“I think we’re due to heat up, no doubt in my mind”, he said. Texas starter Yu Darvish didn’t get the win after giving up just one run and three hits with nine strikeouts over 6 2/3s. Just remember the winning, it’s not about individuals, it’s about the team. “And it was just nice to get everyone together to talk about it and get back on the same page”.
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Martin, who said he learned about the meeting in a text from the Blue Jays’ travelling secretary, wouldn’t give any more info on what was said. “I appreciate and respect people having respect for what I do”, Ortiz said, “but my whole focus now is on going to the playoffs and trying to win a championship.”.
With Happ dealing zeros through the first five innings, the Jays moved out to a 3-0 lead, then held on through the late innings for the win. However, since the All-Star Break, the Giants’ anemic offence (Twins’ second basemen Brian Dozier has hit more home runs since the All-Star Break than the Giants have as a team), among other considerations, has caused them to slip to four games back of the first place Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West entering play on Saturday.
Happ (18-4) allowed two runs and four hits in six-plus innings to win for the first time since August 17 at the New York Yankees, ending a three-start winless streak. “I didn’t feel very good during my bullpen getting and I guess I took it out there. From first pitch to last it seemed like our dugout was really into this one”.
Red Sox: OF Andrew Benintendi (left knee) ran the bases before the game and will try sliding as early as Saturday.
Jose Peraza’s sacrifice fly got the Cincinnati Reds home for a 4-3 triumph over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Rodriguez took the loss after surrendering five runs over 5 2/3 innings versus the Blue Jays on June 5, falling to 1-2 with an 8.27 ERA in three career starts against Toronto.
The Indians won for the ninth time in their last 11 games, but a concern came up when starter Danny Salazar was removed after four innings due to tightness in his right forearm. It was Upton’s 20th homer of the season. Worse yet, one game separates the Giants from qualifying for the playoffs or not making them at all (they now sit a half game ahead of the Mets for the first NL Wild Card berth while remaining a just single game ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals in the very tight NL Wild Card Race). Even on some close pitches I’d give up a bloop hit, or whatever.
Upton also had a stolen base, his 25th of the year.
Bautista added to that lead with a single in the third inning to cash in Josh Donaldson. But instead of an inning-ending double play, Aaron Hill made a costly error.
“He’s on quite a run here with consecutive starts working that deep into the ball game”, Farrell said. “We’re in a tight race and luckily we get to play these guys again (on Saturday) and it’s a day game”.
Pedroia responded for Boston in the first at bat of the sixth.
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Happ kept the Sox hotless until the fifth and allowed two runs on just four hits in six-plus innings to record his 18th win of the season. Ironically, the Royals defeated the 2015 American League East Division Champion Blue Jays 4-2 last season in the American League Championship Series, some thirty years after their last World Series Championship. Bautista drew cheers from the 47,829 in attendance at Rogers Centre as he bounced off the wall to catch Bradley’s ball and fire it home.
