ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Stuck in their longest skid in 20 years, the Boston Red Sox didn’t like the way they played. They didn’t appreciate how the Tampa Bay Rays acted, either.
The World Series champions lost their 10th straight game and brawled with the Rays during an 8-5 defeat Sunday.
Rays pinch-hitter Sean Rodriguez connected for a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the seventh. Later in the inning, Yunel Escobar hit a two-run double and then took third on defensive indifference, setting off the fracas.
“There were some words exchanged,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said. “We’re down five in the seventh, so it’s somewhat a gray area when you shut down the running game.”
“Yunel is going to do some things that might be a little unpredictable, so that’s what precipitated it,” said Farrell, who formerly managed Escobar in Toronto.
Farrell admitted that Boston’s slide may have also “boiled over a little bit.”
Escobar, Rodriguez and Boston’s Jonny Gomes were all ejected.
Rays manager Joe Maddon didn’t quite agree with Farrell’s assessment of baseball’s unwritten rules.
“Last year in the playoffs, they had a 8-2 lead in the eighth when (Jacoby) Ellsbury led off with a single and then stole second base,” Maddon said, correctly recalling what happened in the division series opener. “I think that was a little more egregious than their interpretation of what happened today.”
“Before you start screaming about any of that, just understand what happened just last year, and also understand in this ballpark, five-run leads can evaporate very quickly,” he said.
This is Boston’s longest losing streak since an 11-game slump from June 8-19, 1994.
The Red Sox have been outscored 52-24 over their last 10 games. World Series MVP David Ortiz is hitting .118 and has no RBIs in that span.
“The effort is there,” Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia said. “The performance is not. So, we got to be better. It starts tomorrow.”
Boston will try to end the drought today when it plays at Atlanta.
CARDINALS 4, REDS 0
CINCINNATI — Adam Wainwright became the National League’s first eight-game winner by dominating Cincinnati again, and St. Louis pulled away to a victory that completed another successful series against their division rival.
The Cardinals are 6-3 against the Reds this season. They’ve won 10 of their last 11 series together.
Wainwright (8-2) gave up five hits in eight innings and matched his career high with 12 strikeouts.
Tony Cruz and Hilo native Kolten Wong each had a pair of singles and drove in a run off Mike Leake (2-4). Wong also stole a pair of bases.
RANGERS 12, TIGERS 4
DETROIT — Alex Rios tripled and drove in three runs, and the Rangers rolled to another Texas-sized rout of Detroit, beating Justin Verlander and the Tigers.
Texas took three of four in the series, scoring 35 runs in the process. The Tigers have lost six of seven, and even Verlander (5-4) couldn’t come close to stopping the slide.
The Detroit right-hander allowed nine runs — six earned — in 5 1/3 innings in one of the worst starts of his career.
Michael Choice homered for the Rangers in the second, and Texas broke the game open with five runs in the fifth.
Colby Lewis (4-3) allowed two runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings.
BLUE JAYS 3, ATHLETICS 1
TORONTO — Edwin Encarnacion homered, J.A. Happ won his third straight start and the Blue Jays completed a three-game sweep of Oakland.
The Blue Jays, who lead the AL East, won their season-best sixth straight. It’s Toronto’s longest streak since an 11-game run last June. The Blue Jays have won 11 of 13 and 16 of 21.
The AL West-leading Athletics lost their fourth straight, their longest losing streak of the season. Oakland, which came in leading the AL in runs, has scored just seven times in the past four games.
Happ (4-1) allowed four hits in a season-high seven innings. He walked three and struck out a season-high seven.
ORIOLES 4, INDIANS 2
BALTIMORE — Manny Machado and Nelson Cruz homered, Steve Pearce had three hits and the Orioles beat the Cleveland Indians for a split of the four-game series.
Miguel Gonzalez (3-3) bounced back from a shaky start to hold the Indians to two runs and four hits over six innings. He’s 3-0 in three career starts against Cleveland.
Zach Britton, the third Orioles reliever, worked a perfect ninth to earn his second save and complete the five-hitter.
Back in the lineup after missing two days with a right groin strain, Machado hit an opposite-field drive to right against Trevor Bauer (1-2) to put Baltimore ahead 3-2 in the fifth.
One out later, Cruz hit his major-league leading 16th home run on a 3-2 pitch.
YANKEES 7, WHITE SOX 1
CHICAGO — Derek Jeter had four hits and Masahiro Tanaka rebounded nicely from his first major league loss, leading New York to a victory over Chicago.
Brett Gardner had a big two-run single in New York’s four-run second inning as the Yankees closed out an extended stay in Chicago with a pair of wins against the White Sox. Brian Roberts added a solo homer in the eighth in his return to the lineup after missing a game with a sore right knee.
