In one of the uglier sequences of the Orioles’ season, with the bases loaded, two outs and the home team nursing a 1-0 lead, first baseman Chris Davis fielded a grounder to his right but threw low and wide past pitcher Brad Brach covering first, allowing two runs to score.
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The New York Yankees snapped a five-game skid with a 5-3 triumph over the Tampa Bay Rays, Gary Sanchez smashing the go-ahead three-run homer in the seventh to help keep his side in post-season contention. Baltimore (82-70) slipped to six games behind the Red Sox in the American League East, missing a chance to tie Toronto (83-69) for second place as the Blue Jays lost in Seattle earlier.
With an thrilling 4-game sweep, the Boston Red Sox extinguished the New York Yankees’ hopes of competing in this year’s playoffs.
Blue Jays 10, Mariners 2: J.A. Happ became the major leagues’ second 20-game victor and Russell Martin and Michael Saunders each hit a two-run homer for Toronto, which moved into first in the AL wild-card race.
The Orioles would run the final to 5-2 on J.J. Hardy’s RBI-single in the last of the seventh, however all things being equal the game would have been tied if not for that pitch. NOTES: Orioles manager Buck Showalter said that RHP Yovani Gallardo and LHP Wade Miley will start the first two games of this weekend’s series against Arizona. If we can get in, I feel real good about this group.
Jimenez was replaced by the Orioles All-Star reliever Brad Brach to get out of the jam and it seemed like he was going too before the Red Sox caught a break. After Jimenez struck out Travis Shaw, Brach came in to face Aaron Hill, who bunted for a base hit. Betts, who will turn 24 in two weeks, now has 201 hits, which leads the Major Leagues, 40 doubles, 31 home runs and 24 stolen bases.
“Obviously just didn’t make a very good throw on it”, Davis said of the play. With less than two weeks left in the regular season, the Red Sox have scored six straight wins against division rivals – four against the New York Yankees and two against the Baltimore Orioles.
Said Brach: “I was just heading over to the bag, and when I picked up (sight) of the ball it was just coming a little hard to me and a little bit out of my reach”. Red Sox rookie Andrew Benintendi made Davis and the O’s pay further with a three-run homer on the next at-bat. “Obviously I have to make a better pitch to the next batter”.
With it, they stretched their run of wins to seven and closed in on the American League (AL) East title.
Adam Jones’ bases-loaded fly ball scored Jonathan Schoop in the third for the Orioles’ only run.
Just in case it wasn’t already clear that David Ortiz is having the best farewell season in baseball history, the 40-year-old Boston Red Sox slugger applied a statistical exclamation mark Tuesday night.
Boston again filled the bases in the fourth before Leon bounced into a 3-6-1 double play.
Wieters picked Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts off first base in the third inning, erasing a one-out single, but the two-time Gold Glove victor was charged with two errors, both in the fourth inning.
The Red Sox’ first-round pick a year ago out of Arkansas, Benintendi is hitting.317 with an.884 OPS through his first 89 major league plate appearances. Mike Trout hit a three-run homer for the Angels in a 5-4 victory at Texas. “He responded well”, manager John Farrell said.
Trey Mancini homered in his major league debut with the Orioles, who trail Toronto by a game for the first AL wild card.
Red Sox: 2B Dustin Pedroia was back in the lineup after being held out Tuesday to get treatment on his left knee. After giving Hanley Ramirez an emphatic hug, Ortiz looked over to the fan, motioned in his or her direction and appeared to say, “I got that one”.
Progress for Wright: Steven Wright threw from 120 feet on Wednesday in Fort Myers, Fla., Farrell said.
METS: Steven Matz is tentatively scheduled to return to the team’s injury-ravaged rotation Friday night against Philadelphia after throwing a bullpen session Wednesday at Citi Field.
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Orioles: OF Steve Pearce underwent successful surgery on his forearm Wednesday.
