Chris Sale was headed out of the game anyway [url=http://www.falconsfootballauthentics.com]Atlanta Falcons Jerseys Womens[/url] , so it didn’t matter if he received an ejection on his way to the dugout.
The important thing was that Sale was dominant through six innings, and the Boston Red Sox rode his performance to a 5-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday for a three-game sweep.
After issuing two walks to open the seventh in a 5-0 game, Sale (6-4) was lifted by manager Alex Cora. As he was making his way to the dugout, the left-hander yelled at home plate umpire Brian Knight and was promptly ejected .
”There are going to be points in the season, points in the game where stuff happens,” Sale said. ”No one’s perfect. Obviously I lost my cool a little bit. That’s going to happen, too.”
It was the second career ejection for Sale, the other coming in April 2015 when he was with the White Sox.
”I like competing. When I feel like I’m getting something taken away from me, I get emotional,” Sale said. ”At the end of the day, hey, we’re human, stuff is going to happen.”
Sale struck out nine, allowed one run and gave up two hits in ending a run of three straight losing starts.
Baltimore has lost seven straight and 14 of 16. The last time the Orioles scored more than five runs in a game was May 24, and it sure wasn’t going to happen against Sale.
”It’s a bad combination, we’re not swinging the bat well and facing as good a pitcher as him,” manager Buck Showalter conceded.
Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez homered for the Red Sox [url=http://www.ravensfootballauthentics.com]Baltimore Ravens Jerseys Womens[/url] , who are 9-1 against the Orioles this season.
Betts, the major league leader in batting average, came off the disabled list Monday after missing 14 games with an abdominal strain. He played Monday, was rested Tuesday and returned to the top of the lineup in the series finale.
Betts hit a 3-2 pitch from Yefry Ramirez over the center-field wall in the third for his 18th home run .
”The quality of his at-bats are incredible for not playing, what, two weeks?” Cora said. ”I mean, the guy’s talented.”
A three-run fifth made it 4-0, and Martinez hit his team-leading 22nd homer in the seventh.
After placing Andrew Cashner (back) on the disabled list Tuesday, the Orioles recalled Ramirez from Triple-A Norfolk to make his major league debut. The 24-year-old left with the score 1-0 in the fifth, but Mike Wright allowed both inherited runners to score.
Ramirez had no complaints.
”I felt awesome, excited, happy to be here,” he said. ”It’s been an opportunity that I’ve been waiting for 12 years. Now, it’s finally here.”
Ramirez (0-1) gave up three runs and four hits over 4 1/3 innings, striking out six.
Baltimore got its lone run in the seventh, when Jace Peterson hit a sacrifice fly soon after Sale departed.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: Cora said LHP Drew Pomeranz’s neck is sore and that the club would not plan for his return until after a weekend series in Seattle. Pomeranz originally went on the DL on June 5 with biceps tendinitis. … 2B Dustin Pedroia (left knee) has been doing some weight lifting but is staying away from baseball activities for now, Cora said.
Orioles: Orioles reliever Richard Bleier [url=http://www.billsfootballauthentics.com]Buffalo Bills Jerseys Womens[/url] , one of the better performers on a ragged team, clutched his shoulder after throwing a pitch in the eighth inning and was immediately removed from the game. Asked for a prognosis, Bleier said, ”I have no idea. I don’t feel great right now.” Bleier is 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA over 31 appearances. … IF Tim Beckham (core muscle surgery) will begin a rehab assignment at Double-A Bowie on Friday, Showalter said.
UP NEXT
Red Sox: LHP David Price (7-4, 4.00 ERA) seeks his sixth straight win when Boston faces Mariners ace Felix Hernandez in the opener of a four-game series at Seattle.
Orioles: After taking Thursday off, Baltimore opens a three-game series against the visiting Miami Marlins in a matchup of last-place clubs.
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Houston ace Justin Verlander made two mistakes, both resulting in home runs. The way the Astros are swinging the bats these days, it hardly mattered.
Verlander pitched five-hit ball over seven innings and the Astros jumped out to another early lead, beating the Oakland Athletics 7-3 Thursday for their eighth straight win.
Brian McCann homered for the first time in nearly a month. Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve and Josh Reddick were among five players with two hits apiece as Houston completed the three-game sweep.
”It happens fast when we’re at our best,” Astros manager AJ Hinch said. ”We can get after you and then we stay after you. We’re not going to be perfect all the time . but when we are good like this and putting up runs, we’re pretty tough.”
Evan Gattis, who set a franchise record with five RBIs in each of the first two games of the series, went 1 for 5 and didn’t drive in a run.
Beyond that, it was another in a series of impressive offensive displays from the Astros.
The winning streak is their longest since they won 11 straight May 25-June 5 last season on the way to their first World Series championship. Houston also improved to 8-1 against Oakland this season.
”It’s nice to have your team hot, you just want to be the guy to keep it going [url=http://www.panthersfootballauthentic.com]Carolina Panthers Jerseys Womens[/url] ,” Verlander said. ”The run support is awesome. It’s fun to be a part of keeping the rhythm and keeping the momentum on our side.”
Khris Davis and Matt Olson homered for the A’s. It was Davis’ third home run in three consecutive at-bats after going deep in his final two plate appearances Wednesday.
Both home runs came off Verlander, who went into the day leading the majors with a 1.45 ERA.
Still, Verlander (9-2) was sharp in his first appearance against the A’s since 2016. He faced three batters over the minimum before Oakland scored twice in the seventh.
The six-time All-Star allowed three runs, struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter while earning his fifth consecutive win.
”I felt like I navigated the lineup pretty well,” Verlander said. ”Really, one not well-executed pitch I would like back and another pitch selection I would like back.”
The Astros outscored the A’s 26-11 in the series and have a 69-20 run differential in the last eight games between the two division rivals. They also got some help from Oakland third baseman Matt Chapman, who committed a pair of errors that led to a pair of unearned runs in the sixth.
Frankie Montas (3-1) gave up five earned runs and 11 hits over 5 1/3 innings. He walked four.
”That’s good team that’s swinging the bat real well right now,” Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. ”Looked like every ball he got in the middle of the plate they hit.”
ROSTER JUGGLE
RHP Trevor Cahill (Achilles strain) was placed by Oakland on the 10-day disabled list for the second time this season. RHPs Chris Bassitt and Carlos Ramirez were called up from Triple-A Nashville. Reliever Danny Coulombe was optioned down.
ONE STREAK ENDS, ANOTHER CONTINUES
Houston 3B Alex Bregman went hitless in four at-bats, ending his hitting streak at 10 games. But Bregman drew a walk to extend his on-base streak to 25 games, the second-longest active mark in the majors behind Shin-Soo Choo of Texas (28).
TRAINER’S ROOM
Astros: Bregman was back in the lineup after getting a rest day Wednesday.
Athletics: Chapman left the game with a bruised right hand that has been bothering him since spring training. He was expected to be taken for an MRI after the game. Cahill is nursing a strained right Achilles and is wearing a walking boot. He hasn’t responded to treatment and there is no timetable for his return. … Matt Joyce (lumbar strain) will take full batting practice Friday and begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Nashville on Monday.
UP NEXT
Astros: RHP Charlie Morton (7-1, 2.82 ERA) attempts to become Houston’s fourth starter with eight wins or more when he pitches in Kansas City on Friday night.
Athletics: RHP Chris Bassitt (0-1, 1.29), who was called up from Triple-A Nashville, will pitch against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday. Bassitt is taking Cahill’s spot in the rotation.
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