INTERLEAGUE
RED SOX 2, PHILLIES 1 (13)
BOSTON -- Blake Swihart doubled into the Red Sox bullpen to score Eduardo Nunez in the 13th inning and Boston beat the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 on Monday night to move a season-high six games ahead of the New York Yankees in the AL East.
Hector Velazquez (7-0) pitched a scoreless inning for the win and Austin Davis (1-1) took the loss after pitching a perfect 12th before allowing Nunez's leadoff single in the next inning. Luis Garcia, the 12th pitcher of the night, struck out Brock Holt but allowed Nunez to steal second.
Swihart lined the first pitch he saw toward the gap and into the bullpen on one hop for his first career walk-off RBI.
The Red Sox have won 19 of their last 23 games and matched their biggest lead in the division of the season. At 75-33, they have the best record in baseball and are 42 games above .500 for the first time since the end of the 1946 season. They have won 19 of their last 21 interleague games.
David Price allowed just one run -- in the second when Asdrubal Cabrera led off with a double and scored on Maikel Franco's single off the Green Monster. It stayed 1-0 until the fifth, when Jackie Bradley Jr. singled and Nunez followed with a line drive that center fielder Odubel Herrera came in on, only to watch it sail over his head and to the wall for a triple.
Herrera doubled with two outs in the eighth, and Price walked Franco before Jorge Alfaro hit a sinking liner that right fielder Mookie Betts caught to end the inning.
Price and Aaron Nola each went eight full innings but left the 1-1 game without a decision.
Price allowed 1 run on 8 hits and a walk, striking out 5. He had won his last five starts at Fenway and his last two overall.
Nola allowed 1 run on 4 hits and a walk, striking out 6. He has given up five hits or fewer in 16 of his 22 starts but is winless over his last three starts.
The Phillies ran themselves out of a potential big inning when Carlos Santana hit a chopper to Nunez at third with runners on first and third. Rhys Hoskins got caught in a rundown on his way home, and Odubel Herrera tried to take advantage of it by scooting over to third. But catcher Sandy Leon ran Hoskins back toward third and threw to shortstop Xander Bogaerts, who tagged out Herrera and then threw home, where Nunez was waiting to tag Hoskins.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
BRAVES 5, MARLINS 3 Freddie Freeman hit a go-ahead home run in the third inning, Ronald Acuna Jr. also went deep and the host Atlanta Braves beat the Miami Marlins. The victory moved the Braves one-half game behind Philadelphia in the NL East. A Brian Anderson (Arkansas Razorbacks) two-run home run off Julio Teheran (8-7) in the first gave Miami a lead Wei-Yin Chen (3-8) couldn't hold. The Braves pulled even in the second when Tyler Flowers walked, moved to third on Johan Camargo's double and scored on Ender Inciarte's fly ball. Camargo scored on Teheran's two-out single up the middle. Freeman's home run, his 18th, in the third gave Atlanta the lead. Flowers walked and scored from first on another double to left by Camargo.
CARDINALS 5, ROCKIES 4 (10) Marcell Ozuna hit his first career game-ending home run in the 10th inning, and the host St. Louis Cardinals snapped Colorado's four-game win streak. Ozuna connected against Jake McGee (1-4), sending a one-out drive deep to center for his 13th home run. The slugger also extended his home run streak to three consecutive games. Dakota Hudson (1-0) got three outs for his first career win. Colorado star Nolan Arenado hit his fifth career grand slam and NL-leading 28th home run off Daniel Poncedeleon, who replaced Carlos Martinez when the right-hander departed with a mild shoulder strain with two outs in the fifth inning. Arenado went deep for the third time in four games. The drive to center gave him 79 RBI, one behind Cincinnati's Eugenio Suarez for the National League lead.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
TWINS 5, INDIANS 4 Mitch Garver drove in the winning run with a one-out double in the ninth inning for host Minnesota, capping a victory over the Cleveland Indians. Jose Ramirez hit two home runs to match Boston's J.D. Martinez for the most in the majors with 32, but the Indians couldn't hold a 3-2 lead. Miguel Sano, who hit an RBI single earlier and went 2-for-3 for his first hits in the majors since June 12, drew a walk to start the ninth against Neil Ramirez (0-1). Jake Cave advanced pinch-runner Ehire Adrianza with a sacrifice bunt, and Garver delivered the deep drive to left-center field to trigger an infield celebration from a weary Twins team. Fernando Rodney (3-2) pitched a scoreless ninth, striking out Yonder Alonso with runners at second and third.
Sports on 07/31/2018