Associated Press
NEW YORK — Three delays, 5½ innings and another sensational outing by Clay Buchholz — albeit a short one.
Buchholz allowed two hits in an abbreviated shutout and the Boston Red Sox got home runs from David Ortiz and Jose Iglesias in a 3-0 victory over the New York Yankees that was stopped after 5½ innings because of rain Sunday night.
Buchholz (8-0) outpitched Hiroki Kuroda and was pulled after the second of three weather delays. Red Sox reliever Andrew Miller was announced into the game and was warming up on the mound when play was abruptly halted for good, but Buchholz would be credited with a complete game because Miller never faced a batter, according to official scorer Jordan Sprechman.
“That’s awesome,” Buchholz said.
Just before that, the game had resumed for all of 4 minutes before heavy rain returned. Hours earlier, the first pitch was pushed back 45 minutes because thunderstorms were expected to move through the area — though the rain held off until the top of the sixth inning.
“Three rain delays — a fake one and two real ones,” Ortiz said. “What else can you do? You just stick around and see how things end up.”
Boston took two of three at Yankee Stadium for the second time this season and left town with a 2½-game lead in the AL East over Baltimore. The Yankees fell into a third-place tie with Tampa Bay, three games back.
New York has lost seven of eight and nine of 12.
Including their season-opening visit, the Red Sox have won their first two series at Yankee Stadium for the second time in 25 years. They also did it in 2011.
“That’s how you get yourself closer to the playoffs,” Ortiz said. “Winning series, winning series, winning series.”
Buchholz looked perfectly strong and healthy after missing a turn Monday because of irritation in his collarbone area. He yielded only groundball singles to Ichiro Suzuki and Austin Romine while lowering his major league-best ERA to 1.62. The right-hander is tied with Tampa Bay lefty Matt Moore for the best record in the AL.
“I’ve felt really good up to this point,” Buchholz said. “I’m just trying to ride the wave.”
Pitching for the first time in 11 days, his only dicey moment came when he jumped away from the bag to avoid contact on Brett Gardner’s leadoff groundout to first base.
Buchholz also beat Kuroda (6-4) at Yankee Stadium on April 3 and has given up one run over 12 innings in two starts against New York this year.
Ortiz led off the sixth with his 10th home run, a high and long drive that landed in the raised bleachers in right field. He took his time trotting around the bases.
“What went further, the ball or your bat flip?” teammate Will Middlebrooks said, needling Ortiz as he walked by.
After a single and a flyout, heavy showers suddenly poured down and fans scurried hastily up the aisles for cover. Plate umpire Vic Carapazza called for the tarp almost immediately, and most Yankees players jogged off the field.
But not Kuroda.
Dejected and probably aware his outing was over, he walked slowly off the mound with his head down. Without even looking up, he underhanded the game ball into the third row of now-empty seats before descending into the dugout.
Boone Logan relieved after a 37-minute delay and got two quick outs.
Four minutes later it started pouring again, even harder this time, and the tarp went back on. After a 45-minute wait — and some of the loudest thunder and lightning imaginable — the game was called.
In the dugout, even a few Yankees got jumpy when the thunder boomed and lightning crackled.
“I heard guys buckled a bit during the storm,” manager Joe Girardi said. “I wasn’t there but the satellite TV in my office went out.”
Consecutive singles to start the fourth by Dustin Pedroia and Ortiz put runners at the corners for Mike Napoli, who got his team-leading 45th RBI with a groundout.
Iglesias sent the first pitch of the fifth to left for his second major league home run in 127 at-bats. Ortiz later connected for No. 411 of his career.
The 23-year-old Iglesias is considered a defensive whiz at shortstop — with a much better glove than bat. But he’s been subbing at third base for the injured Middlebrooks and is 14 for 33 (.424) since he was recalled May 24 from Triple-A Pawtucket.
