Carp’s pinch-hit single lifts Red Sox over Orioles

Associated Press

BOSTON — Mike Carp didn’t need a line drive, a deep shot or to hit into the gap. His little bloop dropped in perfectly for the Boston Red Sox.

Carp’s pinch-hit floater dropped just beyond the glove of Baltimore third baseman Manny Machado in the eighth inning, scoring Jarrod Saltalamacchia from second with the tiebreaking run and lifting the Red Sox to a 4-3 win over the Orioles on Wednesday night.

“Sometimes it’s all about placement,” he said, breaking into a smile. “I didn’t get a lot of it, but it’s a funny game. You can hit a ball hard, guys were hitting the balls hard, but right at people. It just takes just one little squibber, one little jam shot to seal the deal.”

The AL East-leading Red Sox continued their run from last to first with another final at-bat win. It was the 20th time in their 79 wins that they’ve gone ahead in their final turn at the plate.

Last season, the Red Sox were last in the division with 69 wins.

“This is a group that knows how to play with the game situation that’s in front of them,” Boston manager John Farrell said. “They love to compete and love to work on any given day. I think this is the 30th time we’ve come from behind to win and it kind of shows the grit and character that’s been with this team all year.”

Shane Victorino drove in a run for Boston with an RBI single after collecting a career-best seven RBIs and hitting two homers in a 13-2 win on Tuesday night. Craig Breslow (4-2) got two outs to earn the win and Koji Uehara got his 14th save with a perfect ninth for Red Sox, who won their fourth straight.

Chris Davis hit his major league-leading 47th homer and added an RBI double for Baltimore, which lost for the sixth time in its last eight games.

Saltalamacchia hit a two-out double high off the left-field wall against Tommy Hunter (3-3) and Stephen Drew was walked intentionally before Carp’s bloop fell just past the glove of Machado in short left field.

The Red Sox rallied against Baltimore’s bullpen, tying it 3-3 on Dustin Pedroia’s two-run single off Darren O’Day in the seventh. Jacoby Ellsbury barely beat a throw to the plate, sliding in before a sweeping tag attempt by Matt Wieters.

“It’s not necessarily one that got away,” Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said. “They just dumped one in over there.”

Ellsbury left the game for a defensive replacement in the top of the eighth. During his seventh inning at-bat, he fouled a ball off his right foot. Farrell said an exam at the park was negative.

“I’ll be in there tomorrow,” Ellsbury said. “It didn’t feel good at all, but obviously it was a big part of the game. I wanted to be in scoring position to come around and score the run. It hit me on the foot. I wear a shin guard and it hit the top of the foot between the shin guard.”

With the Orioles leading 2-1 in the sixth, Davis belted a leadoff homer into Boston’s bullpen.

The Orioles had grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first on Davis’ RBI double into the right-field corner after Machado singled. They made it 2-0 in the third on Machado’s homer over the Green Monster.

Baltimore starter Bud Norris held Boston to one run and four hits, striking out seven and walking four over 5 1-3 innings. He was pulled after 105 pitches.

“Sometimes you look into it, sometimes you don’t,” he said of the number of pitches he made. “Tonight it definitely affected me.”

Boston’s John Lackey lasted 7 1-3 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits, striking out four and walking one.

The Red Sox cut it to 2-1 on Victorino’s RBI single in the third, but they left the bases loaded when David Ortiz struck out swinging and Daniel Nava was called out on strikes.

Ortiz, mired in a 0-for-18 slump, flew out to the left-field track twice in four at-bats. After the second one, which was caught in the corner for the final out of the fifth, he stood at first base for a while, looking toward the outfield before slowly walking to the dugout and slamming his helmet.

RANGERS 12, MARINERS 4

SEATTLE — Leonys Martin homered and drove in a career-high four runs and Texas roughed up Felix Hernandez in a win over Seattle.

The AL West-leading Rangers tagged Hernandez (12-8) for nine runs and 11 hits in three-plus innings. The former AL Cy Young winner’s ERA climbed from 2.63 to 2.97.

Martin Perez (8-3) limited the Mariners to two runs and five hits in six innings. The rookie won his fifth straight decision.

Adrian Beltre, who hit his 28th homer, and Elvis Andrus each got three of the Rangers’ 17 hits. Mitch Moreland also homered as every Texas starter got a hit except for Alex Rios.

ATHLETICS 14, TIGERS 4

DETROIT— Brandon Moss homered twice and drove in six runs to lead Oakland over Detroit.

