G41: Athletics 3, Red Sox 2 (10)

Red Sox   - 000 200 000 0 - 2 10  0
Athletics - 000 011 000 1 - 3  8  1

Chris Sale is pitching so well that you actually get a little concerned when you see that he has struck out only five batters through four scoreless innings. Or when you watch him allow single runs in consecutive innings. Despite doing those things, Sale (7-7-2-0-10, 113) still turned in the kind of start most major league pitchers would consider one of their best of the season.

Sale struck out 10 batters for the eighth straight start, tying a major league record he already shared with Pedro Martinez. Sale began the seventh inning with eight strikeouts. After Mark Canha flied to right, Sale fanned both Chad Pinder and Josh Phegley to hit double digits.

Mitch Moreland got the Red Sox on the board with a two-run homer in the fourth. Xander Bogaerts doubled and then watched as Andrew Benintendi and Hanley Ramirez both struck out looking. Moreland came through by blasting a full-count pitch to right. (Earlier, Benintendi began the second inning with a double, snapping his 0-for-26 slump. He finished the night with two hits and a walk.)

Sale pitched out of trouble in the third when Canha led off with a double; he simply struck out Pinder, Phegley, and Rajai Davis. Oakland got to him in the fifth and sixth, however. Ryon Healy singled with one out in the fifth and scored on Canha's triple. Sale struck out Pinder and got Phegley to fly to left to keep the score at 2-1. But the A's tied it in the sixth. After Davis and Jed Lowrie both singled, Khris Davis doubled to left center, scoring Davis. With runners at second and third and the game tied 2-2, Sale struck out both Trevor Plouffe and Healy.

In the top of the ninth, Sandy Leon singled with one out against Santiago Casilla. Christian Vazquez pinch-ran and Josh Rutledge hit for Deven Marrero. Rutledge singled to center, and Vazquez went to third. The Red Sox came up empty as Mookie Betts lined to third and Dustin Pedroia grounded into a fielder's choice.

In the bottom of the ninth, Jackie Bradley prevented an Oakland win when he leapt above the wall in center and grabbed Healy's long drive off Craig Kimbrel.

Bradley could do nothing in the bottom of the tenth, though, as Canha looked at two balls from Heath Hembree before hitting a game-ending home run to left. Canha finished with three hits, missing the cycle by a single.

Most Consecutive Starts With 10+ Strikeouts

Pedro Martinez, 1999 (8 starts)
August    19: 11 K
August    24: 15 K
August    30: 11 K
September  4: 15 K
September 10: 17 K
September 15: 14 K
September 21: 12 K
September 27: 12 K
  
Chris Sale, 2015 (8 starts)
May   23: 10 K
May   28: 12 K
June   3: 13 K
June   8: 14 K
June  14: 12 K
June  19: 14 K
June  24: 10 K
June  30: 12 K
  
Chris Sale, 2017 (8 starts)
April 10: 10 K
April 15: 12 K
April 20: 13 K
April 27: 10 K
May    2: 11 K
May    7: 10 K
May   13: 12 K
May   19: 10 K

In Buffalo: David Price (2-5-3-1-4, 65) pitched only two innings in his first rehab start. "I felt great in both innings. Every pitch I threw ... my entire body felt good. Not just my arm." WEEI provided the recap:

Price opened the game by allowing a leadoff double to [Jake] Elmore to end a 15-pitch at-bat. He stranded him there by striking out the side. He then allowed a homer to Raffy Lopez leading off the second before two singles and a walk loaded the bases with one out. Elmore then singled to right to drive in two before Price induced a groundout and struck out Jason Leblebijian to end the frame, and his night.

WEEI gets it wrong: You cannot strike out the side if you also allow a double in the inning. (Because the guy who hit the double did not strike out.) ... The PawSox lost 7-5 in 13 innings. ... That 15-pitch at-bat: fffbffffbffffb, double.

Chris Sale / Kendall Graveman

Betts, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Bogaerts, SS
Benintendi, LF
Ramirez, DH
Moreland, 1B
Bradley, CF
Leon, C
Marrero, 3B

Chris Sale has struck out at least 10 men in each of his last seven starts. He shares the major league record (eight starts) with Pedro Martinez. Sale also leads the majors in WHIP (0.77) and strikeouts (85).

Andrew Benintendi is in an 0-for-26 slump and did not play last night. In the four games before this slump (May 5-9), he went 10-for-19.

David Price will start for Pawtucket in Buffalo tonight. Alex Speier, 108 Stitches: "If all goes well for the lefthander, he could return to the rotation as soon as next week – potentially giving the Sox the sort of steady contributor that has been so glaringly absent from that spot in the rotation to this point in the season."