring the Call. For the moment, Urrutia is the 200th modern player with at least one triple but no other extra-base hits. That parade’s led by the dead-ball pitcher Limb McKenry, with a quartet of three-baggers among his seven safeties, including this excellent all-around game.