Seattle: Kyle Schwarber and Christian Vazquez scored two runs each in the 10th inning and the Boston Red Sox kept the momentum in the AL wild-card race as they beat the Seattle Mariners 9-4 on Wednesday.
Designated runner Jack Lopez scored on a passed ball from Tom Murphys and broke a 3–3 game to start the scoring in the 10th of six runs. JD Martinez, Schwarber and Vazquez added run-scoring hits as Boston beat the Mariners for the second day in a row.
All three games of the series were decided between the playoff contenders in the eighth inning or later.
The Red Sox, Toronto and New York Yankees started the day in a virtual tie for two AL wild-card spots. Seattle started the day three games behind the trio.
Alex Verdugo singles against Eric Swanson (0–3) and moved up to 10th, pushing Lopez to third. Swanson bowled a chest-high fastball to Hunter Renfro on his first pitch, but the ball passed over a Murphys glove and went to the backstop to make it 4-3.
A later, Martinez made it 5-3 with an RBI single.
Adam Otavino (7–3) played 1 1/3 innings to finish eighth and ninth for the Red Sox, earning their second win in two days. He dismissed two.
After three innings the score was 3-all.
Boston’s Bobby Dulbeck moved to third place after a stroll through eighth, a stolen base and a Jose Iglesias single against reliever Casey Sadler. But Paul Seewald entered with two outs and retired pinch-hitter Verdugo on a popup, preserving the Saddlers’ AL-leading 19 2/3-inning scoreless streak.
Renfro took first place and Kevin Plavecki and Iglesias scored a pair of runs in second to take a quick 3-0 lead against Mariners starter Marco Gonzales.
Gonzales retired 12 of the 13 batsmen after the second innings, dismissed seven and did not allow a hit on that stretch.
Seattle rally in third. Hits by Jared Kelenick and Murphy, a throw from right field by Renfro, and Kyle Cesars tied for a two-run double.
Cora and Clemente
Red Sox manager Alex Cora proudly wore Roberto Clementes No. 21 on Wednesday and recalled the stories his father would tell him and his brother, Joey, a Hall of Fame member, when they were kids. Cora said that his father, José Manuel Cora, played winter ball in Puerto Rico with the former pirate great, who died in a plane crash on December 31, 1972, while assisting earthquake victims in Nicaragua at 38. Those stories are stuck with Quora.
Cora said that we don’t really come back home to teach our kids who this man was. And I think slowly with the Retire 21 movement and to this day, slowly, was getting better at it. But, I mean, who was he and what does he represent, we’ll always be short, right? Because just his personality, he means a lot to us. But I think we’re working better now. And I think that was sending a message and the kids are learning who Roberto Clemente was.
instructor room
Red Sox: Matt Barnes, Jaren Duran and Christian Arroyo were all scheduled for rehab on Wednesday and could join the club from the COVID-19 list as soon as Friday if all goes well. Barnes was scheduled to pitch at Double-A Portland, while Duran and Arroyo were expected to bat at Triple-A Worcester. Cora expected it to have both Chris Sells and Barnes available on Friday, but sales returns have yet to be confirmed.
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Red Sox: The team has not announced a starting pitcher for Friday’s game against Baltimore in Boston. Hopefully the sale will start.
Mariners: RHP Chris Flexon (11-6, 3.73) takes the mound in the series opener in Kansas City. Seattle is 18-9 at Flexibility 27.
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