G79: Red Sox 5, Mariners 0

Mariners - 000 000 000 - 0  4  0
Red Sox  - 000 032 00x - 5  8  0

Chris Sale was exceptional (7-4-0-1-13, 93). From the third to fifth innings, he recorded eight strikeouts in a 10-batter span. His final pitch of the day hit 100 mph. Plus, he got some run support. And the Red Sox are once again tied for first place!

Boston broke through against Marco Gonzales (6-7-5-0-6, 96) in the fifth. Xander Bogaerts doubled to left and Eduardo Nunez singled to center. Rafael Devers's double to right scored Bogaerts. Nunez took third and scored on Sandy Leon's sacrifice fly to center. Jackie Bradley singled to right. Mookie Betts's sac fly, also to center, brought Devers home. In the sixth, J.D. Martinez singled and Mitch Moreland hit his 11th home run of the year, onto the black tarp in straightaway center.

Sale allowed only four baserunners: Denard Span singled in the third and was picked off, Sale-to-Moreland-to-Bogaerts, to end the inning. After Nelson Cruz tripled with two outs in the fourth, Sale fanned Ryon Healy. Andrew Romine bunted for a hit in the sixth and the Red Sox recorded a force at second and a fly to right (on which Betts battled the afternoon sun and made a fantastic catch, possibly robbing Mitch Haniger of a home run). Healy singled with one down in the seventh. Sale struck out Kyle Seager, walked Guillermo Heredia, and struck out Mike Zunino.

Betts, on whether Haniger's ball would have gone into the bullpen:

I wasn't sure, I thought it was pretty close. I just tried to get it out of the sun because it started to go toward the sun. I knew once I got out of it, I had a chance to catch it.

Joe Kelly and Matt Barnes retired the Mariners in order in the eight and ninth, respectively. ... Bradley went 3-for-3 and stole a base.

More Sale:

He has 17 starts with 13+ strikeouts, the most in the majors since he debuted in 2010 (though he did not start a game until 2012).

He has eight career scoreless starts with 13+ strikeouts and four or fewer hits. The only other pitchers since 1908 with eight or more such starts are Nolan Ryan (17), Randy Johnson (10) and Sandy Koufax (9). Five of Sale's eight starts have been with the Red Sox

He is one of three AL pitchers to allow one or 0 runs in 10+ starts this season. Justin Verlander (11) and Blake Snell (10) are the others.

AL East: The Yankees trailed 6-3 after three innings, but came back to tie the game in the eighth. The Rays won 7-6 when Jake Bauers hit Chasen Shreve's only pitch of the day for a walkoff home run in the 12th. (Giancarlo Stanton reached base six times, on two singles, two doubles, a home run, and an intentional walk. But Bauers put all of that in the dustbin.)

Marco Gonzales / Chris Sale

Betts, RF
Benintendi, LF
Martinez, DH
Moreland, 1B
Bogaerts, SS
Nunez, 2B
Devers, 3B
Leon, C
Bradley, CF

Sale has allowed two runs or fewer in 11 of his 16 starts, but the Red Sox are only 8-8 behind the lithesome lefty.

J.D. Martinez believes that only players should decide who goes to the All-Star Game:

The fans don't know. The fans like to think that they know, but they only know what MLB puts out there and who they post on their Instagram, who they post on their Twitter, and who they talk about.

AL East: MFY/Rays, 1 PM. New York is 1 GA.