Ortiz belted a two-run homer off Rays starter Chris Archer in the first inning.
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Ortiz has one more RBI than Shoeless Joe Jackson in 1920. Going into the year, they knew David Ortiz was making 2016 his swan song, but it was impossible to know that young superstar Mookie Betts would put himself on the verge of being named the American League’s Most Valuable Player, and that Ortiz would have arguably the greatest season of any retiring player 40 years or older in MLB history.
CLEVELAND Jose Ramirez hit a two-run homer and drove in four runs, and Cleveland beat Chicago to move a step closer to the AL Central title.
The Rays got to Porcello for three runs on a two-out rally in the third inning, and that lead held up at 3-2 entering the sixth inning. “I feel like we’ve gotten the best of each other, and I think he’s gotten the best of me more than I’ve gotten the best of him”.
ORIOLES 6, DIAMONDBACKS 1 (at Baltimore) – Trey Mancini hit his third homer in nine major league at-bats, Mark Trumbo connected for his league-leading 45th homer and Baltimore pulled a half-game ahead of the Tigers for the AL’s second wild card and trail the Toronto Blue Jays by 1 1/2 games for the top spot. The Red Sox became the first team in Major League Baseball history to score exactly five runs in five straight games – all wins, capped by Thursday’s 5-3 victory in Baltimore.
Overall, he worked six innings, for the 20th time in his past 22 starts, allowing two earned runs on seven hits while striking out six and walking two.
Mikie Mahtook hit a solo homer in the second for the Rays. Archer has lost 11 straight against Boston. Rizzo, Zobrist and Chris Coghlan drove in runs in the first off Leake, who lasted 3 1/3 innings and is winless in four starts since recovering from shingles.
Boston might not need the bullpen as much Saturday, with right-hander Rick Porcello on the mound with a 21-4 record and 3.08 ERA. They lowered their magic number to two for clinching a playoff berth.
Adrian Beltre, Carlos Beltran, Ian Desmond, Jonathan Lucroy, Rougned Odor, Mitch Moreland and Carlos Gomez were spectators as Andrus had the first multi-homer game of his career and drove in a career-high tying four runs.
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Andriese has won his last two starts while allowing three runs over 10 1/3 innings combined after losing seven consecutive decisions. Ziegler worked around a leadoff double in the ninth inning for his fourth save of the year in place of a resting Craig Kimbrel and Koji Uehara.
