And baseball can also be a pretty cruel game, and not only did E-Rod not get the no-hitter, he didn’t even get the win as the Red Sox faltered in the bottom of the ninth when Craig Kimbrel, the closer, was brought in by manager John Farrell to maintain a tie. Khris Davis then hit a ball into the left-field corner, and left fielder Brock Holt misplayed the carom off the wall, allowing Valencia to score.
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Rodriguez, the Boston left-hander who entered the game with a 5.35 ERA, had a no-hitter intact with two outs in the eighth when Semien hit a ground ball back up the middle.
A’s manager Bob Melvin challenged the call, which was overturned after a replay review that took approximately 19 seconds. Graveman pitched shutout ball for 6 1/3 innings and didn’t allow a run against a Red Sox team that had scored 27 runs in the first two games of the weekend series.
Blue Jays 5, Rays 3 – At St. Petersburg, Fla.: Russell Martin hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the eighth inning to help Toronto overcome a poor start by 17-game victor J.A. Happ and avoid a three-game sweep.
Boston right-hander Rick Porcello carried a bid for a flawless game into the sixth inning of an 11-2 victory Saturday. Rodriguez would then get Jake Smolinski to ground out to end the frame.
Kendall Graveman saved the A’s in two ways Sunday, with his right arm and with his head.
Oakland has not been held without a hit since four Orioles pitchers turned the trick on July 13, 1991 – the longest active streak in the majors. Tiant tossed a 3-hitter in Game 1 of the ALCS, setting the stage for the three-game sweep of Oakland.
Ryan Madson (5-4), who pitched a 1-2-3 top of the ninth, got the win.
Retiring Red Sox slugger David Ortiz received a standing ovation before his initial at-bat, when he struck out swinging to end the first.
The loss dropped the Red Sox a game back of Toronto, which beat Tampa Sunday, in the American League East.
Melvin said he thought the key to the game was Graveman getting out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the fourth, the result of a throwing error by Valencia that pulled Semien off second base on a potential force play. “He’s performing as well as he ever has”.
It was only the fifth time the Red Sox have been shut out this season, and it was a painful one, considering Rodriguez’s performance. They went 0-11 against Baltimore in 1978, 0-7 versus Cleveland in 1995 and 0-6 when facing the Indians in 1994.
“I definitely wanted to jump (Kimbrel) early because he’d just walked Danny, and I know he was just trying to get ahead, so I didn’t want to miss the first one”, Davis said.
In addition to holding Boston at bay, Graveman was counseling Davis. “And that showed up late in the game, so give him credit”.
Dustin Pedroia has an 11-game hitting streak and has hit in 20 straight against the A’s.
His glove came through when it mattered behind Rodriguez: Moncada snagged Billy Butler’s hard liner to start the seventh.
Athletics: Rehabbing pitchers Felix Doubront (left elbow) and Chris Bassitt (right elbow) were scheduled to play catch out to 90 feet Monday as they each recover from Tommy John surgery.
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The A’s have used a dozen starting pitchers so far this season, and they’ll trot out a couple more this week when Raul Alcantara and Jharel Cotton come up from the minors to make their major league debuts.
