Red Sox - 500 100 000 - 6 9 0 Angels - 000 000 101 - 2 7 0The Red Sox exploded for five runs before Chris Sale threw his first pitch. Not that Sale (6-4-0-2-9, 112) needed such generous run support. His six shutout innings meant that the Red Sox easily won the first game of this two-city, west coast swing.
Sale did make a bit of history, however. He reached 200 strikeouts in fewer innings (141.1) than any pitcher in American League history. (Randy Johnson did it in 143 innings in 1995, and Pedro Martinez needed 147 innings in 1999.) Sale is also only the fourth pitcher in major league history to reach 200 strikeouts in 20 or fewer starts.
200 Strikeouts In 20 Or Fewer Starts
Nolan Ryan 1977 Angels 19 starts Randy Johnson 1999 Diamondbacks 19 starts Randy Johnson 2000 Diamondbacks 20 starts Pedro Martinez 2000 Red Sox 20 starts Randy Johnson 2001 Diamondbacks 19 starts Chris Sale 2017 Red Sox 20 startsBoston's five-run first inning was the team's biggest inning since July 2, when they scored eight times in the seventh at Toronto. Mookie Betts doubled and Andrew Benintendi singled him home (and took second on the throw to the plate). Dustin Pedroia grounded out to second, as Benintendi went to third. Mitch Moreland singled to right, scoring Benintendi. Hanley Ramirez singled and the Red Sox had runners at first and third. A wild pitch by Ricky Nolasco scored Moreland and Ramirez advanced to second. Xander Bogaerts singled to right, and Ramirez scored. Jackie Bradley's double scored Bogaerts, but Bradley was tagged out off the bag. Sandy Leon ended the inning with a grounder to shortstop. Singles in the fourth by Bradley, Brock Holt, and Betts made it 6-0.
In the bottom of the first. Jackie Bradley made another stunning catch, this time leaping against the wall in right-center, robbing leadoff batter Yunel Escobar of a hit.
The Angels put runners on second and third in the fifth, as Martin Maldonado singled with one out and Cliff Pennington doubled with two down. Sale stranded both runners by striking out Escobar.
Mike Trout walked in the sixth and Andrelton Simmons singled with two outs. Again, Sale got an inning-ending strikeout, this time getting Kole Calhoun on four pitches. That was Sale's 200th strikeout and his last batter of the night.
Kyle Martin made his second appearance of the year in the seventh and Maldonado hit his first pitch for a home run. Ben Revere drove in Maldonado for a run off Matt Barnes in the ninth.
The Rays lost to the Rangers 4-3 in 10 innings to fall 3.5 GB. The Yankees beat the Mariners 5-1, so they are also 3.5 GB.
Betts, RFSale leads the AL in ERA (2.59), WHIP (0.887), innings pitched (135.1), fewest hits/9 (6.4), best K:BB ratio (7.96). He leads MLB in strikeouts (191) and K/9 (12.7). In his last eight starts, he has allowed more than three runs only once. In four of his last six starts, he has allowed one or no runs.
Benintendi, LF
Pedroia, 2B
Moreland, 1B
Ramirez, DH
Bogaerts, SS
Bradley, CF
Leon, C
Holt, 3B
Nolasco has given up 26 home runs this season (an average of 2.2 per nine innings), most in the majors.
The Red Sox are on the road for six games, three in Anaheim and three in Seattle.
AL East: The Rays are 2.5 GB and the Yankees are 3.5 GB. ... TEX/TB and NYY/SEA.
Elias, on last night's DET/KCR game:
ReplyDeleteThe Royals scored four runs in four different innings in their 16-4 rout of the Tigers at Kauffman Stadium: the first, third, sixth, and eighth. It is the first time in Royals history that they have scored four-or-more runs in four different innings in a game, and the second game like that this season: the Nationals did it vs. the Mets on April 30. The Royals are the second team in major league history to score four runs in four innings and score exactly 16 runs: the Brooklyn Bridegrooms (now L.A. Dodgers) did it at Chicago vs. the Orphans (now Cubs) on September 3, 1898 in an 16-8 win in which they scored four runs in the first, second, fifth, and seventh innings.
The Royals' linescore was also a palindrome! 40400404