Moss has three home runs in his past two games for the A’s, who had a season-high 21 hits and have won the first three games of the four-game series by a combined score of 28-13.

Josh Donaldson had three hits and drove in two runs, and Eric Sogard had two RBIs for Oakland.

Torii Hunter homered for the AL Central-leading Tigers.

Oakland starter Daniel Straily (7-7) got his first win since July 9. He allowed a run and eight hits over six innings, walking two and striking out four.

Doug Fister (11-7) gave up seven runs and 13 hits in five innings for the Tigers.

BLUE JAYS 7, YANKEES 2

TORONTO — Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run home run, rookie Todd Redmond snapped a seven-start winless streak and Toronto beat New York.

The Blue Jays took two out of three from the Yankees after losing 12 of their first 13 meetings this season. They’re 3-3 against New York at home and 0-10 on the road.

Redmond (2-2) left to a standing ovation after striking out Alfonso Soriano and Alex Rodriguez to begin the sixth inning. He allowed two runs and three hits, walked four and struck out seven for his first victory since beating Minnesota on July 7.

New York’s Hiroki Kuroda (11-10) gave up seven runs for the second straight outing.

RAYS 4, ANGELS 1

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Chris Archer pitched seven strong innings, David DeJesus scored twice and Tampa Bay ended Los Angeles’ four-game winning streak.

Archer (8-5) allowed one run and five hits while striking out five. For the fifth time in his last 10 starts, the rookie right-hander did not walk a batter.

Archer breezed through the first six innings, scattering three singles and facing 20 batters, only two over the minimum.

Fernando Rodney pitched the ninth, striking out two for his 31st save.

Garrett Richards (4-6) gave up four runs on seven hits and three walks in 3 1-3 innings.

ROYALS 8, TWINS 1

MINNEAPOLIS — Salvador Perez had four hits and two home runs, Danny Duffy pitched 6 2-3 shutout innings and Kansas City beat Minnesota.

Perez hit two-run shots in the fourth and eighth innings as the Royals won their fourth straight.

Duffy (2-0) allowed five hits and struck out seven in his third start for Kansas City since having elbow surgery last June.

The Twins struck out 10 times and set the club record for strikeouts in a season with 31 games to go. Minnesota batters have fanned 1,127 times, breaking the previous mark of 1,121 set in 1997.

Andrew Albers (2-2) allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits in seven innings for Minnesota.

WHITE SOX 6, ASTROS 1

CHICAGO — Chris Sale struck out 12 over eight-plus dominant innings and Avisail Garcia hit a three-run homer to lead Chicago to a win over Houston.

Garcia finished with three hits for the White Sox, who have won 10 of their last 12 games.

Sale (10-12) bounced back from an embarrassing start Friday night against Texas in which he allowed a career-worst four home runs. Against Houston, he gave up only one run on four hits.

Sale had his 22 2-3 scoreless innings streak snapped when Chris Carter hit a two-out solo shot in the seventh to tie the game 1-1. It was Carter’s 26th of the season.

Jeff Keppinger broke the tie in the seventh with a sacrifice fly off Lucas Harrell (6-15).

METS 5, PHILLIES 0

NEW YORK — Jonathon Niese pitched a three-hitter and had a three-run double, helping the Mets end a five-game losing streak.

Niese struck out five and walked one in his second career shutout in 112 major league starts. The Mets won several hours after trading veterans Marlon Byrd and John Buck to Pittsburgh.

Niese (6-6) handled matters at the plate and on the mound. He retired 17 straight batters and scored the first run by running through third base coach Tim Teufel’s late stop sign.

Niese improved to 3-0 in four starts since coming off the disabled list because of a partially torn rotator cuff.

The Phillies had won five of their last six under interim manager Ryne Sandberg. Kyle Kendrick (10-11) went six innings and allowed five runs, only one earned.

CARDINALS 6, REDS 1

ST. LOUIS — Joe Kelly tossed six strong innings, and Matt Holliday drove in a run for a seventh straight game, lifting St. Louis over Cincinnati.

St. Louis has won six of seven, including the first two games of this three-game set. The first-place Cardinals have won eight of their last 10 against the third-place Reds and lead them by 4½ games in the NL Central.

The Cards also moved 1½ games ahead of second-place Pittsburgh.

Shin-Soo Choo homered for Cincinnati, which lost for the fourth time in five games. The Cardinals retired the last 13 Cincinnati batters, dropping the Reds to 4-10 against St. Louis this season.