And while Ortiz has been a Yankees nemesis almost since the day he joined the Red Sox in 2003, the surprising Iglesias has quickly become a particular pest to them this season with a .545 average in 22 at-bats.
“I wanted to go up and in to him but I didn’t,” Kuroda said through a translator. “Both home runs were bad pitches.”
ORIOLES 4, TIGERS 2
BALTIMORE — Chris Davis hit his major league-leading 20th homer to ignite a three-run seventh inning, and the Orioles got a strong pitching performance from rookie Kevin Gausman.
Nate McLouth drove in the go-ahead run for the Orioles, who took two of three from Detroit. Baltimore also rallied on Friday after trailing by two runs in the ninth.
Prince Fielder homered and scored both runs for the Tigers, who have lost five of six. Rick Porcello (2-3) lost for the first time in seven starts since April 20.
Gausman pitched six impressive innings. He struck out Miguel Cabrera and got the Tigers star to hit into a pair of double plays.
Brian Matusz (2-0) got the win despite giving up a run in the seventh, Darren O’Day worked the eighth and Jim Johnson got three outs for his 18th save.
ATHLETICS 2, WHITE SOX 0
OAKLAND, Calif. — Josh Donaldson’s sixth-inning sacrifice fly ended a career-best 28-inning scoreless streak by Chicago starter Chris Sale.
Jarrod Parker (4-6) hung tough in an impressive pitcher’s duel with Sale to win back-to-back starts for the first time this year. The right-hander matched his season high with seven strikeouts in 6 1-3 innings as Oakland won for the ninth time in 11 games.
Sale (5-3) lost for the first time in six starts since an April 18 defeat at Toronto. The White Sox (24-30) lost their season-high sixth in a row and matched a season-worst by falling to six games below .500.
Sale’s 28-inning stretch without allowing a run was the longest by a White Sox pitcher since Wilson Alvarez went 31 scoreless innings from Sept. 11-27, 1993.
ASTROS 5, ANGELS 4
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Carlos Pena and Carlos Corporan homered against C.J. Wilson and Houston extended its winning streak to a season-high five games.
Jordan Lyles (3-1) allowed two runs and six hits in 5 2-3 innings, struck out five and walked one. The 22-year-old right-hander, who was promoted from Triple-A on May 2, has a 1.90 ERA over his last four starts after giving up eight runs through four innings in a 12-7 loss against Texas.
Wilson (4-4) gave up three runs and six hits in 7 1-3 innings with nine strikeouts and no walks.
RANGERS 3, ROYALS 1
ARLINGTON, Texas — Jurickson Profar hit a tiebreaking home run with two outs in the eighth inning.
Texas starter Yu Darvish pitched seven shutout innings and left with a 1-0 lead.
The 20-year-old Profar connected off J.C. Gutierrez (0-1) for his second homer, a solo shot that put Texas ahead 2-1. David Murphy added an RBI single later in the inning.
Tanner Scheppers (4-0) got two outs in the eighth and Joe Nathan pitched a perfect ninth for his 17th save in 18 chances.
Darvish allowed three hits, walked two and struck out six. Alex Gordon doubled in the Kansas City eighth and scored on a grounder to make it 1-all.
TWINS 10, MARINERS 0
MINNEAPOLIS — Scott Diamond pitched six shutout innings and Josh Willingham hit one of Minnesota’s four home runs.
Chris Herrmann hit his first major league homer and Ryan Doumit and Brian Dozier also connected for the Twins. Willingham drove in three runs.
The Twins won for the seventh time in nine games.
Diamond (4-4) allowed four hits, walked one and struck out three. He gave up three hits in the first inning, and little else.
Making his first major league start since Oct. 1, 2010, with Detroit, Jeremy Bonderman (0-1) was hit hard.
RAYS 11, INDIANS 3
CLEVELAND — Evan Longoria and Yunel Escobar hit two-run homers and James Loney added a two-run double for the Rays, who bounced back a day after its six-game winning streak ended.
