Sale solid in debut before Red Sox blow lead, lose to Rays

Tue, Jul 12, 2022
MLB News (AP)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Chris Sale worked five scoreless innings in his season debut, but the Boston bullpen couldn't hold a two-run lead in a 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night.

Sale, out all season with a fracture in his right rib cage, allowed three hits with one walk and struck out five. The lefty reached 97 mph on his fastball during a 78-pitch, 53-strike outing.

Corey Kluber (5-5) allowed two runs and four hits in six innings to beat the Red Sox in consecutive starts.

The Rays went up 3-2 in the sixth when pinch-hitter Francisco Mejia had an RBI single off Matt Strahm (3-3). Two more runs scored when the Red Sox made two errors on the same play.

Brooks Raley worked the ninth for his fifth save in six chances.

BLUE JAYS 4, PHILLIES 3

TORONTO (AP) - Jose Berrios matched his career high by striking out 13 over six innings, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. had four hits and Toronto snapped a four-game losing streak.

Berrios (7-4) allowed three runs and six hits, improving to 5-0 in eight home starts. Jordan Romano finished for his 19th save in 22 chances.

Gurriel singled in the second, doubled and scored in the third, doubled home the go-ahead run in the sixth and singled in the eighth.

Jeurys Familia (1-1) allowed one run and four hits in 1 1/3 innings as Philadelphia lost its third straight.

GUARDIANS 4, WHITE SOX 1, GAME 1

CLEVELAND (AP) - Shane Bieber pitched a three-hitter for his first complete game this year and Jose Ramirez and Amed Rosario drove in two runs apiece, sending Cleveland past Chicago in a doubleheader opener.

Bieber (4-5) struck out seven and walked none. He had been 0-2 in six starts since winning at Baltimore on June 3, the longest winless streak of his big league career.

Rosario had a pair of RBI doubles off Davis Martin (1-3), driving in Austin Hedges in the third and Myles Straw in the fifth.

PIRATES 3, MARLINS 2

MIAMI (AP) - Rookie Oneil Cruz hit a tiebreaking RBI triple and Jake Marisnick homered for the second straight game as Pittsburgh beat Miami.

Diego Castillo had two hits for the Pirates in their fourth straight victory. Dillon Peters (5-2) worked 2 2/3 innings of one-run relief. David Bednar pitched the ninth for his 16th save.

Cruz made it 2-1 when he tripled home Castillo in the fifth. Cruz then scored on Jason Delay's single against Daniel Castano (1-3).

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