Mookie Betts and the rest of the Boston Red Sox didn't give folks in Toronto much to cheer about over the Canada Day weekend festivities at the Rogers Centre. The Sox completed a three game sweep of the Blue Jays yesterday with a 15-1 victory in which Betts drove in eight of those fifteen runs, including two homers.
Hanley Ramirez also went deep and Drew Pomeranz cruised to his eighth win of the year as the Sox swept the Jays in Toronto for the first time since 2011. The Red Sox have won six of their last seven as they continue their road trip in Texas against the Rangers tonight, a chance for Rick Porcello to turn his season around. Porcello has been a surprisingly weak link in the starting rotation chain with a 4-10 record just one year removed from winning the Cy Young award. His ERA is over five but if there's one silver lining it's that he does tend to pitch deep into games, having made 14 straight starts with at least six innings, which leads the majors, but the Red Sox would love for him to return to some semblance of form that made him the American League's best pitcher last season.
The Red Sox are also a season best 12 games over .500 after the sweep of Toronto and they have opened up a three game lead over the NY Yankees for first place in the A.L. east. The Yanks fell to the Houston Astros 8-1 yesterday. Yuli Gurriel fell a triple shy of hitting for the cycle and Carlos Correa drove in four runs as the Astros knocked starter Luis Severino out of the game in the sixth after he gave up six runs on nine hits. The Yankees have dropped 14 of their last 19 games and will hope to get well back home against the Toronto Blue Jays tonight, the Jays themselves reeling from the aforementioned sweep against the Red Sox.
The news was no better for the NY Mets, who lost 7-1 to the Philadelphia Phillies yesterday, and if Canadians want something to feel better about after the Blue Jays got swept perhaps it's one of their own, rookie Nick Pivetta, picking up his second career win, giving up just one hit over seven innings against the Mets. The Phillies got all the scoring they would need in a four-run second inning against Rafael Montero, halting the Mets four-game winning streak. Maikel Franco hit a two-run double in the fourth inning uprising and Daniel Nava drive in two runs on three hits from the lead off spot. The Mets move on to the nation's capital to begin a three game series with the Washington Nationals before the all star break.
In NY Penn League action, big night for Jack Meggs of the Vermont Lake Monsters, who went 3 for 5 last night against the Lowell Spinners, including a 3-run bomb in the bottom of ther 8th to help lead the Lake Monsters to an 8-4 win at Centennial Field. 18-year old Abdiel Mendoza was impressive on the hill for Vermont, giving up just one run over five innings to get his first win of the year.
RBIs by Jeffrey Scott and Bryce Aldridge in the top of the sixth gave the Vermont Mountaineers the go-ahead runs they needed to nip the North Adams Steeple Cats 3-2 yesterday in western Massachusetts. The Mountaineers had been rained out in consecutive games before getting the win yesterday. The Upper Valley Nighthawks were off. They host the Ocean State Waves in White River Junction tonight.
Get your Strawberries and cream ready. The Wimbledon Tennis tournament begins today at the All England club. The number one ranked men's player in the world, Andy Murray, plays his opening match at 8 a.m. eastern standard time and there are concerns for Murray, who's been battling a hip injury as he enters play today. On the women's side, it's wide open in terms of who will be favored to capture the title, with the number one player Serena Williams pregnant and not taking part. Maria Sharipova is also not playing at Wimbledon this year, out with injury.
Finally, some free agent hockey signing news, and fans of the Montreal Canadiens can rest easy, because the Habs have locked up their best player to a new contract that will keep him manning the nets in Montreal for a long, long time. Carey Price inked an 8-year, $84 Million deal yesterday that runs until he turns 38 years old, meaning that arguably the best goaltender in the NHL will likely finish his career with the Canadiens.
