George Kirby roughed up as Rangers extend lead over Mariners atop AL West ARLINGTON, Texas It was the worst time for George Kirby to have his worst start of the season.
As trade rumors intensify around him, Kirby surrendered four home runs in four innings to the Texas Rangers, who turned the tables on their longtime bully and stretched their lead over the Seattle Mariners atop the AL West with an emphatic 7-3 victory Monday afternoon at Globe Life Field.
The Rangers (54-52) took three of four games in this pivotal divisional showdown, and the Mariners (52-55) held a lead for just three of the 36 innings over the past four days here.
The Ms are 3-7 against the Rangers this season and lost six of seven games here at Globe Life Field.
It gets worse: The Mariners not only leave Texas trailing by 2.5 games in the division, but they now head to Los Angeles for a three-game series against the two-time reigning champion Dodgers, baseballs behemoth.
I think we had different aspirations coming in here, and it didnt turn out that way, Ms manager Dan Wilson said outside a silent visitors clubhouse Monday.
Weve got to turn it up.
Theyre running out of time to do so.
The MLB trade deadline is quickly approaching next Monday, and the Mariners front office is steadfast in its desire to bolster this underperforming roster.
Industry sources with knowledge of the clubs plans say the Mariners are listening to offers for Luis Castillo and Emerson Hancock, but they do not intend to trade any of their other starters.
That includes Kirby, who was the teams hand-picked choice to start Game 7 of the AL Championship Series in Toronto last October and is under club control through the 2028 season.
That hasnt stopped rampant speculation about potential trades involving Kirby ahead the MLB trade deadline next Monday.
Kirby said the rumors havent been a distraction for him.
I dont have Twitter, he said.
So I dont see it.
Kirbys four homers allowed match his career high in any game, and three of the homers Monday came in two-strike counts.
It was a lot of just poor two-strike execution, Kirby said.
I feel like I could get it to where I want to early in the count, and then two strikes damage.
Just left a lot of things (in the) middle.
Theyre a good team, so theyll take advantage of it.
The Rangers Joc Pederson led off the bottom of the first by belting a Kirby sweeper out to left-center field.
After a Randy Arozarena homer tied the score in the second, Pederson added a three-homer off Kirby in the second inning, turning on an elevated inside fastball and sending it just over the wall in right field to extend the Rangers lead to 4-1.
Ezequiel Duran crushed a home run to lead off the third inning to make it 5-2, and Jake Burger yanked an 0-2 sweeper that Kirby left over the heart of the plate for a two-run homer to make it 7-2.
He had allowed 11 homers in his first 19 starts this season, and just four in his previous nine starts.
And in 12 previous starts against the Rangers, Kirby had owned them, surrendering just four home runs in those 12 starts and posting a 9-1 record with a 1.33 ERA over 74 1/3 innings.
Ceddanne Rafaelas grand slam sends Red Sox past Athletics (FLM) Ceddanne Rafaela smacked his first career grand slam and the scorching Boston Red Sox won for the 18th time in 20 games, beating the Athletics 4-2 on Monday in West Sacramento, Calif.
Payton Tolle (6-6) struck out seven over 5 1/3 innings for the Red Sox.
He gave up two runs and five hits and one walk.
Bostons Aroldis Chapman worked out of a ninth-inning jam for his 25th save in 27 opportunities.
Chapman gave up a single to Colby Thomas to start the ninth before striking out Tommy White.
Chapman then engaged in a 10-pitch battle with pinch hitter Nick Kurtz and appeared to have won it with a potential game-ending double-play grounder.
However, Boston second baseman Anthony Seigler booted the ball and both runners were safe.
Chapman then fanned Henry Bolte and Alika Williams to close it out.
Tyler Soderstrom and Jonah Heim homered for the Athletics, who lost for the 24th time in their past 30 games.
Thomas had two hits.
Bostons Justin Slaten recorded the final two outs of the sixth, Jovani Moran struck out two in a perfect seventh, and Garrett Whitlock worked a flawless eighth.
As starter Jack Perkins (2-6) was charged with two runs and one hit over 5 2/3 innings.
He struck out four and walked three.
Perkins didnt give up a hit before Connor Wong began the sixth inning with a double into the left field corner.
Perkins retired the next two batters before walking Willson Contreras.
Jose Suarez entered and walked Wilyer Abreu to load the bases.
Rafaela then swatted a 2-0 slider high in the air to left.
Thomas leaped and the ball went off his glove and hit the netting behind the fence for a homer as Boston took a 4-1 lead.
In the bottom of the inning, Heim drilled a leadoff homer to center off Tolle.
The As got on the board in the bottom of the first when Soderstrom hit a one-out homer to left.
Bostons Curtis Mead made his team debut but left prior to the bottom of the fifth due to a left wrist contusion.
He was hit by a pitch from Perkins in the top of the fourth.
Mead was acquired from the Washington Nationals for left-hander Connelly Early on Sunday.
Athletics All-Star catcher Shea Langeliers will undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee on Tuesday.
He could be done for the season.
Tyler Mahle, 3 Giants relievers shut out Brewers in series opener (FLM) Tyler Mahle limited the Milwaukee Brewers to three hits over six-plus innings, Grant McCray smacked a two-run homer and the San Francisco Giants defeated the visiting National League Central leaders 3-0 on Monday.
Mahle (3-9) never allowed a runner past second base, aided by three double plays in the opener of a three-game series.
Milwaukees only baserunners against the veteran right-hander came via singles by Jake Bauers, Andrew Vaughn and Jackson Chourio plus walks drawn by Vaughn and Cooper Pratt.
Bauers hit and Vaughns walk came consecutively with one out in the second inning in a scoreless game.
Mahle then got Garrett Mitchell to bounce into an inning-ending double play.
En route to their third win in four games on their current homestand, the Giants took the lead for good in the third against Brewers starter Brandon Sproat (3-6).
Jesus Rodriguez led off with a double and Luis Arraez followed with an RBI single.
McCray belted his first homer of the season and the sixth of his three-year career in the fourth after Willy Adames stroked a two-out single.
Mahle was pulled with a 3-0 lead after allowing a leadoff single to Chourio in the seventh.
Sam Hentges came on to retire the next three Brewers to complete the inning.
Dylan Smith threw a 1-2-3 eighth and Erik Miller struck out two of the three men he faced in a perfect ninth for his third save.
Winning for the second time in his past three starts, Mahle struck out three.