Guerrero, Jays pound MLB-best Rays 20-1, score 10 off position players

Tue, May 23, 2023
MLB News (AP)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had six RBIs and the Toronto Blue Jays stopped a five-game losing streak with a 20-1 rout of the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night, scoring their last 10 runs off position players.

Guerrero put Toronto ahead with an RBI single off Taj Bradley (3-1) in the first, had a run-scoring single in the fifth that opened a 10-0 lead and hit a 423-foot grand slam in a nine-run ninth against Luke Raley.

All 12 Toronto batters in the game had hits, and the Blue Jays finished with 27 hits - their most since getting 29 against Boston in a 28-5 win last July 22.

Tampa Bay entered with the second-fewest runs allowed in the majors at 170 and gave up its most since a 20-8 loss at Boston on Aug. 11, 2021.

George Springer had four hits, and Bo Bichette, Whit Merrifield, Guerrero and Danny Jansen had three apiece. Springer hit his seventh homer, a solo drive in the third.

Jose Berrios (4-4) allowed one run, five hits and two walks, striking out five.

RANGERS 6, PIRATES 1

MLB

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Texas' Nathan Eovaldi pitched a complete game for the second time in five starts after throwing just two in the first 226 of his major league career.

Eovaldi (6-2) allowed six hits, struck out five and walked one, his fifth straight start of at least seven innings.

Josh Jung hit his 11th home run of his first full season in the majors to give the Rangers a five-run lead in the eighth.

Texas has won four of five. Pittsburgh has split its last eight games after losing 11 of 12 and has not won a series since taking two of three at Washington on April 29 and 30.

Rich Hill (4-4) gave up five runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings with a season-high nine strikeouts.

DIAMONDBACKS 4, PHILLIES 3

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Corbin Carroll singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning for his third hit and Arizona beat Philadelphia for its ninth victory in 11 games.

At 29-20, Arizona moved nine games over .500 for the first time since Sept. 11, 2018, when it was 77-68.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. extended his hitting streak to 16 games - the longest active run in the majors - with a leadoff double in the eighth off Seranthony Dominguez (1-2). After advancing to third on a passed ball by J.T. Realmuto, Gurriel scored on Carroll's single to left through a drawn-in infield.

Reliever Jose Ruiz (2-0) got the win and Miguel Castro earned his fifth save with clean ninth.

WHITE SOX 4, GUARDIANS 2

CLEVELAND (AP) - Romy Gonzalez's two-run double off rookie starter Logan Allen (1-2) broke a 2-2 seventh-inning tie and sent Chicago past Cleveland.

Yasmani Grandal homered for the White Sox, who started 7-21 but have won six of eight.

Chicago's rally helped Dylan Cease (3-3) win for the first time since April 10 - a span of eight starts. The right-hander went six innings, Keynan Middleton and Joe Kelly pitched an inning apiece, and Kendall Graveman worked the ninth for his fourth save.

CARDINALS 8, REDS 5

CINCINNATI (AP) - Paul Goldschmidt homered in his first two at-bats and St. Louis' Adam Wainwright beat Cincinnati for the first time since 2019.

The Cardinals have won 12 of 16 since starting the season 10-24.

Goldschmidt hit solo homers in the first and third innings off Graham Ashcraft (2-3).

Wainwright (2-0) allowed five runs in 5 2/3 innings.

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