Indians manager Terry Francona was ejected in the fifth inning by plate umpire Bill Welke for arguing a strike call with Nick Swisher batting. It was his first ejection as Cleveland’s manager. Jeremy Hellickson (3-2) allowed three runs in five innings.
Zach McAllister (4-5) lasted only 4 1-3 innings — his shortest start of the season — and gave up five runs.
Escobar’s homer in the sixth pushed the Rays’ lead to 7-3.
Longoria drove in three runs. He homered to cap a four-run eighth and connected off Matt Langwell, who was facing his first hitter in his major league debut.
DIAMONDBACKS 8, CUBS 4
CHICAGO — Patrick Corbin became the major leagues’ first nine-game winner, laboring through six inning.
Corbin (9-0) allowed four runs and six hits, tying the team record for consecutive wins at the start of the season, set by Brandon Webb in 2008. The Diamondbacks are 11-0 in his starts.
He hit two batters and walked two in a 33-pitch first inning, when he walked Dioner Navarro with the bases loaded. Corbin minimized the damaged by retiring Cody Ransom on an inning-ending flyout to the warning track in center.
Brad Ziegler, David Hernandez and Heath Bell combined for hitless relief.
Edwin Jackson (1-8) gave up seven runs — five earned — a season-high 12 hits, three walks and four wild pitches in 5 2-3 innings.
Wil Nieves had three hits and two RBIs for Arizona.
BRAVES 6, NATIONALS 3
ATLANTA — B.J. Upton and Ramiro Pena hit home runs and Paul Maholm won his third straight decision.
The Braves won two of three from the Nationals and lead Washington by 6.5 games — the biggest advantage for any first-place team in the majors.
The Nationals (28-29) fell below .500 for the first time since they were 13-14 on April 30. The Braves are 7-3 against Washington this season.
Ian Desmond hit a homer for Washington in the sixth inning to cut Atlanta’s lead to 4-3. Freddie Freeman answered with a bases-loaded, two-run double in the bottom of the inning.
Paul Maholm (7-4) allowed three runs, two earned, on five hits in six innings. Craig Kimbrel pitched a perfect ninth for his 17th save.
Washington rookie Nathan Karns (0-1) gave up four runs, three earned, on seven hits in 4 2-3 innings. Karns allowed two homers. He has given up four homers in his two starts.
ROCKIES 7, DODGERS 2
DENVER — Dexter Fowler hit two homers off fill-in starter Matt Magill and Jorge De La Rosa pitched seven effective innings.
It was the second multihomer game of the season for Fowler. Todd Helton and Michael Cuddyer added solo homers as the Rockies took two of three from Los Angeles.
De La Rosa (7-3) struggled early, but settled down as he allowed six hits and struck out five for his first career win against Los Angeles. He was 0-8 entering the game.
Magill (0-1) was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque to step in for lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu, who was a late scratch with a bruised left foot. Magill had a forgettable outing, giving up seven runs — six earned — in six innings. He also allowed four homers and walked nine, before being pulled for a pinch hitter after throwing 110 pitches.
PIRATES 5, REDS 4, 11 innings
PITTSBURGH — Travis Snider hit an RBI single with two outs in the 11th inning.
Five Pittsburgh relievers combined for 10 scoreless innings. Starter Jeanmar Gomez was removed with tightness in his right forearm after giving up four runs in the first.
Reds shortstop Zack Cozart made a throwing error on Russell Martin’s one-out grounder in the 11th. After Pedro Alvarez walked, Jordy Mercer flied out before Snider then dropped a single into right-center off Alfredo Simon (4-2).
Garrett Jones tied the game for Pittsburgh with a long two-run homer with two outs in the eighth. Jones’ drive off Jonathan Broxton cleared the right-field stands, reached the Allegheny River on the fly and was estimated at 463 feet.
It was just the second homer to make it into the river without bouncing and the first by a Pirates’ hitter. Daryle Ward hit the first on July 6, 2002, while playing for Houston.
