The Yankees took a loss to the A’s on a cold evening in the Bronx on Wednesday. Despite the game being tied into the ninth inning, David Bednar allowed a pair of hits and a run in the top half, which allowed the A’s to cruise to victory. Beyond the action in a chilly Yankee Stadium, there was plenty going on elsewhere around the league, which included a redemption win, and the continuation of a turnaround in the East. Here’s a look at what went down!
Boston Red Sox (4-8) 5, Milwaukee Brewers (8-4)
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Following a 1-8 skid, the Red Sox won for a second night in a row, finally righting the ship a bit and cooling down the Brewers’ red-hot start. Sonny Gray was making his third start of the season for Boston, and it was his best outing of the year. Although the offense did their job, Gray’s 6.1 shutout innings, in which he allowed just three hits led the charge in their victory.
The Boston lineup did all the damage they needed in two innings. Some small ball with the bases loaded netted them three runs in the third inning against Milwaukee starter Shane Drohan. In the seventh, they added some insurance thanks to an RBI knock from Trevor Story and a productive groundout from Caleb Durbin.
After an abysmal start to the season, back-to-back wins against a very good Brewers team might be the jolt the Red Sox needed, and puts them back into early relevance at 4-8.
Texas Rangers (7-5) 3, Seattle Mariners (4-9) 0
In a similar game, the Mariners were shut down once again in a quiet loss to the Rangers on Wednesday. The newest big-ticket Ranger, Brandon Nimmo played a big role in the Texas win as he racked up a pair of hits and hit a fielder’s choice that plated a run, and caused a throwing error that brought home another in the bottom of the fifth. They did all their scoring in that inning, as a sac fly from Corey Seager put them up 3-0. The story of the night, however, was Mackenzie Gore’s masterful five innings of shutout work, during which he struck out nine and allowed just one hit. Bryan Woo was good for Seattle, giving up an earned run in five innings, but the defensive miscues and the measly two hits on offense for Seattle held them back.
Toronto Blue Jays (5-7) 4, Los Angeles Dodgers (9-3) 3
After getting beat up in their first two chances at redemption in the Fall Classic rematch, the Jays finally answered the bell on Wednesday. Between a gritty start from Dylan Cease and some timely hitting on offense, Toronto gets out of the daunting series with at least a win.
Both squads matched each other with a run in the first four innings, thanks to RBI hits from Jesús Sánchez and Freddie Freeman. Scoring was hard to come by in the early going as Cease and Shohei Ohtani allowed one combined earned run in five and six innings, respectively.
The Dodgers scored a pair in the sixth and seventh thanks to a sac fly from Teoscar Hernández and an RBI single from Will Smith, which put the Jays on the ropes. They would claw back in the seventh though, when huge hits from George Springer and Daulton Varsho tied the game up.
The decisive blow came in the eighth, when Andrés Giménez stole second, which drew an errant throw from Smith behind the plate, and allowed Davis Schneider to cross the plate with the go-ahead run. After a couple of tough losses to the reigning champs, Wednesday’s victory surely was a satisfying one for Toronto.
Colorado Rockies (6-6) 9, Houston Astros (6-7) 1
For a third straight night, the Astros took a tough loss at the hands of the Rockies. Houston was very much in this game when Brice Matthews singled to even up the game in the second, but the Rockies lineup took off just an inning later. After AJ Blubaugh came in for the ‘Stros in the second, he was charged with five earned runs on four hits and three walks, which made the difference in this game. The Rockies continued to add to their tally throughout their game, which included a homer from Hunter Goodman in the fourth. The Astros fall below .500 with a series sweep to the often-beatable Rockies, who climb to 6-6.
Minnesota Twins (6-6) 8, Detroit Tigers (4-8) 6
In a AL Central upset, the supposedly-rebuilding Twins captured another resounding victory against Detroit. The fun started right away for Minnesota, as they ran up a six-spot in the first inning, thanks to four hits against the Tigers’ Framber Valdez, who had a night to forget.
The Twins would pin two more on the Detroit lefty in the fourth and the sixth innings. With eight runs to work with, Minnesota had some breathing room, but they certainly tested their limits. Hits from Kerry Carpenter and Dillon Dingler plated two in the sixth, before Gleyber Torres’ two-run double led the charge in an four-run seventh inning. Although the Tigers shrunk the gap to two, the Twins bullpen held on, as Kody Funderbunk locked down the nail-biting save and secured the win for the now .500 Twins.