Kelly (6-3), who allowed one run and eight hits, improved to 6-0 in nine starts since rejoining the starting rotation on July 6.

Holliday, who went 2 for 3, keyed a two-run outburst in the first against Mat Latos (13-5), who gave up four runs and nine hits over six-plus innings.

BREWERS 7, PIRATES 6

PITTSBURGH — Aramis Ramirez had three hits, including his 350th career home run, and drove in four runs as Milwaukee edged Pittsburgh.

The 16-year veteran third baseman helped stake the Brewers to a 5-0 in the fifth inning, but the Pirates rallied to tie it in the sixth. Milwaukee pulled out the win when rookie pinch-hitter Caleb Gindl hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the eighth inning.

With the game tied 6-6, Rafael Betancourt hit a one-out double off Bryan Morris (5-7) and took third on Scooter Gennett’s single. Gindl then lifted a fly to right that scored Betancourt and gave the Brewers their third victory in four games.

Pittsburgh, which trails St. Louis in the NL Central race, lost its third in a row.

Pedro Alvarez went 4-for-4 with a walk, and hit his NL-leading 32nd home run for the Pirates.

Rob Wooten (3-0) allowed Alvarez’s homer but pitched 1 1-3 innings for the win.

DIAMONDBACKS 10, PADRES 9, 10 INNINGS

PHOENIX — Aaron Hill lined a game-ending RBI single in the 10th inning to give Arizona the victory.

With Hill at-bat and runners on second and third, the Padres employed a five-man infield. Hill lined a shot over the head of left fielder Yonder Alonzo for his eighth career game-ending hit.

Adam Eaton opened the 10th with a single to center, and Paul Goldschmidt singled to left before Hill won it against Dale Thayer (2-4).

The Diamondbacks played their 20th extra-inning game this season, second only to the 21 they had in 1999. Arizona is 15-5 in this season’s long contests.

San Diego dropped to 7-6 in extra innings.

Heath Bell (5-2) pitched a perfect 10th inning for the win.

NATIONALS 2, MARLINS 1

WASHINGTON — Ross Ohlendorf pitched into the sixth inning, Ian Desmond had three hits, and Washington beat Miami.

Ohlendorf (3-0) pitched five innings of two-hit ball before Christian Yelich led off the sixth with his second homer, ending the starter’s outing. It was Ohlendorf’s second start since he was sidelined by right shoulder inflammation.

Tanner Roark, Drew Storen and Tyler Clippard each pitched a hitless inning before Rafael Soriano finished the four-hitter for his 34th save.

Washington kicked off a six-game homestand with its sixth victory in seven games.

Yelich had two hits for Miami, which has lost six of seven. Nathan Eovaldi (2-5) allowed two runs — both in the first — and eight hits in six innings.

GIANTS 5, ROCKIES 3

DENVER — Hunter Pence and Pablo Sandoval hit back-to-back homers, and Yusmeiro Petit won his first game in four years, helping San Francisco beat Colorado.

Pence and Sandoval went deep in the opening inning, marking the first time all season the Giants have hit back-to-back homers.

Brandon Belt had four singles and scored twice for San Francisco, which won for the third time in four games.

Petit (1-0) was recently called up from Triple-A Fresno to fill in for Matt Cain, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list last week. Petit lasted six innings, allowed six hits and two runs.

Sergio Romo pitched a perfect ninth for his 32nd save in 36 chances.

Chad Bettis (0-3) settled down after a rough start, allowing four runs and nine hits over six innings. He is still searching for his first major league victory.

BRAVES 2, INDIANS 0

ATLANTA — Rookie Alex Wood pitched five-plus strong innings, Elliot Johnson had a two-run triple, and Atlanta held off Cleveland.

The Braves have won two straight, improving the majors’ best record to 79-52. They have won 14 of 17 at Turner Field and own baseball’s home mark at 45-18.

Craig Kimbrel pitched a perfect ninth to earn his 42nd save, most in the majors, in 45 chances.

Atlanta took a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Brian McCann walked with one out and advanced to third on Joey Terdoslavich’s single to right field. Both runners scored when Johnson tripled over Stubbs near the wall in right.

Wood (3-2) allowed five hits, a career-high four walks and struck out five in 5 2-3 innings. The left-hander is 3-0 with a 1.46 ERA in his past six starts.

Cleveland had won two straight and five of six, but lost despite holding Atlanta to just three hits. Rookie Danny Salazar (1-2) gave up three hits, two runs and two walks in four innings. The right-hander struck out three.