Justin Wilson (5-0) pitched two innings for the win.
GIANTS 4, CARDINALS 2
ST. LOUIS — Chad Gaudin picked up a win in his first start in over three years and Brandon Belt broke a tie with a two-run pinch-hit double to help end San Francisco seven-game road losing streak.
Gaudin (1-1) went six innings in his first start since Sept. 28, 2009 as a member of the New York Yankees. He allowed four hits and two runs, both coming on a two-run homer by David Freese in the fourth. Gaudin is temporarily replacing Ryan Vogelsong in the rotation. Vogelsong broke several bones in his right hand May 20.
Pinch-hitter Belt slammed the first pitch from reliever Randy Choate into the gap in left-center to bring in Brandon Crawford and Gregor Blanco for a 4-2 lead in the seventh inning. Crawford began the rally with a single off St. Louis rookie Tyler Lyons (2-1).
Buster Posey, who entered the game in a 2 for20 skid, had four hits for the Giants.
PHILLIES 7, BREWERS 5
PHILADELPHIA — Domonic Brown homered, tripled and drove in four runs to back up the effective pitching of Cliff Lee.
Brown also singled and had a chance for the cycle when he came up in the seventh, but walked. He had three homers and eight RBIs against the Brewers in the weekend series.
Freddy Galvis went 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI and Jimmy Rollins doubled and had two hits for the Phillies, who snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 19-6 when scoring more than three runs.
Cliff Lee (7-2) was practically unhittable through seven innings, allowing three hits with 11 strikeouts and no walks before running into trouble in the eighth when the Brewers scored four runs. Lee got two outs in the eighth before he was pulled. He gave up three runs and seven hits total.
Jonathan Lucroy hit a three-run triple and Jeff Bianchi went 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Brewers.
Antonio Bastardo earned his first save in three chances with a shaky ninth. Bianchi’s RBI single pulled Milwaukee with two runs, and the Brewers had the bases loaded with two outs. But Bastardo got pinch-hitter Martin Maldonado to fly out to center to end the game.
MARLINS 11, METS 6
MIAMI — Marcell Ozuna drove in four runs and Greg Dobbs hit a three-run homer to help the Miami Marlins complete a three-game sweep over New York.
Ed Lucas and Chris Coghlan each had four hits and two RBIs for the Marlins, who tied a season-high with 16 hits and swept the Mets in Miami for the first time since May 28-30, 2004.
It was the first sweep for Miami since taking three from Philadelphia from June 29-July 1, 2012.
Ike Davis homered and drove in three runs, and Lucas Duda and Omar Quintanilla also hit homers for New York, which came to Miami on a five-game winning streak including a four-game sweep over the Yankees.
Mets starter Matt Harvey had a 1.85 ERA coming into the game, but battled through five innings allowing season-highs in hits (10) and runs (four) in his shortest start of the season. He walked five and struck out two.
Still, Harvey left the game with a 6-4 lead and was relieved by Scott Rice (3-4), who issued three consecutive walks with one out in the sixth.
BLUE JAYS 7, PADRES 4, 11 INNINGS
SAN DIEGO — Mark DeRosa hit a go-ahead homer into the second deck in left field leading off the 11th inning and Toronto beat San Diego to avoid a three-game sweep.
It was the second extra-inning game of the series. The Padres won Friday night’s game 4-3 in 17 innings.
Blue Jays starter Ramon Ortiz left in the third inning after appearing to hurt his right elbow.
DeRosa drove a 3-1 pitch from Brad Boxberger (0-1) an estimated 428 feet, his fourth.
It was the first of five straight hits opening the three-run inning. The Blue Jays’ second run that inning came in on third baseman Chase Headley’s throwing error and Jose Bautista hit an RBI double.
Casey Janssen (1-0) pitched the 10th for the win. Aaron Loup pitched the 11th for his second save.