Tanaka (7-1) pitched into the seventh inning as New York improved to 3-3 on its unusual nine-game trip to Chicago and St. Louis. The Yankees split two games against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, and then had another split in their four-game set on Chicago’s South Side.
ANGELS 4, ROYALS 3
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Chris Iannetta hit a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning Sunday, lifting Los Angeles over Kansas City.
Reliever Tim Collins (0-3) retired the first batter in the eighth before Iannetta lined a drive into the lower seats in the left-field corner for his fifth homer of the season and second of the series.
Michael Kohn (2-1) pitched a scoreless inning. Ernesto Frieri got three outs for his sixth save, retiring Alcides Escobar on a popup with a runner on third.
ASTROS 4, MARINERS 1
SEATTLE — Dallas Keuchel pitched a four-hitter for his second complete game in his last three starts, leading Houston to a victory over Seattle.
Keuchel (6-2) struck out six, walked none and allowed just an unearned run that scored on a throwing error in the second inning. He went 8 2/3 innings in a victory over the Angels in his last start, the only thing keeping him from three straight complete games.
George Springer and Marc Krauss hit two-run homers off Hisashi Iwakuma (3-1), who allowed a season-high nine hits.
Springer hit his seventh home run of the month in the sixth inning.
BRAVES 7, ROCKIES 0
ATLANTA — Evan Gattis homered twice to support Julio Teheran’s six scoreless innings and Atlanta beat Colorado.
Justin Upton and Chris Johnson added two-run homers for the NL East-leading Braves, who have won six of eight.
Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki left in the eighth and appeared to slightly limp as he walked off the field. He said he hit his left foot on a backswing, but said he thought he was OK.
Teheran (4-3) lowered his ERA to 1.77. He gave up four hits and struck out six.
Franklin Morales (3-4) was chased in the fifth.
BREWERS 7, MARLINS 1
MIAMI — Jimmy Nelson pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings in his season debut for Milwaukee in a win over Miami.
The Brewers’ top prospect was recalled from Double-A Huntsville to start for Yovani Gallardo, who is nursing a sore left ankle.
Nelson (1-0) allowed five hits and three walks, but Miami went 0 for 7 against him with runners in scoring position.
Ryan Braun had four hits, including a double and a triple for the Brewers. Jonathan Lucroy had two doubles and a triple, and Khris Davis doubled twice.
Randy Wolf (0-1) made his first start since September 2012. The 37-year-old lefty, trying to come back from the second Tommy John surgery of his career, gave up nine hits and six runs in five innings.
NATIONALS 5, PIRATES 2
PITTSBURGH — Ian Desmond hit a pair of RBI singles and Washington ended a four-game losing streak by beating Pittsburgh.
The Pirates had four in a row.
Doug Fister (2-1) allowed one run and six hits in 5 1/3 innings with four strikeouts and no walks. Rafael Soriano pitched a perfect ninth for his 11th save.
Francisco Liriano (0-5) is winless in 14 consecutive regular-season starts, dating to last Sept. 10.
PADRES 4, CUBS 3
SAN DIEGO — Ian Kennedy pitched six strong innings and San Diego defeated Chicago.
Kennedy (3-6) allowed one run and two hits. Huston Street got his 14th save in as many chances despite giving up a two-run homer to Starlin Castro in the ninth inning.
The Cubs, who had four hits, were trying to win their first series since Sept. 9-11 in Cincinnati.
Jason Hammel (5-3) held the Padres hitless until the fifth.
DIAMONDBACKS 2, METS 1, GAME 1
METS 4, DIAMONDBACKS 2, GAME 2
NEW YORK — Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched six solid innings in his first start of the season and helped out with an RBI single as the New York salvaged a doubleheader split with Arizona.
Bobby Abreu added a run-scoring double in a rare chance to play.
The 33-year-old Matsuzaka (2-0) had been relieving for the Mets. Jenrry Mejia pitched the ninth for his third save after getting the loss in the first game.
Zeke Spruill (0-1) lost after being promoted from Triple-A before the game.
In the opener, the Diamondbacks turned a season-high five double plays. They used an error by second baseman Daniel Murphy in the ninth to win.
Evan Marshall (2-0) won in relief and Addison Reed got his 14th save. Mejia (4-1) took the loss.
GIANTS 8, TWINS 1
SAN FRANCISCO — Michael Morse doubled three times and drove in four runs, Madison Bumgarner stayed unbeaten in May and San Francisco beat Minnesota to complete a three-game sweep.
Hunter Pence homered as the Giants improved to 6-0 in interleague games this year. They have the best record in the majors.
Bumgarner (6-3) earned his fourth straight win, striking out 10 and giving up three hits in seven innings. He fanned Joe Mauer three times.
Nolasco (2-5) allowed nine hits over 4 2/3 innings.
