Red Sox beat Giolito, White Sox 11-4 on Patriots’ Day

BOSTON (AP) – Kiké Hernández led off with a replay-aided home run, and Bobby Dalbec worked a 14-pitch walk in a six-run first inning against Lucas Giolito, helping the Red Sox beat the Chicago White Sox 11-4 on Monday in the first Patriots’ Day game played apart from the Boston Marathon.

During the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Marathon was moved to Oct. 11 because of Massachusetts limits on crowds. The Patriots Day game, with a start shortly after 11 a.m., has been played by the Red Sox since 1959. It drew a limited crowd of 4,738. Giolito (1-1) was removed with two on and no outs in the second. He allowed eight runs – seven earned – and eight hits as his ERA more than doubled from 2.55 to 5.79. Nathan Eovaldi (3-1) matched his career high with ten strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings, allowing four runs and nine hits with no walks.

GIANTS 2, PHILLIES 0

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Brandon Belt hit a two-run homer, Kevin Gausman niftily pitched out of trouble in six innings, and San Francisco beat Philadelphia.

San Francisco’s Gabe Kapler became the first major league baseball history manager to start his 200-200. Kapler, who was 161-163 as Philadelphia’s manager in 2018-19, was booed when he brought out the lineup card. Gausman (1-0) allowed six hits, walked four and struck out five. He lowered his ERA to 2.45. Wandy Peralta finished off the seven-hitter for his second save.

Phillies starter Chase Anderson (0-2) yielded two runs and five hits in four innings.

grand slam, Tommy Edman and Paul Goldschmidt went deep back-to-back, and the Cardinals offered Jack Flaherty his usual strong run support.

DeJong clanged a solo shot off the left-field foul pole in the second inning for the first run allowed by Joe Ross (1-1) in three games this season after he sat out 2020 because of COVID-19 concerns. DeJong ended the right-hander’s evening with another drive to left, this one off a high fastball after Dylan Carlson was walked intentionally to load the bases, making it 10-2 in the fifth.

Flaherty (3-0) is used to that sort of cushion. The Cardinals are averaging 11 runs in his four starts this season – and 3.25 runs in the 12 games started by other pitchers.

RAYS 4, ROYALS 1

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Josh Fleming pitched a two-hit ball into the sixth inning, and Kevin Kiermaier led a strong effort from the bottom of Tampa Bay’s batting order. Fleming (1-1) struck out three in 5 1/3 innings, getting big cheers from friends and family who journeyed over from his hometown of Bridgeton, Missouri. The 24-year-old left-hander has allowed just one run in 10 1/3 innings this year.

Relievers Ryan Thompson and Hunter Strickland carried the baton out of the bullpen and held Kansas City to two hits in the eighth. Chris Mazza shut the door in the ninth. Danny Duffy (2-1) struck out eight in six innings and allowed two runs – neither earned – and four hits with two walks.

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