Indians 8, @Orioles 7 After sweeping the division-leading Tigers, the suddenly resurgent Indians outlasted the Orioles in 13 innings for a 4-game winning streak, tying their longest of the season. Baltimore suffered its 3rd loss when leading after 6 innings, and 2nd when leading after 7.
More after the jump.
Despite allowing a Nick Markakis home run, Scott Atchison picked up his second career save and first since 2011. Atchison this year has joined Brian Shouse as the only expansion era relievers (and two of only 5 relievers since 1901) with 200 IP at age 34+, after debuting before age 30 and compiling fewer than 100 IP before age 34.
Blue Jays 7, @Red Sox 2 Toronto completed a Fenway sweep, sending the defending champs to their 7th straight loss, 6 of them at home. The last team to win 3 straight in Boston with multiple homers in each contest – Toronto at the end of the 2012 season, the last time Boston lost 7 in a row.
Yankees 2, @White Sox 3 Chris Sale made his return to the White Sox lineup by striking out the side in the first inning, en route to 6 dominating innings of one hit ball, that hit coming after the first 17 Bombers had been retired in order. Sale joined Stephen Strasburg as authors of the only searchable starts of exactly 6 innings with only one hit allowed and 10+ strikeouts. Sale’s effort is the only such searchable game of 6 or fewer innings to also feature zero walks.
Rangers 9, @Tigers 2 The suddenly reeling Tigers went down to their fourth straight defeat at the hands of Yu Darvish, who maintained his perfect career record against Detroit, now 5-0 in 5 starts. Tiger rookie Robbie Ray, after allowing only one run over his first 12 innings. suffered his first thrashing as the Rangers pounded him for 7 runs on 9 hits in only 3.1 innings of work.
Astros 1, @Mariners 3 Seattle returned to the .500 mark on the first night of an 11-game home stand, their longest of the season. Michael Saunders broke a 1-1 tie with a two out, 2-RBI hit in the 7th inning, beating out a slow roller between first and second. Coming on a full count, it was enough to score Stefen Romero from second base.
Athletics 2, @Rays 5 Tampa Bay cooled off the red hot As, winners of 5 straight and 10 of 11. Sonny Gray dueled Alex Cobb for 6 scoreless innings until Yunel Escobar‘s one-out single in the 7th put the Rays ahead. But Grant Balfour couldn’t make it stand up, suffering his second blown save when Yoenis Cespedes drilled a first pitch one-out double down the left field line to score pinch-runner Craig Gentry, who had stolen second base. After an intentional walk to load the bases, Balfour retired the next two As to escape the 9th without further damage. Cespedes struck again in the 11th with a sac fly to put the As ahead. But Oakland’s bullpen couldn’t hold the lead as Dan Otero yielded a game-tying two-out RBI single before giving way to Luke Gregerson, summoned to face the Rays’ Sean Rodriguez. That move backfired big-time as Rodriguez drilled a 2-2 offering into the left-field seats to send the fans home happy. For Gregerson, it was his 5th walk-off home run allowed in 40 career road games finished. Otero, in contrast, has allowed one career home run, tied with Alex Torres for the fewest of any active pitcher with 80 career IP.
Gray recorded his 3rd career start of 8+ IP allowing one run or none, joining teammates Tommy Milone and Jarrod Parker who also accomplished that same feat within their first 25 career games.
I’ll take a look at the NL slate tomorrow.
