Aug 20, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) hits a two run home run in the eighth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Progressive Field. Cleveland won 3-2. Photo Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
CLEVELAND — Jose Ramirez hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift the Cleveland Indians to a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.
With one out in the eighth inning and Toronto leading 2-1, Brett Cecil relieved starter Marcus Stroman. Cecil retired Jason Kipnis on a fly out for the second out, but Francisco Lindor reached on an infield single.
Ramirez then hit the first pitch over the left field wall for his 10th home run, giving Cleveland a 3-2 lead. It was Ramirez’s second late-game homer of the series.
Tigers 10, Red Sox 5
DETROIT — Justin Upton hit a pair of three-run homers, J.D. Martinez squibbed a two-run double and Justin Verlander held Boston to one run in six innings to help Detroit gain a split of a four-game series.
Upton, hitting .228 at game time, was in his second game back from three days of not starting. He came up in the third with two on and tagged Boston emergency starter Henry Owens (0-1) for his 14th home run of the season. Owens, subbing for injured Eduardo Rodriguez, fed Upton a 2-0 changeup that Upton hit halfway up the stands in left to give Detroit a 5-0 lead.
Rays 8, Rangers 4
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Logan Forsythe hit a three-run homer in his return to the lineup to lead Tampa Bay over Texas.
Forsythe’s home run completed a five-run fourth inning that gave the Rays a 6-2 lead as Tampa Bay took two out of three games from the American League West leaders.
Tampa Bay trailed 2-1 going into the bottom of the fourth when second baseman Tim Beckham hit a double down the right field line. Right fielder Steven Souza Jr. and left fielder Corey Dickerson followed with singles and Beckham scored to tie the game. Catcher Bobby Wilson executed a perfect bunt on a squeeze play that Souza Jr. scored on to give the Rays a 3-2 lead. Forsythe came up with two on and sent a 2-1 offering from Rangers starter Martin Perez over the wall in left center.
White Sox 4, Athletics 2
CHICAGO — Jose Quintana reached a career high with his 10th victory as Chicago beat Oakland.
Quintana (10-9) struck out six, walked one and gave up two runs and eight hits in seven innings. He exited after issuing a leadoff walk in the eighth. Quintana reached nine victories in each of his last three seasons.
Jose Abreu homered for the White Sox, who have won five of their last nine games. The Athletics have lost seven of eight and 16 of 22.
Royals 2, Twins 1
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Danny Duffy pitched superbly into the seventh inning as Kansas City nipped Minnesota for its eighth straight victory.
The Royals’ winning streak is their longest since winning eight in a row in August 2014. They swept a four-game series from the Twins at Kansas City for the first time since 1975.
Duffy (11-1) won his 10th straight decision, holding the Twins to one run on eight hits over 6 2/3 innings before being replaced by Peter Moylan after throwing 95 pitches. Duffy lowered his ERA to 2.66, which ranks second in the American League.
Dodgers 4, Reds 0
CINCINNATI — Chase Utley homered and Julio Urias pitched six shutout innings to send Los Angeles over Cincinnati.
The Dodgers snapped a three-game losing skid. The loss ended a five-game winning streak for the Reds.
Urias (4-2) allowed six hits and had six strikeouts over 97 pitches.
Cardinals 9, Phillies 0
PHILADELPHIA — Brandon Moss’ 23rd home run of the season helped open up the St. Louis offense and seven strong innings from Mike Leake paved the way to a win over Philadelphia.
Leake (9-9) gave up seven hits and struck out eight.
Vince Velasquez (8-6) took the loss. Since picking up a win on July 8 that moved him to 8-2 with a 3.32 ERA, the 24-year-old is 0-4 with a 6.25 ERA.
Marlins 3, Pirates 2
PITTSBURGH — In a somewhat sloppy ballgame, Miami held it together to sweep Pittsburgh.
Christian Yelich hit a solo home run to get the Marlins on the board in the first inning and Miami took advantage of poor defense by the Pirates to add two more runs in the fifth.
Marlins right-hander Jose Urena (2-4) allowed two earned runs on four hits through six innings for his first win since allowing one earned run in three innings of a relief appearance against the Washington Nationals on May 14.
